OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

POSITION : Information Management Data Associate

Background
In early March 2015, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) registered more than 1.2 million people displaced within the country due to conflict and inter-communal violence. In addition, over 200,000 people fled to Chad, Cameroon and Niger. The need to understand the full impact of displacement is critical as humanitarian actors scale up response in terms of protection, shelter, food as well as education and health services to the internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

In order to do that accurate data is required but that remains a challenge in Nigeria. Efforts have been made by some partners in increasing their capacity in the field but the gap continues to be noticed in coverage areas. The capacity of partners - either engaged in development activities or in humanitarian assistance - needs to be enhanced to enable credible data collection that will help in understanding displacement dynamics and plan appropriate responses.

In scaling up its presence in Nigeria from an advisory role that of a country office, OCHA will provide the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator (DHC), Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and the entire humanitarian community with required support to implement the Transformative Agenda and reinforce the existing coordination mechanisms in Nigeria to understand the displacement impact and to better respond rapidly to the needs of people dramatically affected.

In line with OCHA’s global mission, OCHA Nigeria continues to:

• Advocate for access to basic services, especially water, sanitation, education and health for vulnerable communities, including the collection, analysis and dissemination of information to humanitarian partners, and negotiation of access.
• Support Government efforts and humanitarian organizations in the relocation of the internally displaced and their return.
• Coordinate the implementation of humanitarian response in north-east Nigeria along with UN agencies and programmes, national and international NGOs and local authorities/communities as appropriate, with focus on strengthening the sectors.
• Enhance a protective environment that respects the human rights of all, including IDPs, returnees and minority clans.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the OCHA Head of Office, the Manager of the Information Management Unit and direct supervision of the Information Management Officer (IMO), the Information Management Data Assistant will be responsible for the following:

Summary of Key Functions:

• Work closely with Coordination Focal Point and OCHA Sub-Office to ensure that data of humanitarian interest are centralized in the format of inter-operability to support the elaboration of analysis documents at national and state levels. To do so, the IM/Data Assistant will:
  • In collaboration with the Information Management Focal Point in sector groups, in the sub office and humanitarian partners, offers, implements simple and effective data collection systems to ensure the update, the consolidation and analysis at the central level of:
    • Contact lists;
    • Who does what and where "3W";
    • Performance monitoring of the humanitarian response;
    • Monitoring the humanitarian situation;
    • Monitoring data on risk groups;
    • Profiles of the coverage areas state and Local Government Areas;
• Working closely with IM Assistant Officer to analyze and present the information in an appropriate format (e.g, summary reports, graphs, tables, maps, etc.):
• Manage key humanitarian data in the online databases www.ors.ocharowca.infoand https://data.hdx.rwlabs.org;
• Manages structured archive of data, both digital and manual, collected from partners, documents and analysis products generated by the central office. And coordinate with IM/Web Assistant to ensure uploading of documents on Nigeria Humanitarian Response Website;
• Reinforce the capacity of staff in OCHA Sub Office and Coordination Focal Point by perform field information management missions linked to the OCHA Information Management Strategy;
• Perform any other duties related to the information management assigned supervisor or OCHA Head of Office;

Functions / Key Results Expected:

• The Key results will have an impact on the OCHA’s Field Information Management Strategy, the provision of support to Field Offices in the adoption and use of information management applications and procedures, such as the Who does What Where/Contact Directory and the field document management system, and on the development and improvement of information management tools and standard at the local and regional levels to ensure that information management in the field functions efficiently.

Functional Competencies
Communication:

• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
• Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
• Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
• Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience
• Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Creativity:

• Actively seeks to improve programmes or services;
• Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs;
• Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas;
• Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas;
• Thinks “outside the box”;
• Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Planning & Organizing:

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies.
• Identifies priority activities and assignments
• Adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work.
• Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation:

• Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view;
• Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect;
• Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions;
• Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems;
• Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects;
• Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Technological Awareness:

• Keeps abreast of available technology
• Understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office;
• Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks;
• Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Core Competencies

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Creating synergies through self-control;
• Managing conflict;
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
• Informed and transparent decision making;

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Secondary education with relevant certifications in Arts, Statistics, Disaster Management, Emergency Management, Geographic Information Systems, Information Management, Information Systems, Professional Studies, Social Sciences or a related field

Experience:

• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in the fields of activity concerned (collection and data processing, database management, data analysis, etc.)
• Thorough knowledge in the use of computers and software (MS Word, Excel, etc.), current use of spreadsheets and database, and experience in the use of applications or electronic management system.
• Knowledge in the field of database management and geographic information systems (such as Arc GIS) is an asset.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in oral and written English is essential;
• Knowledge of a second official UN language is desirable.