15-065: Information Management Officer – WASH Sector

Country: Turkey

Department: International Operations

Essential Job Duties/Scope of Work:

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PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Inclusive coordination mechanisms to capture the assistance provided by all actors operating from Turkey have been established over the course of 2013 and are aimed to contribute to effective linkages amongst operational actors and the development of a more comprehensive picture on the scale and scope of the assistance provided. In addition to foster partnership and thereby improve the overall capacity and quality of of humanitarian partners engaged in responding to humanitarian needs emanating from crisis.

Partners in Turkey have supported the establishment of sector working groups with designated chairs and co-chairs and information managers that include all relevant operational partners and allow for standardized sector responses through designated capacity and linkages to global cluster resources.

The situation requires effective and improved coordination and information management and strategic analysis that’s accountable to the affected population by ensuring interventions are based on need and in accordance with agreed standards, and gaps in the field are identified and addressed. In addition, it is important to identify strategic interventions, and ensure that relevant timely information is communicated back to WASH partners and tools developed to share information are efficient and effective.

The Sector response is coordinated remotely from Antakya, linked with the national and Regional Sectors in response to crisis. Therefore there is an additional need for improved information management and flow for effective national-field coordination - for improved response, monitoring and reporting. The WASH Sector lead agency is responsible for ensuring that the sector approach can be effectively carried out. This includes the responsibility for information management. This includes the responsibility for information management.

JOB SUMMARY

Responsibility for WASH Sector Information Management (IM)

The IASC Generic Terms of Reference for Sector Leads at the Country Level include a requirement for ensuring appropriate IM for an effective and coordinated intra-cluster response.

The IASC Guidance on Responsibilities of Sector Leads and OCHA for Information Management [1] details, as part of these cluster/sector lead responsibilities, that each cluster lead agency needs to appoint an Information Management focal point per Cluster/Sector, who should have sufficient expertise and an ability to work with different partners and clusters/sectors, and allocate the necessary human and financial resources for Information Management to ensure this.

Justification

Information Management improves the capacity of stakeholders for analysis and decision making through strengthened collection, processing, interpretation and dissemination of information at the intra and inter-cluster/sector level. Information is in this sense the foundation on which decision-making for a coordinated and effective response is based.

Purpose and Objective

The Information Manager will be a key member of the national WASH Sector coordination team and play a vital role in collecting, analysing, and sharing information that is important for the cluster stakeholders to make informed (evidence based) strategic decisions on:

· The needs of affected populations

· The prioritisation of these areas according to WASH indicators

· Where there is a need for WASH actors and to what degree

· What are the key gaps in activity and need

· What capacity (human, material, financial) exists to be used in support of the identified prioritised response needs, and what are the funding priorities

· The Information Manager therefore supports the WASH Sector Coordinator by supporting the sector with the data and information it requires to make programmatic decisions. As such, the Information Manager needs to be able to liaise and communicate with many different types of people and agencies and act as a ‘bridge’ between WASH decision makers and technical IM staff.

· Fundamental to the job is the ability to present information in a way that is easily understood by the sector members. Sometimes this is through graphic means such a mapping but also through tables, charts, and narrative writing. Other times it involves discussing the information directly with the decision makers to make interpretations of the findings.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

General

· Report to the Turkey WASH sector Coordinator and respond to the Sector Membership’s needs for information; closely coordinating with regional Information Manager.

· Provide IM services to cluster/sector for key decision making. These services will include data collection, collation, mapping, analysis, and dissemination relevant to the needs of the cluster. This may require building additional and appropriate capacity through the training of additional staff and managing, organising, and conducting these activities.

· Contribute to periodical Sector coordination and planning meetings, highlighting any significant gaps in humanitarian assistance, where possible both in terms of coverage as well as quality.

Data Gathering, Tools and Process

· Proactively gathering of information from other clusters/organisations which may be of use to the WASH Cluster/Sector for informing decisions, including movement of population, potential camp locations, outbreaks, water and sanitation structures

· Identify barriers for information collection, collation, analysis and sharing and closely coordinate with regional Information Management Specialist to develop appropriate supportive strategies which includes convincing agencies of the purpose and importance of collecting and sharing data/information by providing a timely, added value service to all stakeholders.

Needs Assessment

· Organise and manage the data collection and input and initial analysis and interpretation and presentation of data for the WASH sector.

· Support and strengthen distance/field assessment mechanisms

Monitoring

· Maintain information on all current and potential partners, their capacities and areas of work

· Ensure the 4W matrix meets the needs of WASH partners (especially large partners who do not regularly report), OCHA, WASH Sector Coordinator

· Regular consultation with key partners, to ensure their regular input into the 4W matrix

· Maintain database of ‘Who does What Where When (4W)’and derivative products, such as maps

· Inventory of relevant common Sector data sets, including population data disaggregated by age and sex.

· Data on humanitarian requirements and contributions (financial, material, human – as appropriate)

· Support Sector reporting and monthly bulletins, Funding appeal reports, quarterly sector reports and other ad-hoc reports as requested.

· Gather and collate data on humanitarian response assistance, including feedback and/or issues raised by the affected population

· Dissemination and Access to Information for WASH Stakeholders

· Maintenance of information management system, including relevant documents on the humanitarian situation, i.e. mission reports, assessments, evaluations, etc;

· Share information in an appropriate way with adherence to strong information management protocols (ie not all stakeholders have access to the same type of information systems) using internet, e-mail groups, hard copies, verbal feedback at WASH coordination meetings and dissemination to affected communities as part of accountability to affected populations; consider translation into local languages as appropriate.

Mapping

· Produce maps of WASH 4W per location, water and sanitation infrastructure.

· Map out WASH resources, needs and gaps as requested

· Support prioritisation of proposals for funding from various sources by mapping all submitted proposals. Establish systems to manage high numbers of proposals submitted, for timely feedback to agency, and future use by Sector.

· Information Management Intra and Inter-Cluster/Sector Liaison

· Liaise with local and available authorities on data – particularly to assess and access existing information.

· Ensure that information management (IM) activities build local capacities.

· Liaise with Monitoring and Evaluation experts to gather and share information – especially for background data and sources of information in-country.

· Information Management Standards and Policy

· Ensure that IM standards and policies, as advised by the regional IM are followed, and feedback is given on appropriateness, with suggestions for possible improvements.

· Ensuring sufficient IM capacity for continuity

· Bring any shortcoming in IM capacity to the attention of the WASH Sector coordinator and the regional IM.

Preparation for End of Assignment

· Hand over information management services to appropriate agency, including the provision of brief guidance notes.

· Preparation of a short summary report at the conclusion of the assignment on lessons learned to be shared with WASH at the country, regional and global levels.

Other

· Any other tasks that may be required (within reason) to achieve the objective of this assignment

· Deliverables

· 4W Matrix

· 4W matrix that meets needs of WASH Partners and the humanitarian response as a whole

· Monthly analysis of 4W, for reporting, strategy development

· Monthly feedback of 4W information, in useful format for WASH Partners

· General IM tools

· Maintain sector contact list, useful for emails, partners etc; migrate list, ensuring this is anonymised and encoded where necessary.

· Develop and maintain agency profile database

· Maintain centralised electronic filing system for WASH Sector team

Qualifications:

· Common Minimum Requirements

· Degree-level qualification in a relevant field or discipline such as Information Management or Information Systems. Masters preferred.

· Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience

· Cultural and gender awareness and sensitivity.

Essential technical skills:

· Strong knowledge of Excel and preferably MS Access or other databases.

· Strong knowledge of Google Earth

· Ability to collect and organise data and use GIS/cartographic outputs.

· Ability to present information in understandable tables, charts and graphs.

· Knowledge of multi-variable mapping techniques

· Experience in web design and programming

· Other Technical Skills that are considered desirable:

· Data storage and file management expertise.

· Assessment, survey, and monitoring and evaluation expertise.

· Communications and technical writing using both graphic and narrative presentations.

· Knowledge of ArcGIS or other mapping software an advantage.

Managerial/Communications Skill sets

· Essential managerial skills.

· Demonstrated team-building and communication skills

· Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills.

· Able to manage and work in or with a multidisciplinary team

· Excellent written and oral presentation skills.