ABOUT THE MISSION

Solidarites International (SI) has been working in Syria since 2012. The mission counts about 230 national staff, more than 40 expatriates, and has a 25 million EUR budget forecasted for 2021. There are 3 implementing offices in Syria (2 in North East Syria/NES, 1 in North West Syria/NWS) with the coordination based in Amman – Jordan.

The NES programs provide an integrated assistance in the WASH, NFI, Shelter and Livelihoods sectors to displaced populations and host communities affected by the conflict. NWS programs are remotely managed and provide WASH and NFI/Winterization support to affected populations.

Syria mission is dedicated to work in areas recently opened and in challenging contexts. A turn from lifesaving activities to more post-emergency/development has also been undertaken. In NES and NWS, lifesaving activities are undertaken:

• Wash – emergency package in IDPs settlements,
• distribution of NFIs and cash for vulnerable populations,
• COVID Response (WASH in Health, distributions).

Furthermore, in NES, more sustainable activities:

• Individuals’ houses rehabilitations,
• Institutional rehabilitations and support: Water stations rehabilitations, capacity building of the Water Department, rehabilitation of schools.

Additionally, SI has a contingency and capacity to respond to emergencies in all NES.

ABOUT THE JOB

General objective:

• Identify needs for data management systems across program and support departments and proactively offer solutions
• Support the technical development of sustainable data management systems for program and support departments and harmonize systems across the mission
• Feed program and support departments with the data they need and develop data visualization solutions that adequately support decision making
• Develop data protection SOPs and guidelines
• Ensure operational management and build the capacity of the operational IM staff across all bases
• Share Data and findings with the different Working Groups in NES

The main tasks and challenges:

• Relatively new IM team on all 3 bases that has a good capacity to answer day to day requests and good technical skills but need some guidance to develop a consistent strategy and prioritize their tasks
• The IM team has been growing during the past 6 months, thus creating new data management systems and products that have been receiving very positive feedback. This has resulted in an increasing demand for IM support in NES from program and support teams
• The mission already has some data management systems in place, but they vary between bases and sectors. Harmonising and creating a consistent system will need to take this into account
• Very important amounts of data being collected which needs to be rationalized by the development of technical solutions but also processes to identify the data needed
• High turnover within teams, especially for expatriates. In order to ensure sustainability of the systems that are put in place, formalizing processes is highly needed (development of SOPs and guidelines)
• Lack of awareness on data protection across the mission
• Technical constraints on some bases (internet connection is not always excellent)

Priorities for the 2/3 first months:

• Assess and prioritize the needs of program and support departments on all three bases
• Develop solutions to ensure that data collection is efficient
• Assess the capacity of the IM operational staff and conduct training sessions based on findings
• Support the development of IM in NWS
• Formalize existing processes through the creation of SOPs

Management:

• Number of persons under direct management: 1 Deputy IM and 1 IM Supervisor
• Number of persons under indirect management: 2 IM Supervisors and 1 WASH Database Officer

YOUR PROFILE

Education and experience:

• A degree in a relevant field, including data management or information systems
• Or a degree in project management, Humanitarian Studies, International relations with a proven educational background on data management or information systems
• Working knowledge of operational guidelines and project management tools
• At least 3 years of experience in humanitarian relief and/or development programs working on data management
• Experience providing practical data management solutions to operational needs from project and support teams
• Experience analyzing data and creating data visualizations using PowerBi
• Experience developing SOPs for IM systems
• Prior experience in Syria or similar context an added advantage
• Experience working in security-sensitive environments and enforcement of team security protocols is an asset
• Experience leading operations in a remote area is an asset

Skills:

• Excellent command of PowerBi (including DAX and Power Query)
• Good command of QGIS
• Excellent understanding of day-to-day project management of humanitarian and/or development programs
• Motivation to travel regularly to different bases
• Interest in working closely with field teams to understand their needs
• Self-motivated and able to work with a minimum of guidance and supervision
• Excellent communication skills in both written and verbal English
• Proven diplomatic skills

Language:

Fluency in English (Speaking, Reading, Writing) mandatory

SI WILL OFFER YOU

A salaried post: According to experience, starting from 1800 euros gross per month (+ 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly i.e. 1980 euros gross per month) and valorization according to experience (+100€/year of humanitarian experience on an equivalent position and +50€/year of humanitarian experience on a non-equivalent position) and a monthly Per Diem of 700 USD

SI also covers accommodation costs and travel expenses between the expatriate’s country of origin and the place of assignment.

Vacation: During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of 7 working days every three months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7 working days break at 3, 6 and 9 months (with 850 USD allocated by Solidarités).

To these break periods, it is necessary to add the granting of one additional rest day per month worked, i.e. 12 days in addition for a one-year contract.

Social and medical cover: Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

LIVING CONDITIONS:

Security inside NES is volatile and justifies specific arrangements for accommodation and displacements in the areas of intervention. Adherence to strict security procedures is necessary, while the security levels can vary according to the different geographical locations and the changes of context.

The candidate will be based in North East Syria and share his/her time between Amuda (Hassake)– her/his main location/guesthouse and the other bases/guesthouse to allow closer proximity to the sites of project implementation.

In Amuda base, living conditions are comfortable with some opportunities and places to socialize. In the operational bases, living conditions are more basic with less opportunities and places to socialize, as well as some individual movements’ restrictions.

Notes on visits in other bases:

• The management team for NWS is based in Amman.
• Visits in Raqqa are possible but there is a need to consider the maximum number of expatriates that can be present on the base at the same time.