Information Management Specialist, NOC, Nairobi Kenya, 6 Months Temporary Assignment

Mid Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Overview

Support information management for child protection and education in emergencies.

You have:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the area of IM, assessments and/or M&E with either the UN and/or NGO.
• Advanced university degree in informatics, statistics, GIS, or other relevant fields.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written). Good written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation and knowledge of another UN language an asset.
• Experience working in the context of a natural disaster or armed conflict highly desirable.
• Good analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Politically and culturally sensitive, awareness of gender issues, with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.

Contract

This is a NO-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-3 contracts.

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Title: Information Management Specialist

Reports to: Chief Child Protection and Chief Education

Grade: NOC

Job category: Temporary Appointment

Duration: Six-month

Location: Nairobi, Kenya with regular field visits

BACKGROUND

Kenya is facing severe drought resulting from three consecutive failed rainy seasons. The poor performance of the October–December 2021 Short rains season has resulted in an estimated 3.1 million people being food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance signaling a deterioration in food security compared to 2.8 million people that was identified in mid-short rains season assessment in December 2021.The situation was projected to further worsen in March–May 2022 period with the population experiencing Crisis or worse outcomes projected to increase to 3.5 million people, depending on the performance of long rains.

Following the cumulative impact of two consecutive poor rainy seasons with humanitarian needs rapidly rising in the Arid and Semi-Arad Lands (ASAL) region of Kenya, the President of Kenya, on 8 September 2021, declared of a national disaster.

On 7 April 2022, UNICEF declared an activation of UNICEF Corporate Emergency Level 2 Scale-up Procedure for the Horn of Africa drought crisis including Kenya for the period from 7 April 2022 to 7 October 2022.

The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the overall coordination of the Government of Kenya’s drought response with the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) leading the operational coordination of the drought response at the national level and across the 23 arid and semi-arid counties.

The Resident Coordinator’s Office and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) are leading the coordination of humanitarian action for UN and partners support to the government’s response. UNICEF actively participates in interagency coordination mechanisms, including the Kenya Humanitarian Partnership Team (KHPT) with UNICEF co-leading the Nutrition, Education and WASH sectors and the Child Protection sub-sector. UNICEF provides technical and financial support to line ministries at national and county level to support sector coordination and leadership. UNICEF co-led sectors are all part of the Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG) led by UNOCHA at the national level.

For Child Protection, the Department of Children Services and UNICEF are co-leading the child protection sector and jointly monitoring the drought response. While for education, at the National level, led by the MoE, UNICEF and Save the Children are supporting Education in Emergencies sector coordination through regular working group meetings which are to support partners with planning, information sharing, monitoring and reporting on the drought response. UNICEF has been supporting the County Directors of Education to conduct sector working coordination meetings for drought emergency response.

UNICEF will continue to work with the national and county governments in drought-affected counties, as well as with communities to strengthen community-based protection mechanisms, strengthen the protective environment and mitigate and prevent child protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risks. In addition to preventing and mitigating protection risks through community engagement, the sector will: work with community-based protection actors and the Directorate of Children Services (DCS) to ensure the timely provision of comprehensive protection services, making sure that the most deprived and vulnerable children, including children living with disabilities, are reached with life-saving child protection services and that there are referrals to other response services – i.e. nutrition services for malnourished children and legal and health services for survivors of GBV and ensure the availability of protection services, include case management and support services for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) as well as the provision of Psychological First Aid (PFA) and psychosocial support services to children affected by the drought.

In the Education sector, the Education in Emergency Working Group in Kenya estimates that more than 900,000 learners in 7 counties are in urgent need of support to ensure continuity of Education though all learners enrolled in the 23 counties are at high risk of dropping out of the school if they are not supported. The drought is affecting education system leading to a big decrease of school attendance due to lack or inadequate school feeding programmes and access to water in schools as well as the pastoral population displacement as a coping mechanism to save the livestock.

Raw data used for the Short Rain Assessment (SRA) report, reported that 94,848 children did not join schools at the beginning of term 3, 2021 (January to March 2022), compared to term 2, 2021 (October-December, 2021) in at least one school level in 14 Counties as a result of the negative impact of drought. While more information is needed to track the schooling status of these children, the lack or inadequate access to school meals and safe water for drinking, cleaning, and cooking at school level is likely to force more children in particular girls out of school if nothing is done about it.

UNICEF Kenya’s focus is on affected school age children at all school levels (ECDE, primary, secondary) in this challenging situation. If school meals programmes are not immediately reactivated and scaled up; and if water tanks are not provided and water harvesting is not promoted at schools, we are likely to record the highest number of Out of School Children (OOSC) because of the negative impact of drought on education.

UNICEF is supporting increasing access to quality education for targeted children through: strengthening real time data collection and management, strengthening coordination efforts in emergencies; and facilitating cross-sectoral linkages between education and nutrition, WASH, C4D, CP and Health with the purpose of using school as platforms for integrated service provision. This includes the provision of safe water and other WASH components (soap, hygiene promotion) to school children and advocating with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to enhance and expand the School Meal program to include all children (pre-primary, primary and secondary) as this is a key for child survival and wellbeing and as a pull factor for students’ school attendance and enrolment. All OOSC in the drought affected counties will be supported under the “Back to School” programme implemented under the regular programme.

PURPOSE

Purpose of this assignment is to support the information management responsibilities as an integral part of a coordinated approach to child protection and education during the emergency. The overall objective is to provide guidance and build capacities of members of the child protection sub-working group and the Education in Emergency working group, to perform and comply with data and information responsibilities as defined by the humanitarian reform in response to the drought crisis.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Under the supervision of the Chief Education and the Chief Child Protection, the Information Management Specialist will perform the following key tasks and responsibilities:

The support provided to the Child Protection Sub-Working Group (CPWG) and the Education in Emergency Working Group (EiE WG) will be defined in regard to the overall need of information at the national and county levels. Collaboration and consultation with CPWG coordinators/focal points and EiE WG, CPWG coordinator as well as sub-working group members together with the EiE WG coordinator and the EiE WG members is essential to the process. Key responsibilities at national and sub-national (where applicable) levels include:

• Work with CPWG and EiE WG members to identify information gaps at national and county levels and to propose ways to bridge such gaps. The process should take into consideration of the existing IMS (e.g. Child Protection Information Management System of the DCS) and gaps in terms of both quantity and quality.
• Lead CP and education assessment planning and activities respectively on behalf of the CPWG and EiE WG members.
• Ensure that key CP and education concerns are reflected in OCHA-led multi-sectorial assessments, as well as other non-CP and non- education assessments.
• List and adapt existing IM tools (e.g. 4W matrix), development of new ones (real time data at school levels) where needed and supporting CPWG and EiE WG members in using these tools.
• Build the capacity of CPWG and EiE WG members through training and coaching on IM processes including data collection, storage and analysis to inform decision-making, advocacy, dissemination, etc.
• Assist in formulating and providing regular inputs to UNICEF and OCHA sitreps.
• Maintain regular contact with OCHA and the education and protection working group towards harmonization of tools and sharing of information where necessary.
• Ensure adequate representation of CP and education in Assessments and Information Management forums including regular update of existing child protection and education information in existing online platforms, such as OCHA website.
• Respond to other CP and education information management needs for the CPWG and EiE WG as identified by the coordinators and member organizations, including usage of case management systems such as the inter-agency child protection and education information management system.
• Undertake frequent field visits (as required) in the affected counties to train members of the EiE WG and CPWG at the national and county level as needed.
• Support data collection and data analysis at the school level to enhance available real time data collection tools and mechanisms

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the area of IM, assessments and/or M&E with either the UN and/or NGO.
• Advanced university degree in informatics, statistics, GIS, or other relevant fields.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written). Good written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation and knowledge of another UN language an asset.
• Experience working in the context of a natural disaster or armed conflict highly desirable.
• Resourcefulness, flexibility, and the ability to prioritize large amounts of work while under pressure.
• Good analytical, communication and presentation skills.
• Politically and culturally sensitive, awareness of gender issues, with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• Experience with the UN is a plus.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written). Good written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation and knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org