Senior Data Consultants at USAID's Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET)

USAID’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is a leading global provider of objective, evidence-based food security information and analysis to inform decisions on humanitarian response and other assistance programs. FEWS NET collaborates with international, regional and national partners to provide timely and rigorous early warning and analysis of potential, emerging, and/or evolving food security issues in order to inform decisions and guide response. The Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) is FEWS NET’s primary partner in West Africa and monitors the food security for 17 countries in the Sahel and West Africa. CILSS uses the analytical framework of the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) to facilitate food security analysis.

Across West Africa, including in Liberia, there has been an increasing level of interest in chronic food security analysis. Given this interest, CILSS and FEWS NET plan to implement a Chronic Food Insecurity Assessment in Liberia in collaboration with the Liberian CH technical cell, the IPC, and local and regional partners.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Senior Data Consultant for Chronic Food Insecurity Analysis (Liberia)

Location: Liberia

Scope of Work
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, is a leading provider of objective, evidence-based food security analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, the project currently covers about 36 countries. Led by USAID, FEWS NET implementing partners include NASA, NOAA, USGS, USDA, Kimetrica, and Chemonics, which manages the Washington technical office and more than 20 field offices in Africa, Central Asia, Central America, and Haiti.

Position Description

• For up to 40 working days, beginning in early September 2016 until mid-December 2016, the Senior Data Consultant will work under the supervision of Melanie Kohn, Food Security Analyst, and will support the evidence preparation for the Chronic Food Insecurity Assessment in Liberia in coordination with the Liberian CH Focal Point and core members of the country’s CH Technical Cell.
• The Senior Data Consultant will gather all relevant and available quantitative food security data and related reports for the 2004-2015 period.
• S/he will clean, organize, and reanalyze the data per CH/IPC guidelines and prefill the chronic analysis worksheets with the collected data (no analysis/conclusions) via the IPC’s online Information Support System (ISS).
• S/he will work in tandem with the Liberian Data Consultant who will be based in Monrovia, Liberia and will facilitate tracking down the data in-country. For technical guidance, s/he will also liaise with the IPC Food Security Officer providing technical support to the Chronic Analysis in Liberia.

Activities
The main activities of the Senior Data Consultant include, but are not limited to:

• Support evidence preparation for the Chronic Analysis, including:
  • Support the identification of evidence to be used for the Chronic Analysis, which will be shared at the Awareness-raising assessment, and complete the data mapping matrix
  • Collect/gather the above-mentioned evidence from partners and others
  • Re-analyze raw data gathered from partners in order to: (i) ensure that the data used for the analysis corresponds exactly to the indicators in the IPC Chronic Reference Table; and/or (ii) To allow evidence collected at different administrative levels to be utilized for the analysis areas
  • Consolidate and organize all evidence to be used for Chronic Analysis, upload it in the evidence repository of the IPC Information Support System (ISS), and send it in a ZIP file to FEWS NET
  • Create a summary report of all data and indicators contained in the ISS that will be shared with analysts during the Chronic Analysis
  • Ensure that relevant evidence is pre-entered in ISS step 1, step 3 and step 4
• Regularly update supervisor on work plan progress, informally and formally, briefing on relevant issues and discussions that may arise, seeking guidance and decisions as necessary
• The consultant will update the CH Liberia Focal Point about the course of the assignment and will take into account inputs from members of the Liberian CH technical cell.
• Undertake other related tasks as needed and requested by his/her supervisor

The Consultant can participate in optional travel to Liberia likely in early September for the CILSS and FEWS NET Awareness-raising session in order to meet with partners and start the data collection process and also potentially in early December for the Chronic Analysis to support the data analysis.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Agriculture, Statistics, Economics, Development, Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Geography or other relevant quantitative social science degree); Master’s degree highly preferred
• At least 2 years work experience conducting food security, livelihood or poverty analyses
• At least 3 years work experience with statistical analysis
• Demonstrated experience analyzing complex survey data
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency in statistics packages such as SPSS or STATA
• Experience analyzing food security related to primary data collection from field surveys
• Knowledge of regional and/or national food security information and monitoring systems in Liberia desirable
• Experience in CH or IPC analysis highly desirable
• Excellent experience working effectively with partners and stakeholders across a variety of sectors and agencies
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English

Application Closing Date
4th August, 2016.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online