UN Children’s Fund ,Information Management – Emergency (International Consultant)Jobs in Malawi

Purpose:

The Information
Management Officer (IMO) will be a key member of the Emergency Coordination
Unit, and plays a vital role in collecting, analyzing, a
nd sharing information
that is important for the Country Office team and stakeholders to make informed
(evidence based) strategic decisions.

The IMO therefore
supports the Emergency Coordination Unit and respective UNICEF sectors by
supporting with the data and information required to make programmatic
decisions.

As such, the IMO
needs to be able to liaise and communicate with many different types of people,
sectors and agencies and act as a ‘bridge’ between Country Office 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/cluster members and the management. 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 important interpretations on the findings.

Reports to: Emergency Field Coordinator

Duration: 11 months

Location: Lilongwe

Expected start date:
2 January 2017

BACKGROUND

Malawi faces a
number of hazards, both natural and man-made, which include floods, drought,
landslides, disease outbreaks (cholera), fires and pest infestations. Over the
last decade, disasters have become more frequent, intense and unpredictable –
in the face of climate change, population growth, urbanization and
environmental degradation. The floods in Malawi in January 2015 were the most
devastating in terms of areas affected, severity of damage, and extent of loss.
The rainfall was the highest on record for Malawi, and caused significant
flooding and displacements – predominantly in the Southern Region, exacerbating
an already precarious situation for rural households in this region, which
depend heavily on agriculture for food production.

The country is
experiencing its worst food insecurity and nutrition crisis in over a decade,
largely due to El Niño. Following devastating floods in the first half of 2015,
Malawi faced prolonged dry spells not only in disaster-prone districts in the
south, but also in areas traditionally producing food. Agricultural Production
Estimates Survey results showed a 30 per cent decline in maize production in
2015 and a further 12 per cent decrease in 2016. The Malawi Vulnerability
Assessment Committee (MVAC) forecasts that 6.5 million people (39 per cent of
the country’s population), including 3.5 million children will face food
insecurity during the 2016/ 2017 consumption period, representing an increase
of 129 per cent from the 2.8 million people affected in the previous year. As a
result, the Government declared a state of disaster in April 2016. With more
than 42 per cent of all children already stunted, there are concerns of
increased malnutrition rates. A La Nina weather phenomenon is predicted for
November/ December 2016 that is likely to exacerbate the situation, with
potential floods in the vulnerable southern districts.

Additionally, the
current cholera outbreak, with first case registered on 17 December 2015, has
further increased the need for timely and improved information analysis, to
ensure interventions are based on need, 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 sectors and PCA partners, in a useful format to support action.

UNICEF has in line
with the Standard Operating Procedures for the activation of the emergency
coordination mechanism declared a country office phase III level with an active
SITCEN.

In line with UNICEFs
emergency response plan, data is collected and correlated on a regular basis to
track the response to the emergency and to identify gaps. This data is analysed
and information is projected in a dashboard and used for response by sectors,
Situation reports (SITREPS), cluster coordination and response and planning
purposes including recovery and development. Information is provided to the
Emergency Coordinator and the Situation Room (SitCen) which is based in
Lilongwe. The SitCen is responsible for supporting the overall coordination of
the emergency response within UNICEF providing immediate assistance to the
UNICEF teams including those that are based in the field during acute
emergency, as applicable.

PURPOSE

Under the general
guidance of the Emergency Coordinator, be responsible for the overall
management of information/data from UNICEFs response in the field.

MAIN
RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Deliverables
and time frame

Payment
Schedule

Monthly/ every 30
calendar days, pegged on deliverables

MINIMUM
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

General Conditions

UNICEF is
committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages
qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic
backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a
part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=501525