The Opportunity
We are looking for a skilled Humanitarian Needs Assessment Specialist to enhance the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of needs assessments throughout our humanitarian initiatives.
You will play a pivotal role in enabling Country Offices to develop and execute robust, ethically grounded humanitarian needs assessments promptly, positioning Plan International to craft impactful programs, attract funding, and address the urgent needs of the most vulnerable children—particularly girls.
This position requires extensive international travel and frequent deployments to humanitarian emergencies, frequently with little advance notice.
Oversee and execute a range of critical duties, including managing daily operations, coordinating team efforts, and ensuring adherence to organizational policies. Develop and implement strategic initiatives to enhance productivity and efficiency across departments. Monitor performance metrics to identify trends, address inefficiencies, and drive continuous improvement. Collaborate with senior leadership to align initiatives with long-term business objectives. Serve as a liaison between teams to foster seamless communication and resolve interdepartmental challenges. Ensure compliance with industry regulations and internal standards while maintaining a focus on risk management and quality assurance.
You will:
Design and uphold intuitive tools, guidelines, and methodologies to facilitate efficient and cross-sectoral needs assessments.
Integrate gender, child protection, disability inclusion, and age considerations into every assessment, ensuring compliance with Sphere and Core Humanitarian Standard guidelines.
Provide guidance to Country Offices to ensure the production of meticulously prepared assessment reports that meet the expectations of donors, humanitarian clusters, and peer organizations.
Develop and implement tailored training programs focused on needs assessment to enhance organizational capabilities.
Collaborate effectively with the MERL and Digital teams to enhance the adoption of digital data collection tools and ensure alignment with monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
Deploy to country offices for periods of up to four months at a time to provide hands-on support for assessment design and implementation efforts.
Represent Plan International in inter-agency coordination forums, such as those affiliated with the IAS network.
Support fundraising, advocacy, and influencing teams through the transformation of assessment data into engaging insights and strategic products.
Enhance coordination with donor stipulations, particularly for ECHO submissions during HIP cycles.
Compile a comprehensive annual global assessment highlighting key humanitarian trends and emerging challenges.
Implement and uphold safeguarding, child protection, and gender equality policies comprehensively across all operational domains.
About You
You are a seasoned humanitarian practitioner with a proven ability to excel in dynamic and high-pressure settings. You combine specialized technical skills with a strong commitment to collaboration and capacity development.
Essential professional experience and qualifications include:
Proficiency in conducting or facilitating humanitarian needs assessments in a wide range of emergency settings, particularly those characterized by sudden-onset crises, is essential.
Proven ability to conduct thorough gender analysis and effectively incorporate protection and inclusion principles into assessments.
Develops and delivers training programs with a proven track record of experience.
Proficient in understanding donor expectations and humanitarian standards, including those set by Sphere, the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), and the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (KNEE).
Proficiency in utilizing digital tools for data collection and analysis is required.
Demonstrates exceptional analytical abilities, strong coordination capabilities, and proficient report-writing expertise.
Able to mobilize promptly and operate effectively in demanding conditions, demonstrating flexibility and resilience.
Desirable:
Proven experience in drafting or contributing to funding proposals, grant applications, or donor submissions is required.
Proficiency in crafting advocacy or influencing messaging derived from assessment findings is required.
Partnering with external organizations is essential to this role, requiring collaboration with various stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.
Proficiency in English is required, with fluency in French, Spanish, or Arabic considered a valuable advantage.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
