Roving Field Specialist Consultant

Job Description

Job Description

Roving Field Specialist Consultant

The consultant – Roving Field Specialist (RFS) – will be responsible for conducting field visits in areas where USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) has partners providing humanitarian assistance and areas experiencing humanitarian crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The goal of each field visits will either be to monitor the work of an USAID/BHA humanitarian partner or to assess the humanitarian needs in a defined location. Specifically, the Consultant will:

Develop a Contextual Understanding: The Consultant will develop an understanding of humanitarian developments within DRC, while also maintaining knowledge of USAID/BHA’s humanitarian portfolio and priorities for the DRC. The Consultant will need to stay abreast of new humanitarian developments and provide regular verbal and written reporting to the BHA DRC team on issues related to the humanitarian situation in DRC. This will include providing regular reports on site visits, meetings, general atmospherics and other issues that impact humanitarian relief efforts.

Monitoring of Humanitarian Programs: The Consultant will maintain regular contact with BHA grantees. He/she will travel to partner implementation sites to monitor quality and progress against approved project scopes. The Consultant will report to BHA DRC on partner progress, assess quality of implementation, and provide insight on areas of strength and areas for improvement.

Perform Needs Assessments: The Consultant will participate in and report on joint humanitarian assessments, and also independently travel to locations experiencing new and evolving crises to assess humanitarian needs. The Consultant will report to BHA DRC on his/her assessment findings.

Qualifications for the Contractor in Goma:

Required Qualifications

• Strong understanding of humanitarian aid and at least three years’ experience implementing humanitarian aid programs
• English and French language skills

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience working in Central Africa
• Local language skills for Eastern Congo

Scope of Work:

For monitoring visits, the reports produced by the Consultant will include information as to:

• What degree the Activity has met performance targets
• What degree the Activity appears to have had its intended impact
• What degree the Activity appears to have reached its intended beneficiaries
• What degree the management of the Activity has been efficient and effective, including recommendations regarding adjustments to be made to strengthen program management
• What issues, problems or setbacks did the program encounter and how were they addressed. What issues/problems remain to be addressed? What opportunities are there to further strengthen the program?
• What extent the program has strived/succeeded in achieving gender balance both in its staff and in beneficiaries served

For assessment visits, the reports produced by the Consultant will include information as to:

• A short history of circumstances leading to the humanitarian situation
• An approximation of the number of people affected
• A description of key needs of the affected population
• A report on what humanitarian action has been taken so far and what is already planned
• A recommendation as to what action (if any) USAID/BHA should take

Surge staff will communicate directly with and take technical direction from the USAID/BHA Senior Humanitarian Advisor in Kinshasa or his/her designate.

Milestones / Deliverable

Due Date

Monthly Travel Plans - lists of projects to be monitored and assessments to be conducted.

Monthly TBD by BHA Technical POC

Site Visit Reports – written report in BHA-provided format of each site visit conducted by the consultant and each meeting with a BHA partner organization. Each site visit report should be accompanied by 5-10 pictures of the site visit each captioned explaining the location and items/people being photographed.

Within 5 working days of the end of a field visit

Trip Reports - written report following each field visit that analyses the findings of the results of the site visits conducted on each trip.

Within 8 working days of the end of a field visit

Weekly Telecons – weekly calls with the USAID/BHA Senior Humanitarian Advisor in Kinshasa or his/her designate

Weekly TBD by BHA Technical POC

Monthly travel plans can be submitted by email, but trip reports should be submitted as MS Word documents. All reports should clearly indicate whether the information presented is of the primary or secondary nature, and who/what is the source of the information. Reporting of contradicting information is encouraged where appropriate, with the different sources cited.

Duration:

The consultancy will last for a period of twelve months from the start date of the assignment.

Travel Frequency:

The Consultant is expected to complete 160 days of field visits (including travel) during the twelve months he/she is contracted. The exact number of field visit reports generated by these days of field visits will depend on the locations visited and duration of travel required.

Working Conditions:

The Consultant will not require an office, rather he/she will work from their living quarters, whether this is a hotel or a long-term lodging lease. The Consultant will travel to project sites and humanitarian crisis sites using a combination of flights with UNHAS or local air transport providers and implementing partners’ vehicles. The advisability of travel from the safety perspective will be determined by the Consultant after consultation with USAID/BHA’s implementing partners who work in the area targeted and USAID/BHA staff. The Consultant will be expected to provide their own IT and communication equipment.

Do No Harm:

In all field work carried out under this contract, the Consultant must employ do no harm principles. The Consultant must use data collection methods that do not re-traumatize respondents and respect the fact that some respondents may have experienced traumatic stress or distress. It is essential that the Consultant keep data coded and stored in a way that respects confidentiality of respondents, that beneficiaries understand participating in data collection will not affect the level of assistance they receive, and that clear informed consent is granted at the beginning of every interview (or photograph). No data should be collected from children younger than twelve or without the consent of their parents. Data collection must operate through a conflict-sensitive lens so as to not create conflict or contribute to conflict in any way. Above all other objectives, this consultancy must do no harm to anyone involved in it.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds.

About the Organization

Macfadden is now part of PAE. Founded over 30 years ago, Macfadden has provided federal agencies with critical on-the-ground support to U.S. government humanitarian missions around the world as well as financial and IT system support. Through program management, human resources services, financial management systems support, information technology solutions, knowledge management, travel coordination and communications support, Macfadden enables effective U.S. government humanitarian response to international disasters. Macfadden’s workforce includes approximately 300 employees primarily located in the Washington, D.C. area.