Food Security and Humanitarian Assistance Analyst

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,990 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. Action Against Hunger USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network. As an independent NGO, Action Against Hunger USA currently manages operations in 8 countries: Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Haiti. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity.

Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support (DS) Team, which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) policy and programmatic decisions. The DS Team operates through a Washington-based technical office and regional and select local FEWS NET offices established in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

The Food Security Humanitarian Assistance Analyst is preferred to be based in the Home Office in Washington, D.C. though remote options may be considered for well-qualified candidates, and works under the supervision of the Deputy Food Security Decision Support Advisor, or their designee and will collaborate closely with the Washington, D.C.-based technical team, regional technical experts, and other technical staff in the field. The FS-HAA will be required to travel domestically and internationally, security and public health conditions permitting.

I. Job Summary

The Food Security and Humanitarian Assistance Analyst (FS-HAA) sitting under the Food Security Decision Support Group (FSDSG) will be responsible for both conducting integrated acute food insecurity analysis as a food security analyst (FSA) and conducting analysis of humanitarian food assistance for the Humanitarian Assistance Decision Support Tool (HADST).

• The food security analysts are part of the FS-DSG, a unit within the Washington DC-based FEWS NET DS Team. The FSAs work closely with other FEWS NET EWT colleagues in the home, regional, and field offices to accomplish the FS-DSG’s two primary objectives: 1) facilitate development and communication of timely, high-quality, actionable decision support at the country, regional, and global levels and 2) build capacity for FEWS NET staff and partners in food security analysis and strategic communications.

• FEWS NET 8 envisions the design and implementation of a FEWS NET HADST. This seeks to fill a gap for tracking and reporting on global food assistance operations, destinations, quantities, and values as an operational input to humanitarian assistance decision-making, and to assist with merging these variables with early warning assessments, global food price movements, food trade patterns, and commodity flows. The FEWS NET HADST is to be designed and implemented in a collaboration among the BHA Office of Field and Response Operations (FARO), BHA’s Geographic Offices, IFPRI, the FEWS NET Learning and Data Hub, and the FEWS NET DS team. The HAA-DSG will support the collection, collation, organization, and analysis of humanitarian assistance data across the countries covered by the FEWS NET DS Team.

II. Essential Job Duties

The allocation of responsibilities for the FS HAA will be determined, and updated on a regular basis, by the Senior Food Security Decision Support Advisor in close consultation with the Deputy Chief of Party – Innovation and the Deputy Chief of Party – Analysis. The main responsibilities of the FSHAA include, but are not limited to:

As an FSA:

Analyze, integrate, and synthesize conflict, markets and trade, nutrition, livelihoods, and other information affecting food security for the development of regular, high-quality, integrated acute food insecurity early warning information products:

Co-lead on the analysis of acute food insecurity in a subset of FEWS NET’s presence (over 40) countries and/or Expanded Global Early Warning (around 125) countries.

Contribute to the development of the estimates of the population in need of humanitarian food assistance for the monthly and annual Food Assistance Outlook Brief and other decision support products for USAID.

Develop and present technical briefings on acute food insecurity to USG staff and other partners, as requested.

Lead or otherwise support the development of special technical reports on acute food insecurity.

Conduct field visits to support food security assessments and technical analysis.

Technically and editorially contribute to, review, and revise field-authored regular and ad hoc reporting on acute food insecurity in support of effective decision-making by donor governments.

Should the FSHAA be asked to cover a FEWS NET presence country, the FSHAA will co-lead on the production of Food Security Outlooks, Outlook Updates, Alerts, Regional Seasonal Monitors, Food Assistance Outlook Brief, regular briefings, and other ad hoc products and briefings, as necessary. The FSHAA will communicate the severity of acute food insecurity in line with the globally recognized Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) scale. Where IPC compatibility is not possible, the FSHAA will communicate needs in globally comparable means, as advised by the food FSDSA, deputy food security decision support advisor (D-FSDSA), and quality assurance and methods advisor (QAMA).

Respond to ad hoc requests for food security and response planning analysis and other support for response and contingency planning processes:

Play a lead role in developing analytical and decision-support strategies to effectively develop and communicate pertinent information to decision-makers when potential or ongoing food security crises are identified.

Support the S-FSDSA and D-FSDSA in meeting USAID’s expectations on timely delivery of decision support products, which includes, but is not limited to: delivery of any assigned monthly reporting for all presence countries no later than 7 days after the last day of the month; responding to urgent questions on acute food insecurity within one day; providing briefings within one week of request; and assessing acute food insecurity in EGEW countries within one week of request.

The FSA will be expected to demonstrate the ability to respond quickly to sudden increases and decreases in food insecurity globally by actively working with the D-FSDSA to re-orient work plans

and initiate new lines of monitoring and reporting outside of traditional areas of coverage. Humanitarian Assistance Specialist October 10, 2024 Famine Early Warning Systems Network 3 Provide technical assistance on complex subject matter to strengthen data collection, analysis, and information dissemination capacities

Provide relevant technical and geographic guidance in their areas of expertise (e.g., agricultural economics, livelihoods, nutrition, pastoralism/ livestock).

Contribute to the development and implementation of guidance materials in the areas of early warning, decision support, and reporting.

Support activities to enhance project representatives’ and partners’ understanding of food security early warning and decision support processes, including but not limited to in the Integrated Phase Classification/Cadre Harmonisé workshop fora.

As a HAA:

• Collecting, collating, organizing, and analyzing data and information related to global humanitarian food assistance operations.
• Assisting as needed with deep dives of HFA analysis in targeted geographies and/or analyses.
• Delivering humanitarian food assistance data to the Humanitarian Assistance Specialist (HAS) in the format and on the frequency advised by the quality assurance and methods (QAM) sector for ingestion into the HADST.
• Collaborating with members of the FEWS NET DS team, including the Data Management Advisor, Data Management Specialists, Quality Assurance and Methods Advisor, and Humanitarian Assistance Specialist and Analysts (HAS/HAA) to ensure coordination on delivery of data and data analysis products in fulfilment of USG and USAID regulations
• Coordinating, as appropriate, with the HAS in design and implementation of the HADST, including on its technical content and functionality
• Contributing input on key technical matters to inform DS leadership decision-making with regard to HADST priorities and functionality
• Collaborating with members of the DS team, particularly the HAS and HAAs, to exchange knowledge of, and information from, existing and potential sources of humanitarian food assistance.

III. Physical demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.
• Travel to humanitarian contexts will be required. To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

IV. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

The duties of the job require regular job attendance of at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required by contact with the missions, mission security, or other obligations.

Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the missions if appropriate. While visiting the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well is to infectious diseases.

V. Gender Equality Commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse

• Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect all cultures.

Requirements

VI. Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with at least 5-year work experience in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET such as economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography.
• Minimum three years of relevant experience, including working on food security information systems, food security analysis, early warning, or other related fields; experience working with UN agencies and/or NGOs is desirable.
• Written and spoken fluency in English is required; French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desirable
• At least seven years must be direct relevant experience with food security analysis and/or humanitarian food assistance operations
• Knowledge of, and experience with, humanitarian food assistance operations through government, UN, NGO, and other agencies is required
• Familiarity with key multi-partner response coordination mechanisms, such as food security clusters and logistics clusters
• Experience with data management systems, preferably in a humanitarian setting, is an advantage
• Familiarity with scenario development or similar assumptions-based projections analysis is an advantage
• Previous experience living and working in a region or country in which FEWS NET project staff work is highly desirable
• Experience with USAID/Washington and field operations, programs, policies, and procedures is desirable
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work well with US-based and international staff and partners, is required
• Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, Google environment, etc.) are highly desired. Experience with GIS applications and mapping, and statistical software skills are an advantag
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

Benefits

Action Against Hunger-USA provides all staff with an attractive salary & benefits package. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees & qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Action Against Hunger-USA complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

This position is not eligible for employment sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.