Cash and Voucher Data Managing Specialist

Organizational Setting

The large-scale escalation in hostilities in Ukraine is exacerbating the food insecurity situation of the most vulnerable rural households and small farmers. In response to the evolving situation, FAO Ukraine is scaling up its emergency humanitarian and resilience programming in conflict affected areas of Ukraine, including previous programming areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson; and Lviv and Zakarpattia in the West; as well as newly affected areas. 

In order the address to rapidly deteriorating situation, FAO has established a Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that is in line with the UN Flash Appeal and intended to provide life and livelihood saving interventions for the most vulnerable smallholder farming households impacted by the conflict. In support of the RRP, FAO is calling for $50 million over the next 3 months to urgently assist up to 240, 000 most vulnerable rural men and women (over 100,000 households) including IDPs affected by the crisis. The response plan sets out key emergency agricultural interventions and immediate cash transfers to help sustain lives and agricultural livelihoods in a situation of escalating nationwide crises.
The FAO response will employ a ‘Cash ’ intervention modality that combines unconditional, multi-purpose cash (MPC) transfers with agricultural input support packages, ensuring crisis-affected households are able to cover their immediate basic needs while producing their own food and sustaining their productive assets. In this context, FAO is establishing a cash team to support with the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the cash based response. 

Reporting Lines

The Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance Specialist reports to the Emergency Coordinator (FAO-Ukraine), under the overall supervision of the Head of the FAO office/Designated Responsible Officer in Ukraine.

Technical Focus 

The Cash and Voucher Data Managing Specialist (CVDM Specialist) will be part of the FAO Ukraine Cash Support Team and will be responsible in the support for providing technical, strategic and day-to-day project implementation, support CVA team through the data managing and data analyses, implementation and monitoring of FAO cash transfer and voucher activities in the country. 

Tasks and responsibilities 

Within the overall scope of work, the Cash and Voucher Data Managing Specialist (CVA)is responsible for the following tasks:

Technical Support and System Configuration:
•    In collaboration with the Senior IM specialist in FAO UA, provide remote and in-person technical assistance to Implementing Partners, agro-dealers, suppliers, and Financial Service Providers (including NGOs and government staff), especially when challenges arise in processing data or using FAO systems during project implementation.
•    Configure and integrate beneficiary registration and assistance delivery mobile devices with KoboCollect, biometric, and NFC software, ensuring they are ready for data collection and distribution activities.

Data Management and Analysis:
In close collaboration with the senior IM Specialist,
•    Manage and process beneficiary data, including cleaning, deduplication, and verification, in alignment with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA).
•    Develop and manage a comprehensive tracking system for beneficiary cash payments, linking analysis with Financial Service Provider reports and ensuring data is prepared in required formats for transfers.
•    Extract and analyse collected data, presenting it in relevant formats to stakeholders for decision-making, including expenditure analysis and additional reporting as needed.

Information Management and Visualization:
•    Support data reconciliation efforts and develop information management solutions and data visualization products to enhance project monitoring and evaluation.
•    Utilize tools such as the WFP Building Blocks application for cross-project beneficiary deduplication and manage the continuous update of tracking mechanisms.

Tool and Application Development Support:
•    Collaborate with the OER IDEA Unit in the setup, development, and operation of the IDEA ecosystem’s tools and applications.
•    Report and escalate bugs within the Android applications used for beneficiary registration and assistance delivery, ensuring they are addressed by the relevant development teams.

Strategic and Project Implementation Support:
•    Assist in the formulation of the CVA component of pipeline projects, drawing on ongoing experiences to enhance future interventions.
•    Identify and document CVA-related good practices, contributing to their dissemination within FAO to improve the quality and effectiveness of interventions.

General and Miscellaneous Duties:
•    Perform additional related duties as required, adapting to emerging needs and challenges in the project's scope and objectives.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree up or masters’ levels in management, accounting, economics or related field. 
•    Minimum three (3) years of demonstrated experience in field level implementation of humanitarian assistance programmes with focus on cash and voucher assistance. 
•    Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Ukrainian, as all the duties will have to be performed in English. 
•    National of Ukraine.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills  

•    Ability to take ownership and accountability for assigned processes and to work autonomously;
•    Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable;
•    Able to work under pressure with multidisciplinary teams in an evolving and complex humanitarian context; 
•    Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION