Return on Investment Analyst , UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Background
Over the coming years, the caseload for humanitarian action will continue to grow and in so doing will challenge the capacities of governments and humanitarian organizations. In addition, a growing proportion of vulnerable people will live in the world’s most fragile and risk prone contexts. In these contexts, shock and pressures are impeding and reversing development gains, creating a cycle of deprivation and inequity. In addition humanitarian action is increasingly occurring in very complex and high threat conflict environments such as the current crisis in Syria and neighboring countries.

Humanitarian actors must invest significantly to address the implications of these trends effectively, notably through preparedness. They must also be responsive to the many changes that have occurred in the humanitarian system, including the increased call for investing in preparedness for a more effective response, growth in capacity of some governments to lead response to emergencies, and the internalization of lessons learned from recent large-scale emergencies through the UN Interagency Standing Committee’s Transformative Agenda for humanitarian action.

While the value of preparedness for emergency response is increasingly recognized, the humanitarian community still lacks a well-designed model to quantify the return on investment of preparedness activities. Certain countries which have high exposure to disaster risk or that are fragile/conflict affected lack the necessary level of preparedness for humanitarian action, causing delays in responses, inefficient use of resources, and sub-optimal decision-making. This situation can result in increased loss of life and livelihoods, violation of rights, increased physical damages, and excess financial costs to affected countries and the international community.

Summary Objective
UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, UNOCHA and DFID are seeking to advance the evidence base for time and cost returns on emergency preparedness investments to enhance operational preparedness and efficient response to emergencies. In the previous 2014-2015 phase of this project, UNICEF and WFP worked together with Boston Consulting Group to create and pilot a financial and time costing model demonstrating the financial and time savings derived from emergency preparedness investments.

In this second phase of the project, the participating agencies will build upon the work done by BCG in 2015 in order to expand the global evidence base for the benefits of emergency preparedness investments, while further improving the methodology that was used to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI). The resulting methodology will be used to inform investments in preparedness made by individual agencies as well as partnership investments within the wider humanitarian system.

The key ROI Study objectives include:
• Finalize and validate the ROI calculation methodology
• Inform future preparedness investments by the participating agencies
• Identify opportunities for new preparedness investments with high ROI

Study approach and methodology
In order to peer review the current methodology, preparedness in four areas of humanitarian work will be included in the methodological model:

Logistics: transport, storage, pre-positioning
Procurement: processes, agreements
Staffing: deployment, training
External contracting: partnership agreements

The model will also consider that investments in preparedness seek to maximize reductions in:

• response time in high-risk contexts
• costs
• carbon expenditure

This should be achieved while maintaining and possibly improving, the effectiveness of a given humanitarian response.

The resulting ROI methodology will be applied by the participating UN agencies in at least three high-risk countries involved in the DFID project. It will draw upon current and historical data from agency offices in those countries, as well as from the relevant headquarters divisions. The application of the methodology will be instrumental in finalising and validating it, and drawing conclusions on how it can be used to inform future investment decisions. It will also be used to identify high-ROI preparedness investment opportunities which apply beyond the three countries subject to the study.

Project Support
The team is seeking an external consultant/secondment to support a multi-agency research initiative on the return on investment (ROI) for preparedness. The consultant will be tasked with supporting the interagency coordination group with the validation / expansion of the existing ROI model which will be conducted by independent researchers under contract with WFP in 2016.

The consultant will support the peer review of the existing ROI model for UNHCR and UNOCHA humanitarian operations. S/he will also work closely with focal points within all partner agencies (UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR and UNOCHA) in identifying and recommending areas of concern that require further in-depth analysis. S/he will support interagency data collection and donor reporting related to the project.

This position is for eight months with the possibility of contract extension, dependent on availability of funds. The consultant will be responsible for supporting the IA deliverables, with possibility of field travel to assist in data collection and project coordination in programme countries.

Qualifications

3-5 years operational experience in emergency humanitarian operations and/or disaster management, ideally with a UN agency
Demonstrable qualitative and quantitative research skills
Strong analytical skills in Excel. Experience in basic cost-benefit analysis or return on investment and risk analysis desirable
Prior experience in multi-stakeholder, interagency projects and/or processes desirable
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Fluency in English required, strong preference for French fluency as well
Advanced university degree or university degree with relevant experience in international development, economics, finance, business management, or similar field

HOW TO APPLY:

This deployment will be through a UNHCR standby partner reimbursable contract.

Interested applicants can submit their cover letter and CV to HQECMS00@unhcr.org with cc- todmitrije@unhcr.org by Monday, 7 March 2016.