Afghanistan Contextual Analyst

The IRC opened the country program in Afghanistan in 1988. Our programs span the range from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development activities, focusing on emergency response, protection, education, economic wellbeing, and health. The IRC works in 11 provinces throughout Afghanistan, among which some of the most security volatile, and employs nearly 3,000 staff. IRC Afghanistan operates an annual portfolio of over $60 million.

Job Overview/Summary

The Afghanistan Context Analyst is a core member of the Afghanistan and Asia Regional Team and supports the IRC to understand – and thus respond better to – the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. S/he will focus on Afghanistan but will also pay attention to broader, regional or international developments that could impact the situation in Afghanistan.

The role works in close partnership with the Afghanistan Safety, Security and Access team, the Asia Regional Safety and Security team to deliver analysis of the drivers and impacts of the context in Afghanistan. The role will provide strong support to the Afghanistan programme, policy, advocacy, communications, partnership and business development colleagues to enable support for ongoing programme support and responding to emerging crises.

Major Responsibilities

Provide analysis support to IRC humanitarian action

• Monitor and assess trends in the political, security and socio-economic situation driving humanitarian crises, with a focus on Afghanistan.

• Provide regular, easy-to-understand written and oral analysis briefings to country program, regional and global colleagues.

• Coordinate with Program, Safety and Security and other colleagues to ensure analysis is guided by programmatic demands and is relevant to IRC’s programs, operational posture and risk management strategies.

• Support development and updates to scenario planning, particularly for relevant IRC country programs’ Strategy Action Plan (SAP) and SAP Implementation Plan.

• When agreed, deploy to Afghanistan to provide in-person Context Analysis support.

Support the IRC’s Humanitarian Action work

• Use ongoing tracking of developments to identify both risks to the IRC’s access and opportunities to increase access in Afghanistan.

• Rooted in the IRC’s experience of humanitarian action, provide analysis of key obstacles to humanitarian access, including local/international policy constraints, conflict developments, environmental factors, and more.

• Inform decisions about programmatic criticality by providing analysis of the risks/opportunities of both action and inaction.

• Collaborate with the Asia Regional Safety and Security to map key actors with influence over the IRC’s humanitarian access.

• Maintain network of internal/external contacts to complement IRC’s existing networks and ground truth analysis.

Provide leadership on Context Analysis

• Act as the focal point for Context Analysis for Afghanistan.

• Coordinate work with the Asia Regional GIS Specialist to identify opportunities to deploy GIS, data analysis and satellite imagery to advise more qualitative analysis on Afghanistan.

• Collaborate with Afghanistan and Asia Regional colleagues and provide technical support on Context Analysis.

• Collaborate with Asia Regional and Country Programme colleagues to develop model for funding role after initial 12-month period.

Contribute to external relations

• Collaborate with Regional and Country Policy and Advocacy colleagues to adapt/share regular analysis outputs to ensure policy and advocacy, fundraising, communications and other external-facing teams are kept informed about the crisis in Afghanistan.

• As required, provide briefings on Afghanistan to key internal and external stakeholders.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Regional Safety and Security Director – Asia

Management in Partnership: Country Director, Afghanistan

Position directly supervises: None

Other relationships: Asia regional safety and security coordinator, Asia regional GIS Specialist, Afghanistan policy, advocacy, communications, partnership and business development teams.

Job qualifications

Education/experience: An undergraduate degree or equivalent proven experience.

Demonstrated skills and aptitudes:

• Deep knowledge of Afghanistan including experience of providing rigorous but timely and – most importantly – practically useful analysis of the linkages between conflict and humanitarian needs.

• Aptitude for understanding complicated situations and ability to explain them in simple, relevant terms to non-expert audiences.

• Curiosity about humanitarian and global affairs, a detailed approach to understanding them, and humility given the difficulty of doing so.

• Ability to quickly and accurately digest large amounts of qualitative information, identifying the most important details.

• Other relevant skillsets and experience highly valued, e.g. mapping/GIS, early-warning systems, protection analysis, data analysis/management, advocacy experience, humanitarian access, etc.

• Organized and structured approach to working. Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, ensuring high-quality products are delivered in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent English-language writing and editing skills, including the ability to write clear and analytical prose.

• Ability to work collaboratively and sensitively with a diverse range of geographically dispersed colleagues.

• Strong dedication to the IRC’s mission, purpose and values.

Language Skills: Dari and/or Pashto fluency highly advantageous. Excellent English-language oral and written reporting skills important.

Working Environment: Some travel (20%) may be required, including to insecure field locations.

The IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a unit and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.