Overview
The OCHA policy instruction on country offices lists 10 different skillsets for Humanitarian Affairs Officers (including Head of Office, Inter-Cluster Coordinator, and Protection), but only one skillset for IMOs: IM!
In reality, IM requires a diverse set of different technical and non-technical skill sets. OCHA currently recognizes five skillsets, which each map to specific skills and IM activities. A strong IM team needs members that each have one or more of these skillsets.
Skillsets
Coordination: This is primarily a 'soft-skill' specialization. Coordination includes management of an IM team, coordination with partners through an IM Working Group, advising the Head of Office on IM issues, recruitment, planning and day-to-day management of products and people.
Content Management: This skillset is about making information easy to find and manage. Content management includes overseeing information sharing platforms like HumanitarianResponse.info and Humanitarian ID to make sure the content is up-to-date and easy to find, overseeing document management systems and doing data entry and basic processing. Content management also includes working with partners to make sure they contribute data and information to common systems like FTS and OPS.
Data Analysis: This skillset is about working with data and information to improve situational awareness and support evidence-based planning and operations. Data analysts need to work with decision-makers and subject-matter experts to do effective analysis on impact, severity, needs, response and gaps. Data analysis is used to calculate populations in need and develop Humanitarian Needs Overviews.
Mapping: The mapping skillset is about using geographical information systems (GIS) and other tools to analyze and present spatial data. Mapping includes working on spatial common operational datasets (CODs), creating reference and operational maps, and using GIS to perform spatial analysis.
Visualization: The visualization skillset is used to turn information in insight and knowledge. It involves taking often complex data and presenting in a format that's easy to understand and tailored for a specific audience. Visualization is used to create products such as snapshots, dashboard and infographics.
Roles
Every IMO will usually have strengths in more than one skillset. They might be an expert in Mapping, but also be comfortable doing basic visualization and also coordinating an IM Working Group meeting on CODs. We call these IMOs 'Generalists', because they have multiple skillsets. Other IMOs are 'specialists' because they spend almost all of their time working in a single skillset. The head of an IM team, for example, might not have very strong technical IM skills, but be very experienced in the 'coordination' skillset. We call this IMO at 'specialist', because they are particularly strong in one skillset (coordination) but not in the others.
A small team, especially offices that have only one or two IMOs, will need to have generalists, so they can still perform all of the activities of an office. A large office, meanwhile, can afford to have multiple specialists. When building a team, it's vital to choose staff in a way that ensures the team includes all of the skillsets, regardless of team size.
Generalist Specialist