Research Manager Camps and Displacement for Syria, based in Amman, Jordan

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s purpose is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: (a) need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams; (b) situation analysis using satellite imagery; (c) provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH Initiative. The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of Acted, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Research Manager to support our team in Syria.

Department:REACH Syria

Supervisor: Deputy Country Coordinator

Position: Research Manager, Camps and Displacement Unit

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Amman, Jordan

Starting Date: July 2024

Country Profile

After more than a decade of conflict, conditions in Syria remain volatile and marked by violence and socioeconomic deterioration. The scale, complexity, and severity of humanitarian needs in Syria extends the necessity for up to date, timely, and accurate information. Evidence-based planning and programming remains paramount to ensure that the response adequately meets the needs of the most vulnerable people and is tailored to different realities across communities and over time. REACH has been conducting assessments on the humanitarian situation in Syria since 2013 and has since grown significantly as an actor in the response. Broadly speaking, REACH Syria facilitates a humanitarian evidence base via four key research streams:

· Monitoring of the humanitarian situation in Syria, including joint market monitoring to track prices of goods as per the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB);

· Displacement tracking, through tracking the movement of IDPs and returnees;

· Remote sensing activities, including market functionality, flood hazard assessments, etc;

· Technical support to clusters, including thematic assessments and capacity building

FUNCTIONS

REACH Syria is currently recruiting for a Research Manager (RM) to, under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Deputy Country Coordinator, oversee the program and staff of REACH’s Camps and Displacement (C&D) Unit. Examples of Syria Camps and Displacement outputs are available here.

Within their Unit, the Research Manager leads the team to achieve program excellence and ensure the highest level of impact and accountability, while ensuring compliance to IMPACT’s guidelines and standards. The role will involve oversight of all REACH Syria research cycles (projects), line management of and project management support to all focal points of REACH Syria’s C&D unit, human resource management, external engagement, response coordination structure, and identification of information management gaps within the humanitarian response. As part of the country’s Senior Management Team (SMT), she/he contributes to the development and implementation of IMPACT’s country strategy, and promotes organizational vision and core values across the mission.

In their mission, the Research Manager will be hosted by Acted and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of Acted’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide by Acted’s Security, HR, Administration and Logistics rules and regulations, and, in coordination with Acted, will ensure IMPACT staff in his/her unit abide by them.

The position will be based in Amman, Jordan with travel to Northeast Syria (via Erbil, Iraq) and Gaziantep, Türkiye.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Research Manager will be responsible for overseeing the development and strategy of the Camps and Displacement (C&D) Unit, under the supervision of the Deputy Country Coordinator. The candidate should be comfortable representing IMPACT with donors and be able to coordinate and liaise with a range of senior external partners.

The role of the Research Manager is to drive the strategy and workstreams of the C&D Unit at a moment in Syria where in-camp and displaced populations face heightened vulnerabilities. This position requires a profile that is both analytical and strategic, as the Research Manager’s job on a daily basis can range from coordinating with external partners (whether data actor, humanitarian cluster, or donor) to analytical oversight of research products to logistics.

The Research Manager responsibilities include:

Staff Management

· Direct management of international and senior national team members, including recruitment, conduct of appraisals, as well as staff career management;

· Development and implementation of capacity training plans for team members;

· Day-to-day management of team members, including the development of work plans and performance indicators.

Project/Research Cycle Management

· Ensure all C&D assessments and analysis are planned and implemented in a structured and coherent manner, in line with relevant project and strategic objectives, and with global REACH guidelines;

· Oversee all C&D research cycles, including reviewing ToRs, methodology notes, tools, products and dissemination strategies.

· Ensure the writing and production of timely, accurate and analytically rigorous reports, assessments, and factsheets;

· Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning;

· Monitor output achievement, project expenditure and ensure timely completion of the project.

· Actively advocate for the improving of analysis within REACH products, and using common methodologies, tools and analysis frameworks across units where relevant

Grants Management

· Under the guidance of the Deputy Country Coordinator and/or Country Representative – and in coordination with the Senior Project Development Officer – manage grants in the C&D, including initial discussions with donors, conceptualization of new projects, drafting proposals, regular reporting, and M&E;

· In coordination with the Senior Operations Support Manager, support the financial management of all grants covering C&D projects, including oversight of budget and expenditure;

· Ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of programs deliverables.

External Engagement

· In coordination with the Country Representative, DCC, and SMT, represent REACH with donors, partners, and the wider humanitarian aid community in Syria;

· Provide support to the CCCM Cluster and Sites and Settlements Working Group to ensure relevant stakeholders have timely access to data.

Strategy Development and Implementation

· Under the guidance of the Deputy Country Coordinator, develop the C&D’s strategy, engagement and involvement with various technical and coordination forums;

· Work with key clusters and partner organizations and working groups to understand the various relevant information gaps within Syria and identify how the C&D Unit can fill these gaps;

· As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to the development and implementation of the REACH Syria country strategy;

· Develop and implement dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of the C&D programmes;

· Engagement with HQ on C&D research and/or coordination;

· Provide contextual and technical support and guidance for assessment teams across all units in the mission relating to C&D, particularly on their application for local coordination mechanisms, area-based responses, and CCCM policy towards informal settlements.

REQUIREMENTS

· Academic background Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., International Relations, Political Sciences, Migration studies, Economics, Development Studies, or similar).

· Years of work experience 3-5 years of relevant working experience, ideally in research, program management, and/or CCCM, and including familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system

· Management experience Previous experience in a management role of at least three people in an INGO at field level. Proven track record in successful management of both international and national teams in humanitarian contexts.

· Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience in contributing to high level presentations/briefings

· External engagement skills Experience engaging with external stakeholders, including donors, UN, and NGOs

· Research skills: Excellent research and analytical skills with knowledge of humanitarian needs assessments

· Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

· Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines and on numerous research cycles in complex environment

· Level of independence A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently

· Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility

· Language skills Fluency in English (written and spoken)

· Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment

DESIRABLE

· Experience in geographical region Good understanding of or work experience in Syria or the Middle East.

· Research/programmatic knowledge Experience in M&E, field research, evaluations an asset.

o Research or programmatic knowledge of CCCM, displacement monitoring, and/or area-based assessments an asset.

o Research or programmatic knowledge of (flood) hazard or climate analysis (in collaboration with GIS staff)

· Language skills Knowledge of Arabic an asset.

· Software skills Familiarity with R/Python, InDesign, PowerBi, and ArcGIS an asset.

Conditions

For this position, salary between 2’900 CHF and 3’120 CHF monthly (before income tax), as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD

NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.

o Accommodation in a guesthouse and food allowance OR contribution to a housing allowance of up to 75% of country-specific benchmark.

o Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance

o On a case-by-case basis, accompanied status and relevant benefits can apply (health insurance and flight tickets for dependents, education allowance for children)

o Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)

o Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)

o Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.

o Predeparture induction: 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;

o Enrolment in IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months from the start of contract.

o IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees

How to apply

Please apply through this link: Research Manager – Camps and Displacement for Syria, based in Amman, Jordan | Impact (impact-initiatives.org)