Research Manager for Romania

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 lead our Romania team.

Department: REACH**

Position: Research Manager**

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

Following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, military hostilities have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and houses, hundreds of civilian deaths, disrupted markets and essential services, and precipitated massive displacement within Ukraine and into neighbouring countries. IMPACT is working across the region to provide humanitarian actors with rigorous data and in-depth analysis to ensure aid interventions are timely, appropriate, and relevant. As part of this, IMPACT is supporting coordination structures in Romania on the Refugee Response, through Information Management, Border Monitoring, Area Based Assessments and a Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment.

FUNCTIONS

IMPACT is seeking an experienced candidate, who has previously managed teams and implemented projects in a complex humanitarian setting. The candidate should be comfortable representing IMPACT with donors and be able to coordinate and liaise with a range of senior external partners. The Research Manager (RM) will be responsible for overseeing the development and strategy of the Romania country team, under the supervision of the Moldova Focal Point, based in Chisinau, and the Deputy Regional Coordinator, based in Warsaw. The position is based in Bucharest, with travel to other locations in Romania and Moldova expected.

The overall goal of the RM will be to ensure the smooth running of activities, and he/she will be responsible for the implementation and completion of the various work streams within the country team. This will include operational and programmatic oversight of all Romania bases, and management of activities, including line-management of the Assessment Officers who lead the various workstreams, as well as large enumerator teams on service contracts. In addition, the RM is responsible for the oversight of project implementation, administration, HR, logistics, partner coordination, reporting, grants management, and finance, and providing input to the strategic development of REACH in Romania.

RESPONSIBILITIES

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Direct management of senior international and national assessment team members, including recruitment, appraisals, and career management;

• Day-to-day management of the Romania team, including the development of work plans and performance indicators, and development and implementation of capacity training plans to improve efficiency and performance;

• Conduct regular check-ins with staff within the unit, and promote team building, productivity and staff welfare as the main pastoral focal point for Romania staff;

• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping;

• Take on additional work streams and management responsibilities as well as advise in strategic mission decision-making as a member of the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT), in coordination with the other research managers.

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH CYCLES

1. Assessment preparation and planning
   • Ensure that all assessments are planned in-line with relevant project and programme objectives and with REACH research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
   • Ensure that all Assessment Officers are comprehensively briefed on objectives and expected outputs of research cycles, and that the overall implementation strategy of any given activity is clearly understood;
   • Ensure that required secondary data analysis has been conducted in preparation for an assessment;
   • For each assessment, review ToRs before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before data collection begins;
   • Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data management officers, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools
   • Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning, data collection, and management.
2. Data collection
   • Ensure that enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
   • Monitor data collection, ensuring correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
   • Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessment throughout the research cycle;
   • Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant REACH, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;
   • Work closely with the Operations Manager to ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to REACH are appropriately implemented, alongside the relevant ACTED departments;
   • In coordination with the ACTED security department, monitor the security situation on the ground and conduct regular check-ins with staff in the field.
3. Product drafting
   • Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;
   • Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate assessment outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.) which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
   • Review all HSM and rapid assessment products before they are sent to IMPACT HQ for validation and ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.

4. Product dissemination and evaluation

   • Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;
   • Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle;
   • Under the direction of the Country Coordinator, engage in the dissemination of research products, including through articles, IMPACT social media contents, targeted e-mails, coordination body presentations, and bilateral meetings, in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;
   • Support the Country Coordinator to conduct monitoring and evaluation as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines.
     STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

5. Lead on identifying information gaps in line with humanitarian priorities, and identify advocacy and dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of our work;

6. Lead on formalising synergies with other assessment and knowledge management actors, as well as strategic partnerships with key humanitarian stakeholders and decision makers;

7. As a member of the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to the development and implementation of the REACH Romania country strategy;

8. Review dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of all Romania projects.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• Represent REACH/IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country, and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings;
• Present research findings to relevant partners, to enhance their use and impact;
• Ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: the preparation of the assessment; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
• Ensure that external communications with partners and key stakeholders, including UN agencies, local and national government, and NGOs has been conducted and documented as appropriate
• Support the IMPACT Deputy Regional Coordinator in external engagement on REACH/IMPACT strategy or for fundraising and grants management.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The RM is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with Romanian communities are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

The Research Manager will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. He/she will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners, or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar);
• Management experience Previous experience in a management role in a humanitarian context. Excellent management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including an ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through multi-tasking and prioritisation;
• Years of work experience 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, such as program management, evaluation and assessments;
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system, and the research community;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience in contributing to high level presentations/briefings.
• Research skills: Excellent research and analytical skills. Experience in assessments, M&E, field research, or evaluations;
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software an asset
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, 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;
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the [relevant] region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English is required, competency in Romanian or Ukrainian is an asset;
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.

CONDITIONS

• Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
• Additional monthly living allowance provided in country by IMPACT’s partner ACTED
• Food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment)
• Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance
• Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package