Research Manager – Middle East, Asia and Latin America

ABOUT IMPACT

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian think tank, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH Initiative, which was created in 2010 to facilitate the development of information tools and products that enhance the capacity of aid actors to make evidence-based decisions in emergency, recovery and development contexts. The IMPACT team comprises of specialists in research design; data collection, management and analysis; GIS and remote-sensing. For more information visit: www.impact-initiatives.org

We are currently looking for a Research Manager to join our HQ team in Geneva.

Position: Research Manager (Middle East, Asia, and Latin America)

Department: Research

Supervisor: Head of Research

Duration: Open-ended

Start date: March 2023

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Research Manager will be part of the IMPACT Research Department, under the supervision of the Head of Research and overseeing one of the two Regional Units responsible for quality assurance and compliance with established standards across all the research cycles implemented within IMPACT. Specifically, the objective of the Regional Units is to ensure all IMPACT research cycles are meeting / exceeding internal standards, wider academic research standards and ethics in the 1) research methods, 2) data processing and analysis practices, and 3) data interpretation, data visualisation and research reporting practices being used within IMPACT.

To achieve this objective, each Unit:

• Provides day-to-day support and advice (including review and validation of all relevant outputs) to IMPACT country teams on all aspects of research cycle implementation;
• Develops tools and guidelines and engages in internal and external engagement to strengthen and standardise research standards and practices within IMPACT;
• Contributes to IMPACT’s capacity building efforts vis-à-vis research;
• Consistently strengthens quality of research within IMPACT through the capitalisation of best practices and implementation of lessons learned and M&E processes.

Within this setup, the Research Manager will be responsible for (1) supervising the day-to-day workflow of the Unit working on research quality assurance for IMPACT’s work in Middle East, Asia and Latin America, (2) overseeing the process and outputs related to research cycle management within this regional portfolio, and (3) directing the resources in his/ her sphere of accountability to achieve IMPACT’s strategic goals in the above-mentioned aspects.

CORE TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Day-to-day Unit management, including:
  • Coordinating Unit workflow and delegating responsibilities to team members to ensure all key priorities are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner
  • Creating and maintaining shared team values, and monitoring individual and team performance/ progression to ensure goal achievement (and take action when required)
  • As advised by the Head of Research, organizing Unit resources to achieve overall goals of the IMPACT Research Department
  • Sharing relevant information and ensuring efficient, productive links are maintained with other Units/ departments within IMPACT
• Ensuring all of IMPACT’s research cycles implemented in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America regions are meeting internal quality standards as well as wider academic research standards, by:
  • Leading and coordinating the development of research tools and guidance materials, with a specific focus on research design, data processing and data analysis
  • Ensuring methodologically sound as well as pragmatic, context relevant advice is being provided by the relevant Unit to IMPACT country teams, and providing additional technical backstopping support and advice for effective implementation of research cycles when needed
  • Supporting the Unit with the review and validation of key research cycle outputs including (but not limited to) Research Terms of Reference, data analysis plans/ data collection tools, datasets and analysis outputs, final information products, etc. (upto 1-2 days/ week only)
  • Ensuring sufficient tracking and proper filing of research documents, outputs and tools across relevant countries, including close coordination with IMPACT field teams
  • Identifying and flagging potential risks (along with possible recommended actions) to the Head of Research in a timely manner
• Capitalizing best practices/ lessons learned for increased research quality within IMPACT
  • When relevant, providing briefing to other HQ Units and departments and/ or IMPACT country teams regarding key lessons learned, points of improvements or best practices

ADDITIONAL TASKS (ad hoc, by need basis)

• Contribute towards external engagement efforts (trainings, technical working groups and taskforces, academic partnerships, technical peer reviews, etc.) related to research
• Support the Head of Research with the roll-out of IMPACT’s internal research capacity building strategy, including the coordination of relevant induction sessions for new, incoming field staff
• Provide other support for the implementation of IMPACT Research Cycles as directed, including in-country or remote surge to IMPACT country teams if necessary (up to 25%)

REQUIREMENTS

Required

• Qualifications & Experience
  • Good academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree or higher in relevant discipline (e.g. Social Science, International Development, Economics, Statistics, etc.)
  • At least 4-5 years of relevant work experience in designing, managing and implementing primary research projects in humanitarian and / or international development contexts (e.g. needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, etc.)
  • At least 2-3 years of experience with team management in an international working environment
  • Good understanding of research methods within the field of social sciences and at least some prior experience with processing and analysing both quantitative and qualitative data
  • Good understanding of data visualisation and related best practices
• Soft skills
  • Attention to detail and commitment to producing high quality work
  • Openness to feedback and willingness to learn
  • Ability to manage time effectively and thrive in a fast paced, results-oriented working environment
  • Ability to work independently, with initiative, while taking a proactive, solutions-oriented approach
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, including in remote work settings

Desired

• Fluency in French and/ or Spanish
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of statistics and statistical analysis
• Working knowledge of at least one software package/ language for statistical analysis (R, SPSS, Stata, etc.)
• Working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Cloud software package (Illustrator, InDesign)