Job Description

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

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, GIS and remote sensing. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO with headquarters based in Paris and presence in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Research Manager to lead our Intersectoral unit in Somalia.

Department: REACH

Position: Research Manager Contract duration: 6 months

Starting Date: 26th October 2025

Location: Mogadishu

COUNTRY PROFILE

Somalia remains within a complex and protracted crisis due to active conflict, the presence of non-state armed actors, the persistent presence of communicable diseases and climate-driven onset shocks – including droughts and flooding. Conflict and natural disasters continue to drive displacement and constrain the availability of resources, while the presence of armed groups severely impedes the level of access and support provided by humanitarian actors. The combination of restricted access to resources, drought, and flooding further exacerbates the possibility for outbreaks of communicable diseases like measles, cholera, and acute watery diarrhea (AWD),

Against this backdrop, IMPACT Initiatives has developed a wide range of research cycles to provide an evidence-base for the humanitarian community. This includes support to the Somali Cash Consortium, the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative, Detailed Site Assessments (DSAs), the Durable Solutions Readiness Assessment (DSRA); and leadership of the Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA), Humanitarian Situation Monitoring (HSM), Rapid Needs Assessments (RNA), as well as analytical products such as the Acute needs analysis (ANA) and Real time monitoring (RTM).

POSITION PROFILE

The Research Manager will be responsible for overseeing the development and strategy of the Intersectoral Unit under the supervision of the IMPACT Deputy country representative. The candidate should be comfortable representing IMPACT with donors and be able to coordinate and liaise with a range of senior external partners. This position requires a profile that can be both analytical and managerial, as the Research Manager’s job can range from coordinating with external partners (whether data actor, humanitarian cluster, or donor) to analytical oversight of research products to logistics.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Research Manager’s responsibilities will include:

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Direct management of senior national and international team members, including recruitment and 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 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 research cycles in his/her unit, 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 Country representative and the Project and Partnerships support department, manage grants in the unit, including initial discussions with donors, conceptualisation of new projects, drafting proposals, regular reporting, and M&E;
• Under the guidance of the Country Representative, oversee the financial management of all grants covering the unit’s 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 and Deputy country representative, represent REACH with donors, partners, and the wider development community in Somalia.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Under the guidance of the Country Representative and Deputy country representative, develop the unit 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 Somalia and identify how REACH can fill these gaps;
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the REACH Somalia country strategy;
• Develop and implement dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of the programmes under his/her supervision;
• Engagement with HQ on matters related to the research cycles under his/her supervision and provide support to relevant IMPACT Global Community of Practices (CoPs).

The Research Manager will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. They 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.

Experiences and Qualifications

• Years of work experience At least 4 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, such as program management, evaluation and assessments;
• Research skills Excellent quantitative and qualitative research design, data collection, and data analysis experience required;
• Familiarity with aid system Good understanding of the aid system and the research community. Prior experience with humanitarian coordination forums preferred;
• Management experience Demonstrated team management skills, including remote management;
• Thematic experience Background in public health highly desirable
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the HoA is desirable;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting and reviewing;
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility and work independently;
• Academic qualifications Excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree in a relevant discipline;
• 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
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Somali is an asset.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 3’600 CHF and 3’720 CHF monthly (before income tax), etc 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.
• Accommodation and food provided in the guesthouse.
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered).
• R&R after 2-3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance)
• Contribution to the transportation of luggage: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
• 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;
• 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.

Skills Required

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