IMPACT INITIATIVES
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, REACH, AGORA and PANDA. The IMPACT team is composed of specialists in the collection, management and analysis of data and GIS. IMPACT is a sister organisation of ACTED, an international NGO based in Paris and present in some thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, allowing IMPACT to benefit from the operational support of ACTED on its areas of intervention.
COUNTRY PROFILE
Cameroon is facing 3 complex and simultaneous humanitarian crises: (i) in the extreme north of the country (near Lake Chad and Nigeria), and, (ii) in the north-west and south-west regions (where armed groups oppose the government), and (iii) in the neighbouring Central African Republic. Violence and’ insecurity uprooted thousands of people. Cameroon now hosts more than 502,000 refugees and’asylum Seekers. These three humanitarian crises also affect the’accueil communities in Cameroon, which must share their already limited resources and shaken basic services with displaced people. In this context, IMPACT Initiatives is planning the opening of its office to support the humanitarian community with assessments such as the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment, which will,the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative.
Mission
We are currently looking for a research manager in Cameroon.
Title : Research Manager
Duration of the contract :12 months
Workplace : Yaoundé
Start date of contract : February 15, 2024, or as soon as possible
POST PROFILE
Under the supervision of the Country Coordinator, the research leader will be responsible for the implementation of the programs, as well as the HR management of the members of the’unity under his responsibility. In addition, the research leader will participate in the development of the strategy of the’unit de recherche, and therefore will fully participate in the’ senior management team (SMT) of the IMPACT Cameroon mission. The ideal candidate will be desirousness working in a dynamic organisation, with the opportunity to develop skills in data analysis and external coordination. Strategic and technical support will be provided by the IMPACT Country Representative, the Deputy Country Coordinator and the IMPACT team at headquarters in Geneva.
FUNCTIONS
The research manager will be assigned to the following tasks :
Management of research cycles
Planning and preparation of evaluations :
- S’ ensure that all planned evaluations are done in line with programmatic objectives and following the’IMPACT guidelines for research cycle development ;
- S’ensure that’ secondary data analysis is done in preparation for evaluations ;
- For each evaluation, review the search terms of reference (ToRs) before sending them to Geneva for validation, and’ ensure that these ToRs are validated by the headquarters before the start of data collection ;
- S’s ensure that ToRs are understood and used by’assessments teams and relevant partners, and updated as necessary ; S’s ensure the development in close collaboration with the GIS teams and database, tools for collecting qualitative or quantitative data ; and’s ensure the involvement of these GIS teams and database within the evaluations ;
- S’ ensure that all relevant partners are involved in the development of’ research cycles.
Data collection and management
- Supervise data collection exercises, ensuring the proper implementation of ToRs, any necessary SOPs and humanitarian principles and do no harm ;
- S’ ensure that the Country Representative and Deputy Country Coordinator is alerted of any problem preventing the proper conduct of data collection and methodologies in line with ToRs ; s’ ensure that methodological adjustments are duly documented ;
- S’ ensure the proper implementation of the logistics, finance, administrative, security and HR processes directly related to IMPACT and in collaboration with the support departments ACTED ;
- S’ ensure that regular updates on data collection are circulated to internal focal points and relevant external actors. Provide support and follow-up on the challenges identified during the collections ;
- S’ ensure that all data collected is stored in line with IMPACT data management guidelines, and in line with ToRs. S’ensure of the correct data review and cleaning process. Supervise the’ data analysis process in line with ToRs, following relevant and methodologically accurate techniques ;
- S’ensure of the validation headquarters of the cleaned databases and of the’analysis before starting the process of drafting the outputs;
Output drafting
- Maintain regular communication with IMPACT Headquarters on progress and deadlines for the outputs of activities ;
- S’sensure of the production of the outputs of the evaluations which are fair and in the times initially allotted within the ToRs, and which comply with the guidelines and quality standards of’IMPACT; and;
- S’ ensure that all outputs produced are validated by the IMPACT Seat prior to external release; or in specific cases,’ have received a temporary green light for restricted internal release.
Dissemination of outputs and internal evaluation
- Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Coordinator,’s involve in the dissemination of research outputs, through’ articles, IMPACT social media content,’emails campaigns, presentations, meetings, etc. in line with the ToRs and the guidelines for dissemination and external communication IMPACT ;
- Under the supervision of IMPACT Headquarters, shall ensure that research outputs are published on all relevant online platforms, as specified in ToRs ;
- S’ ensure that lessons learned for each research cycle are collected and duly documented ;
- Support the Deputy Country Coordinator and Country Representative for the implementation of’s internal monitoring & evaluation exercises as specified in ToRs and in line with IMPACT guidelines.
HR management of the’ team
- Hold regular meetings with the teams to check the progress made for each research cycle and to review the schedules ;
- Bilateral HR management of international staff and national senior staff, including (with the consultation of senior management) conducting performance evaluations to take part in the career management of these staffs ;
- In coordination with the senior management, make inductions for new members of the’ team ; including trainings to ensure technical skills in research cycle development, and, their implementation and analysis; and ;
- Support the senior management in the development and implementation of training plans for members of the multisectoral’unity, and members of the IMPACT team in general, and, in the capital and on the ground ;
- When relevant, take part with senior management in the recruitment process of international staffs.
External relations
- In coordination with senior management, S’ ensures that all relevant partners are consulted and included in all stages of the research cycles: cycle development, data collection, etc, joint analyses of data, review of outputs if planned, dissemination of outputs, and discussions on lessons learned ;’ ensure that this involvement of partners is documented ;
- In coordination with senior management, present the results of the research cycles to partners and external actors, to ensure the’ use and the impact of these activities ;
- S’sensure of positive, coherent and strategic communication with key partners and actors, including national, international NGOs, civil society organizations, UN agencies, national agencies, local and national authorities, and, etc ; and that this communication be duly documented ;
- In coordination with the senior management, represent IMPACT in strategic and/or technical external commitments in relation to the projects of the’unity ;
- Support senior management in external commitments in relation to project development efforts, and in the management of ongoing grants.
Development and implementation of the strategy
In support of senior management, the REACH Research Manager will actively contribute to the development of the REACH strategy in Cameroon. In particular, he or she will support strategic development efforts :
- On the needs for evaluations, in relation to the humanitarian context and the’evolution of the response ;
- On synergies with other’ evaluations and efforts implemented by humanitarian and key partners ;
- On the strategic partnerships with partners /key operational and/or decision-making actors ;
- On key events and processes that need to be informed by IMPACT assessments;
- On advocacy and dissemination and external communication strategies to strengthen the’ impact of IMPACT activities ;
- On’ engagement with IMPACT Headquarters on global strategic priorities.
- Other tasks as requested and jointly discussed with superiors.
CONFIDENTIALNESS
The research manager will maintain the highest level of confidentiality of data collected in the field and ensure the’adherence to the global personal data protection processes. She or he’assured to implement mechanisms to avoid the unauthorized sharing of information collected during his mission in collaboration with the data management team at headquarters.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES
The researcher (s), like any other IMPACT staff member, is responsible for ensuring that relations with the communities in which IMPACT and its partners work are carried out in a respectful and advisory manner. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that communities are properly consulted and informed of the objectives, activities, and methodologies of IMPACT projects.
Profile
PROFILE
- Excellent academic qualifications, Master level in Political Sciences, International Relations, Statistics or other relevant subjects ;
- At least 3 to 4 years of ’ relevant professional experience in the humanitarian or development sector in research, information management or monitoring and evaluation ;
- Experience working on multi-stakeholder projects, with a high component of’external engagement ;
- Experience of MEAL and/or TPM will be a strong asset ;
- Excellent capacities of’analysis and synthesis ;
- Excellent communication and writing skills for’writing products ;
- Team management, coordination, organization and planning skills, including the ability to manage a significant workload, are required, to supervise teams in other regions or bases and to meet deadlines effectively, thanks to an excellent ability to carry out several tasks head-on and to set priorities ;
- Ability to operate in a multicultural environment ;
- Flexibility as to the role and nature of work that may change depending on the context ;
- Perfect mastery of French, English an asset, knowledge of’a local language;
- Ability to take ownership of assigned tasks and demonstrate a dynamic team spirit ;
- Familiarity with statistical analysis tools such as R, SPSS, STATA, or GIS and graphics software such as InDesign an asset ;
- Experience in managing’ evaluations and’teams in a crisis context and field experience in countries affected by desired crises.
REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
- For this position, the salary is between CHF 3’120 and CHF 3’240 per month (before income tax), etc., as well as a monthly subsistence allowance of USD 300.
- NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid according to the grade of the position and the level of education of the staff. A security adjustment and/or location-dependent isolation is then applied to take into account the fact that some staff members have to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult elsewhere.
- Accommodation and food in a guest house. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
- Membership of a Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – about 9.975% of the gross salary of staff), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
- On a case-by-case basis, the status of accompanied person and the corresponding benefits may apply ( health insurance and air tickets for dependents, education allowance for children )
- Air tickets every 6 months and visa fees covered ( travel expenses in the country and professional expenses are fully covered )
- Contribution to the transport of luggage: between 20 and 100 kg, depending on the duration of the contract ( + baggage and personal property insurance )
- Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays in the country of assignment. Leave for family or compassionate reasons, if applicable.
- Initiation before departure – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives headquarters in Geneva + one week of training before departure at ACTED headquarters in Paris, including 4-day in situ safety training ;
- Registration at Research Foundation Learning Programme impact Initiatives within the first 3 months after the start of the contract.
- IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among other things, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counseling costs.
