IMPACT AND ITS INITIATIVES
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives: REACH, AGORA and PANDA. The IMPACT team is composed of specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO headquartered in Paris and present in around thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, allowing IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its areas of intervention.
The REACH initiative was established in 2010 as a joint initiative of two international NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and UNOSAT. The objective of REACH is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that improve the decision-making and planning capacity of the humanitarian community in emergency, reconstruction and development contexts. AGORA is a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, founded in 2016, which promotes effective, inclusive and integrated local planning, aid response and service delivery in crisis contexts by applying territory-based processes and tools. AGORA enables more effective and tailored aid responses to support the recovery and stabilization of crisis-affected communities, while promoting the reestablishment of local services and supporting local governance actors. PANDA is IMPACT’s operational programme that aims to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian and development interventions, informing the entire programme cycle of partners.
COUNTRY AND MISSION PROFILE
The DRC has been facing an acute and complex humanitarian crisis for decades. Recurrent conflicts in the Kivus and Ituri provinces, health shocks and natural disasters, and chronic poverty affecting a large part of the population are all reasons for the high level of humanitarian needs. According to the 2024 Humanitarian Needs Outlook, 25.6 million people (including 5.5 million internally displaced persons) in the DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance. The country also hosts more than 570,000 refugees from neighboring countries, a particularly vulnerable population. Many regions of the country also remain affected by multiple epidemics, including measles, cholera, malaria and Ebola virus disease (EVD). Emergency humanitarian aid and recovery suffer from many challenges both on a general level of needs much higher than available funding which require reasoned prioritization, and on a more micro level with a lack of harmonization, localization and sensitivity to conflicts, and of taking into account the voice of affected populations in their wishes and their local knowledge.
Since 2016, IMPACT Initiatives DRC – with teams currently present in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu and Kalemie – has been providing assessment, information management and mapping services to inform humanitarian planning in the DRC. Since 2020, REACH has been conducting intersectoral research and public health cycles in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Tanganyika and Ituri, with a recent expansion to the northwestern provinces. Since 2021, REACH has been conducting a multi-sectoral needs assessment (MSNA) to inform the humanitarian programming cycle in the DRC. For the first time in 2023 thanks to a technical partnership with WFP, the MSNA has acquired a national scope and will have as its main objective in 2024 to concretely inform the new humanitarian programming cycle based on JIAF 2.0. All products of the IMPACT mission in the DRC can be accessed here .
Since 2021, the PANDA and AGORA initiatives have also been deployed in the DRC with a strategic partnership for the PANDA initiative for the implementation of independent monitoring (third-party monitoring) of emergency programs funded by the British donor FCDO; and with an innovative pilot for the participatory and local research and planning initiative in the province of Tanganyika with the aim of developing a local development plan and thus promoting the triple Nexus approach for the benefit of Acted’s activities and aid actors in general. Since the end of 2023, the local and territorial approach has also been applied to environmental analyses intended to strengthen emergency preparedness and anticipatory action processes in several regions (east and northwest) of the country. The IMPACT DRC mission has thus developed until the beginning of 2024, requiring an experienced profile for the general management of the mission and its external representation, as well as a strengthening of the internal coordination and operations management teams. The person sought will lead a mission of more than 2M USD / year with a team of 40 staff spread across 4 bases in the country for activities covering at least 7 provinces .
We are currently looking for a country representative to support our IMPACT team in the DRC.
Department : IMPACT – Coordination
Title: Country Representative
Contract duration: 24 months
**Work location:**Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (with occasional travel to the field and other bases)
Start date: November 2024
JOB PROFILE
Under the supervision of the Regional Coordinator – Africa based at IMPACT HQ in Geneva, the IMPACT Country Representative will have 3 main objectives to fulfill in order to advance and promote IMPACT and its initiatives in the DRC:
- External Representation & Advocacy: The IMPACT Country Representative is the primary contact in relations with current and prospective donors of the mission (incl. but not limited to USAID/BHA, FCDO, UNICEF, Chemonics/Fewsnet or targeted donors such as ECHO, SDC, SIDA, UNHCR, etc.). The IMPACT Country Representative must not only communicate around the development of projects or the management of existing grants but also build a relationship of trust and develop IMPACT’s reputation by using the analyses produced for advocacy points. This communication objective also extends to all coordination platforms in which the Country Representative is involved, such as (non-exhaustive) the Humanitarian Country Team, the national Intercluster, the relevant Working Groups, the INGO Forum, the management of UN agencies and other organizations, key national institutional actors, provincial coordination platforms when relevant, etc.
- Programmatic supervision of research units: The IMPACT Country Representative supervises the research managers of the 3 research units developed within the mission: humanitarian/intersectoral programming cycle unit, public health unit, (depending on the profile of the Deputy Country Coordinator) the accountability and resilience unit. The main objectives of this supervision include monitoring the main objectives of this supervision include compliance with the activities of the units for the different grants, compliance with the organizational guidance for these units; the development of these units within the Country Strategy in constant liaison with the mission’s senior management team (SMT).
- Supervision support, quality and operations of the mission: The IMPACT Country Representative will be responsible for monitoring the financial health of the mission; monitoring, constantly improving human resources conditions, nationalizing certain positions; jointly developing with the partner Acted the mission’s security procedures; and in conjunction with the Deputy Country Coordinator, constantly improving quality monitoring processes and the efficient organization of operations in all areas of activity implementation.
FUNCTIONS
- Development and implementation of the country strategy:
- Analyze the socio-economic situation of the country, the impact of a crisis and the aid/humanitarian situation;
- Understand the humanitarian coordination mechanisms, as well as the main actors;
- Develop and oversee the implementation of a country strategy in line with headquarters priorities:
- Consolidate and strengthen ongoing programming and operations;
- Ensure that IMPACT activities are relevant and have an impact on the humanitarian response;
- Identify new areas in which IMPACT can add value to the humanitarian response; Organize internal cross-functional monitoring: Organize internal documents for monitoring strategic objectives for the purpose of monitoring the mission strategy, but also other regular monitoring such as on HR points (monitoring of movements/leaves) or research (research trackers), etc.;
- Representation and external engagement:
- Establish, maintain and improve relationships with key partners (incl. donors, coordination actors, national institutional actors, etc.);
- Promote IMPACT and its programs in key decision-making forums;
- Ensure IMPACT participation in key humanitarian coordination forums;
- Lead the dissemination of information and analysis products;
- Fundraising:
- Communicate with current donors and approach new donors to identify funding to support IMPACT programs;
- Oversee the conceptualization of project proposals in line with the national strategy;
- Oversee the design of budgets, in close consultation with ACTED, and IMPACT HQ;
- Negotiate proposals and/or contracts with donors.
- Programmatic management of research units:
- Hierarchical management of the 3 research managers for the programmatic units of the DRC mission;
- Ensure that synergies are established and implemented between the different IMPACT programme units in the country, and establish links with other IMPACT countries where appropriate;
- Keep track of progress and delays of any program implementation. Ensure that delays or problems identified for specific programs are reported to headquarters.
- Project cycle management:
- Ensure timely organization of project kick-off, review/update and end-of-project meetings;
- Ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements;
- Anticipate financial risks and financing gaps;
- Monitor project budgets to avoid under/overspending, in liaison with IMPACT HQ and (where applicable) ACTED Finance departments;
- Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, in relation to IMPACT HQ and (where applicable) ACTED finance;
- Support the preparation of internal/external audits in close collaboration with HQ Finance and Compliance.
- Leadership and team management:
- Provide leadership across the mission, as well as within the country Senior Management Team (SMT);
- Transmit IMPACT’s values and vision and their implementation at the national level, and help managers and all staff to do the same;
- Ensure that all staff have clear mandates, work plans and key performance indicators; ensure regular performance reviews;
- Coach and support the team to build capacity, improve efficiency and performance, and monitor staff career management;
- Promote staff growth and development within the organization, actively linking with headquarters to provide feedback and support retention and internal mobility;
- Develop and update the country’s organizational chart and staff recruitment plan;
- Submit HR reports to IMPACT headquarters regularly; escalate any HR issues.
- Internal coordination & with Acted:
- Ensure the establishment of regular internal team meetings;
- Submit regular reports to headquarters, including the monthly coordination report;
- Coordinate regularly with the ACTED Country Director through weekly meetings;
- Ensure regular coordination with ACTED Project Development and FLATS (Finance, Logistics, Administration, Transparency, Security) departments at all stages of project development and implementation;
- Ensure compliance of all IMPACT staff with ACTED FLAT and security procedures. Facilitate coordination between IMPACT programs and ACTED Area Coordinators as required.
As part of his/her mission, the Deputy Country Coordinator will be hosted by ACTED and will report to the ACTED Country Director and his/her delegates . He/she will fully respect ACTED’s rules on security, human resources, administration and logistics.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The country representative will have to maintain the highest level of confidentiality of the data collected by IMPACT DRC and ensure adherence to global personal data protection processes. He or she will ensure that mechanisms are implemented to avoid unauthorized sharing of information collected during his or her mission in collaboration with the headquarters in Geneva.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES
The Country Representative, like any other IMPACT staff member, is responsible for ensuring that relationships with the communities in which IMPACT and its partners work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Particular attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are properly consulted and informed about the objectives, activities, and methodologies of IMPACT projects.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
- Academic level: Excellent academic qualifications, including degree in a relevant discipline (international relations, political science, social research, economics, development studies or similar).
- Previous experience: Experience in a senior management role in an INGO/foundation/research center/UN in the field. Successful experience in managing international and national teams in humanitarian contexts.
- Years of experience: At least 5 years of relevant external professional experience or proven progression within IMPACT. Previous experience in the region (Central Africa, Great Lakes region) is desirable.
- Language skills: French required, English desirable, regional language (Lingala/Swahili) an asset.
- Work Environment: Ability to work in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility and complex security.
- Key skills:
- Leadership, Communication and Advocacy: Excellent communication and writing skills for effective reporting, including proven experience contributing to high-level presentations/briefings.
- Research / Technical: Excellent research skills and analytical mindset is an asset. Experience in monitoring and evaluation. Experience in field research is an asset. Knowledge of analysis software and computer coding language may be an asset. Knowledge of Microsoft 365 suite (Teams/Sharepoint included).
- Autonomy and multitasking: Self-starter with proven ability to work independently; ability to multitask under tight deadlines, across multiple research cycles in a complex environment.
REMUNERATION & BENEFITS
- For this position, the salary ranges from CHF 4,200 to CHF 4,560 per month (before income tax) with a monthly living allowance of USD 500. NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary scale based on the grade of the position and the education level of the staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied to account for the fact that some staff members have to work in difficult locations where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere .
- Accommodation and food in a guest house. Depending on the security situation in certain areas and according to Acted HR policies in force, a personal accommodation contribution of up to 75% of an amount determined by a benchmark may be applied instead. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country. This base is not a family duty station.
- Membership in a Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approximately 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
- Airfare every 6 months and visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and business expenses are fully covered).
- Contribution to baggage transport: 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 of the country of assignment. Leave for family or compassionate reasons, if applicable.
- Pre-departure initiation – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives headquarters in Geneva + one week of pre-departure training at ACTED headquarters in Paris, including a 4-day on-site security training.
- Enrollment in the IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months of contract start.
- IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among other things, up to €1,000 per year in psychosocial counseling costs.
