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 is facing an acute and complex humanitarian crisis. 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 2023 Humanitarian Needs Outlook, 26.4 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 the Ebola virus.
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, through a technical partnership with WFP, the MSNA has acquired a national scope. All products of the REACH 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. The IMPACT DRC mission has thus developed until 2023, requiring a strengthening of the internal coordination and operations management teams.
We are currently looking for an Assistant Country Coordinator to support our IMPACT team in the DRC.
Department : IMPACT – Coordination
Title: Deputy Country Coordinator
Contract duration: 1-2 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 Country Representative in the DRC, the Deputy Country Coordinator is responsible for supporting internal coordination and the development and implementation of the country strategy (being a core member of the Senior Management Team (SMT); as well as strengthening certain internal support and operations processes. In this role, the Deputy Country Coordinator will be exposed to the full range of research cycles of the mission, with a particular focus on the Accountability & Resilience research unit. The ideal candidate will be keen to work in a dynamic organization, with the opportunity to develop skills in internal and external coordination and operations management. Technical support will be provided by the IMPACT Country Representative in the DRC and the IMPACT team (notably the Country Programs and Operations Department (CPOD)) at headquarters in Geneva.
FUNCTIONS
Under the hierarchical supervision of the IMPACT country representative in the DRC, the deputy country coordinator will ensure internal coordination and management of operations as well as supervision of certain research activities, including:
- Coordination & strategy:
- Participate in the development and updating of the DRC mission strategy and its implementation: as a central member of the SMT supporting the country representative, guide the mission’s strategic decisions and define objectives for achieving this strategy; involve the other mission teams in popularizing this strategy;
- Organize internal cross-functional monitoring: Organize internal documents for monitoring strategic objectives for the purpose of monitoring the mission strategy, as well as other regular monitoring such as HR points (monitoring of movements/leaves) or research (research trackers), etc.;
- Engage with current IMPACT DRC donors, particularly donors of the Accountability & Resilience Unit projects; as well as engage with prospective donors on new initiatives;
- Engage externally in advocacy, accountability to affected populations, resilience/Nexus platforms to increase the visibility and impact of IMPACT DRC activities as well as make the mission’s voice heard on advocacy issues.
- Programs & research:
- Hierarchically supervise the research manager of the “accountability and resilience” research unit in the implementation of the unit’s research projects and cycles;
- Develop, if necessary, new research cycles within the accountability & resilience unit;
- Human resources & internal communication:
- Organize the schedule of internal meetings of the IMPACT DRC team: in support with the IMPACT country representative in particular for SMT meetings, and with all IMPACT DRC teams as well as key Acted staff for team meetings on a weekly and/or monthly basis;
- Organize the development of a newsletter for IMPACT RDC: starting from an internal newsletter for IMPACT RDC teams and key Acted staff about the main changes and progress of the mission; this objective could also be extended to an external newsletter in the future for the email list of external partners to be maintained on a monthly basis;
- Develop a harmonized welcome and induction package for all mission staff;
- Support the IMPACT country representative in developing the career progression and capacity building strategy for IMPACT mission staff: by monitoring the performance and career development objectives of key staff, by implementing a skills framework pilot in conjunction with IMPACT headquarters; and by identifying and monitoring the implementation of capacity building and training internally with the various teams and in conjunction with the IMPACT headquarters Learning teams; and external training opportunities;
- Operations & Quality:
- Hierarchically supervise the members of the Operations & Support team in the IMPACT DRC mission: support the organization of an operations team in the mission also including responsibilities for security monitoring and mission support;
- Hierarchically supervise the M&E and communications officer from Q2 2024 and in line with objective 4.3 below;
- Implement and monitor internal monitoring & evaluation activities for the research cycles of the IMPACT DRC mission as well as general M&E objectives for the mission: support the various research units in the implementation of M&E matrices for the respective research cycles and in conjunction with the research and M&E teams at IMPACT headquarters;
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 Deputy Country Coordinator will maintain the highest level of confidentiality of data collected by IMPACT DRC and ensure adherence to global personal data protection processes. He or she will ensure that mechanisms are implemented to prevent unauthorized sharing of information collected during his or her mission in collaboration with the headquarters in Geneva.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES
The Deputy Country Coordinator, 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
- Excellent academic qualifications in the fields of humanitarian project management, development/sustainable development, international relations, research, project management/management, or other relevant subjects;
- At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the humanitarian or development sector, in research or monitoring/evaluation, in project and team management;
- Previous experience in team management, with required coordination, organisation and planning skills, including ability to manage a large workload, supervise teams in other regions;
- Experience working on multi-stakeholder projects, with a high external engagement component;
- Experience in managing evaluations in crisis contexts and field experience in countries affected by crises;
- Perfect command of French, English a strong asset, knowledge of a local language in the DRC, particularly Swahili, will also be an asset;
- Proficiency in statistical analysis and/or qualitative analysis tools such as R, STATA, NVIVO or graphics software such as InDesign will be a strong asset;
- Ability to take ownership of assigned tasks and demonstrate a dynamic team spirit;
- Ability to operate in a multicultural environment;
- Positive attitude and ability to contribute to a positive image and overall credibility of the organization.
REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
- For this position, the salary ranges from CHF 3,000 to CHF 3,240 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 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.
How to apply
Please apply at the following link: IMPACT Deputy Country Coordinator in DRC, based in Goma | Impact (impact-initiatives.org)
