Research Manager based in Juba, South Sudan Full Time

We are currently looking for a REACH Research Manager to lead our Resilience and Accountability (R&A) unit in South Sudan.

Supervisor: REACH Deputy Country Coordinator

Title:REACH Research Manager

Location: Juba**,** South Sudan

Contract duration: 12 months

Start date: March 2025

Deadline to apply: 29/01/2025

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s purpose is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts, supporting and working within the framework of the humanitarian reform process. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: (a) need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams; (b) situation analysis using satellite imagery; (c) provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.

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 whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows particularly IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

COUNTRY PROFILE

IMPACT, through REACH, has been implementing programming in South Sudan since 2012 supporting humanitarian decision-making with assessments and information management activities focusing on the needs of displaced, returnees, and conflict-affected populations. Today, data collected and disseminated by REACH aims to provide a baseline for ongoing response planning efforts across South Sudan as well as highlight areas of highest need and concern as crises emerge. Broadly, REACH South Sudan implements assessments across three core pillars:

• Providing data to prioritise emergency assistance to areas at risk of excess mortality through quarterly assessments covering over 2,000 settlements in South Sudan; the development of a robust real-time monitoring of needs severity across the country as well as the mobilisation of REACH rapid need assessment team to quickly assess needs after specific shocks.
• Contributing to a detailed understanding of public health challenges to support key actors in responding to emergency situations and structural problems through rapid PH assessments, nutrition surveys, in-depth food security analysis, and active joint analysis such as the IPC.
• Mainstreaming Accountability to Affected Populations, Resilience, and Climate Change dynamics, including through standalone assessments on community priorities relating to humanitarian needs and perceptions of assistance, contextual analysis of the impact of climate change on community needs, and leading in-depth assessments on cross-cutting topics such as local governance or protection.

PROJECTS – Resilience and Accountability unit (R&A)

The Resilience and Accountability (R&A) unit undertakes critical research on resilience (spanning communities, climate, and economic systems) and accountability, focusing on humanitarian efforts and affected populations, to inform and enhance humanitarian action in South Sudan. The unit encompasses Cash and Markets, Area-Based Assessments (ABAs), Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), Climate, Third-Party Monitoring (TPM), and needs assessments workstreams, along with other regular ad hoc assessments. It collaborates externally with technical and research agencies and actively participates in key analysis and working groups and clusters to identify information gaps and support evidence-based decision-making by humanitarian stakeholders across the response. The main workstreams in the unit include:

Cash and Markets: This workstream leads the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) in collaboration with the South Sudan Cash Working Group (CWG), which informs cash programming of agencies across the country. The JMMI consists of monthly datasets and factsheets on market functionality across South Sudan. The Joint Market Monitoring Initiative is designed to provide humanitarian actors with relevant, up-to-date price information to inform programming directly. Indicators include prices and non-price indicators not covered by other actors, such as item availability, supply chains, road conditions, restocking times, and border openings.

The workstream also includes cash feasibility assessments that inform decision-making around the viability of cash programming in specific locations and contexts. These assessments examine access barriers to markets, including protection risks and perceptions of risk, from the perspectives of vulnerable communities, traders, and other key stakeholders, such as NGO partners and community leaders. This approach aims to capture diverse viewpoints, identify opportunities, and ensure a ground-up, community-centred methodology to cash and voucher assistance (CVA).

Accountability to affected populations (AAP): This workstream supports and advocates for enhanced Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) considerations within humanitarian aid delivery in South Sudan by providing analysis of communities’ self-prioritised needs. AAP-focused assessments align with strategic priorities of the response or address critical information gaps by capturing community perceptions. They explore affected communities’ priorities and views on humanitarian assistance, providing insights to support community-centred decision-making within the response.

Area Based Assessments (ABAs): These assessments provide the necessary evidence base to support area/settlement-based approach which emphasize localized and people-centred humanitarian assistance. ABAs provide key understanding of targeted territory needs through the analysis of local communities’ governance structures; social, cultural and environmental context; functionality, availability and capacity gaps of basic services and natural resources and the subsequent needs of the population. ABAs provides a detailed understanding of the complexities of specific areas and the needs of different communities.

Climate: This workstream centres on climate analysis and county-level profiling, emphasizing the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. It leverages remote sensing data to assess climate change effects and includes a dedicated focus on natural hazard exposure. These analyses aim to identify vulnerabilities to climate change at the county level, enabling aid organizations to prioritize assistance based on robust risk assessments and existing response capacities. Additionally, it provides local actors with critical information on risks and resilience priorities to enhance their preparedness and response efforts.

Third Party Monitoring (TPM)/PANDA and Ad hoc: This workstream focuses monitoring and evaluation of programs aiming to inform program implementing partners in line with IMPACT’s PANDA aim of improving the impact of humanitarian and development interventions through programme design, assessments, and monitoring & evaluation. Additionally, the workstream conducts ad hoc thematic assessments based on partner requests to address specific needs and priorities.

The R&A Research Manager (RM) also oversees the Real Time Monitoring of these workstreams as well as regularly engaging with both internal and external assessment teams, technical agencies, and key analysis forums to identify information gaps, conduct ad hoc thematic assessments, and provide technical support as needed. To ensure data is directly informing humanitarian response planning, data is shared through formal coordination structures, such as United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), South Sudan Cash Working Group (CWG), AAP working group, relevant clusters, with feedback from partners used to triangulate and validate research findings and to inform research design and geographical targeting.

POSITION PROFILE

IMPACT is seeking an experienced candidate, who has previously managed various teams and implemented projects in a complex humanitarian setting. The candidate should be comfortable representing IMPACT with donors and be able to coordinate and liaise with a range of senior external partners. The Research Manager (RM) will be responsible for overseeing the development and strategy of the R&A unit, under the supervision of the IMPACT Country Coordinator, Deputy Country Coordinator – Programs, and IMPACT HQ in Geneva. The position is based in Juba, Central Equatoria, South Sudan, with travel to other areas of the country.

The overall goal of the RM will be to ensure the smooth running of activities, and he/she will be responsible for the implementation and completion of the various work streams within the unit. This will include line-management of 1 Senior Assessment Officer (who in turn line-manage 1 Assessment Officer and Database officer), as well as oversight of a further 3 Assessment Officers, oversight of project implementation, operational understanding to support the Operations Support Manager in terms of logistics, administration, HR, logistics, partner coordination, reporting, grants management, and providing input to the strategic development of REACH in South Sudan.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Direct management of international and national assessment team members, including recruitment, appraisals, and capacity building;
• Day-to-day management of R&A team, including the development of work plans and performance indicators, and development and implementation of capacity training plans to improve efficiency and performance;
• Conduct regular check-ins with staff within the unit, and promote team building, productivity and staff welfare as the main pastoral focal point for R&A staff;
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping;
• Take on additional work streams and management responsibilities as well as advise in strategic mission decision-making as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) as required, in coordination with the other research managers.

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH CYCLES

Assessment preparation and planning

• Ensure that all assessments are planned in-line with relevant project and programme objectives and with REACH research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Ensure that all Assessment Officers are comprehensively briefed on objectives and expected outputs of research cycles, and that the overall implementation strategy of any given activity is clearly understood;
• Ensure that required secondary data analysis has been conducted in preparation for an assessment;
• For each research cycle, review ToRs before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before data collection begins;
• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning, data collection, and management.

Data collection

• Monitor data collection, ensuring correct implementation in line with agreed ToRs;
• Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle;
• Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant REACH, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;
• Work closely with the Operations Support Manager to ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to REACH are appropriately implemented, alongside the relevant ACTED departments

Product drafting

• Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;
• Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate assessment outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.) which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
• Review all R&A unit products before they are sent to IMPACT HQ for validation and ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.

Product dissemination and evaluation

• Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;
• Under the direction of the Deputy Country Coordinator, engage in the dissemination of research products, including through articles, IMPACT social media contents, targeted e-mails, coordination body presentations, and bilateral meetings, in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;
• Support the Deputy Country Coordinator to conduct monitoring and evaluation as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Lead on identifying information gaps in line with humanitarian priorities, and identify advocacy and dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of our work;
• Lead on formalising synergies with other assessment and knowledge management actors, as well as strategic partnerships with key humanitarian stakeholders and decision makers;
• As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to the development and implementation of the REACH South Sudan country strategy

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• Represent REACH/IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country, and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings;
• In coordination with the Country Coordinator and Deputy Country Coordinator, present research findings to relevant partners, to enhance their use and impact;
• In coordination with the Country Coordinator and Deputy Country Coordinator, ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: the preparation of the assessment; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
• Ensure that external communications with partners and key stakeholders, including UN agencies, local and national government, and NGOs has been conducted and documented as appropriate
• Support the IMPACT Country Coordinator in external engagement on REACH/IMPACT strategy or (when requested and with focal point) for fundraising and grants management.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The RM is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with South Sudanese communities are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

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

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree, if relevant;
• 3-5 years of relevant work experience in a humanitarian setting, such as research management, program management, evaluation and assessments;
• Previous experience managing large and complex teams in a humanitarian setting required, ideally with experience in a senior management role in an INGO team;
• Excellent management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including an ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through multi-tasking and prioritisation;
• Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;
• Excellent internal and external communication and drafting skills required for effective report writing;
• Excellent analytical skills required, and an ability to situate findings within a wider context;
• Fluency in English required;
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel required;
• Experience in research cycle (design, data collection, analysis and reporting) implementation required.
  • Experience with quantitative research, including mobile data collection (ODK, ONA, KOBO) required;
  • Experience with qualitative research, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews required,
• Knowledge of the Adobe Suite software, particularly Illustrator and InDesign an asset;
• Prior knowledge of the South Sudan context an asset;
• Experience working and living in challenging environments, especially South Sudan, for extended periods of time an asset;
• Willingness to relocate to South Sudan and living in the organisation’s guesthouse.

CONDITIONS

• For this position, salary between 3,300 and 3,480 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 a guesthouse.
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
• This base is not a family duty station.
• 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) if duty station allows*.*
• Contribution to the luggage transportation: 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;
• Enrolment in IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months from the start of contract.
• 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.