Senior Assessment Officer for Sudan – Cash & Markets, based in Kampala or Nairobi Full Time

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer to support our Sudan country team, currently based in Kampala, Uganda

Position: Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 6 months

Starting Date: 1 October 2025

Location: Kampala, Uganda or Nairobi, Kenya.

COUNTRY PROFILE

Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 and spread quickly across the country. Civilians have fled areas affected by fighting in large numbers, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. Prices of food, fuel and other basic goods have skyrocketed skyrocketing, making critical goods unaffordable for many people. Half of Sudan’s population are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the country is on the verge of a catastrophic hunger crisis. Humanitarian organizations are racing to respond to the most pressing needs wherever and whenever feasible, with access issues complicating the ability of actors to respond. In this fast-evolving context, IMPACT Initiatives is working to inform the emergency response to enable effective prioritization with scarce resources.

POSITION PROFILE

Under the line management of the HPPU Research Manager, the Assessment Officer will take responsibility for a new workstream on Cash and Markets focused on supporting programmatic activities to strengthen markets in the Darfurs via market and supply chain assessments. This involves liaising with partner organisations who carry out data collection, supporting data cleaning, analysing findings, and crafting outputs such as factsheets and written reports that interpret these findings for partners.

This position requires strong research skills, a willingness to work in a team, an analytical mind, creativity, and independence. Knowledge of the national or regional context in Sudan, as well as fluency in Arabic are considered a strong asset. Candidates should have strong writing and presentation skills and be able to clearly think through and articulate implications of research findings. The position will regularly require looking at data, pulling out relevant findings, writing engaging briefs and factsheets, presenting findings to external audiences with varying amounts of data literacy, and guiding colleagues in how to think more analytically about their own research.

BACKGROUND ON CASH AND MARKET ASSESSMENTS

In recent decades, humanitarian action has moved towards giving aid in the form of cash or voucher assistance (CVA) issued directly to beneficiaries. This gives beneficiaries a choice in how to spend aid money, and it also supports livelihoods, markets, and supply chains within impacted localities. Effective CVA must be backed by informed research on price levels, the availability of goods, and the resilience of supply chains across different localities. More widely, Cash and Markets-based research can inform other humanitarian and developmental interventions, such as market strengthening initiatives in the form of business grants, infrastructure projects, and supply-chain strengthening.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assessment Officer’s responsibilities include:

RESEARCH CYCLE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure research methodology and tools reflect market functionality, supply chain dynamics in Sudan, and align with partner capacities
• Managing relevant research cycles end-to-end, including oversight of research design, data collection, or analysis.
• Manage timelines and deliverables aligning outputs with partners programmatic objectives

CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING

• Develop an understanding of supply routes, cross-border flows and markets in the Sudan context
• Ensure dynamics of cash and markets in conflict settings are well reflected

RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Oversee the development, contextualization and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data.
• Support field teams in implementing data collection
• Produce high quality research outputs in English.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING

• Promote capacity building across the IMPACT Sudan mission related to deepening analytical capacities using existing research (capacity building portfolio will depend on level of experience).

COORDINATION

INTERNAL COORDINATION

• Interact autonomously with HQ departments and possibly serving as a mission focal point for particular themes or technical areas;
• Coordinate with research units and teams to move forward or improve aspects of the research cycle;
• Supporting senior management with designing, planning, and implementing strategies, and objectives.
• External Coordination
• Continuous engagement with the partners adhering to the timelines and consultative process for the research cycle

The Senior Assessment Officer 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 their assignment with IMPACT.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic qualifications Excellent academic qualifications are required. A master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g. international studies, development, humanitarian response, data science, political science, etc.) is an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 2-3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting or equivalent, which could include assessments, monitoring and evaluation, research design and analysis.
• Research skills Excellent quantitative and qualitative research data analysis experience is required.
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent verbal and written communication and drafting skills in English for effective reporting are required.
• 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 is an asset
• Familiarity with aid system Good understanding of the aid system and the research community. Prior experience with humanitarian coordination forums is an asset.
• Thematic experience Prior experience with Cash and Markets is an asset.
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region is desirable; knowledge of the national context in Sudan would be a significant asset.
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic is a significant asset.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 2’520 CHF and 2’640 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).
• 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;
• 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.