Senior Assessment Officer for Syria (Internal Applicants Only)

  • Vernier, 1219

  • CDD

  • 02/06/2025- 01/06/2026

  • 2580CHF- 2640CHF

Description

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

 

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 with headquarters based in Paris and presence in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its fields of intervention.

 

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer to support our team in Syria

 

Position:                      Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration:                                      12 months

Starting Date:                1 June 2025

Location:                       Syria (base TBC)

 

COUNTRY PROFILE

 

After more than a decade of conflict, as of December 2024, Syria is entering a new phase. While conditions in Syria remain volatile, marked by ongoing tensions/conflict in parts of the country, fluctuations in markets conditions, there is increasing focus on efforts to improve the resilience of local populations, rebuild the economy and strengthen provision of basic services. Attention is equally on enabling safe and dignified returns to areas of origin and investigating solutions to ongoing drought. Evidence-based planning and programming remains paramount to ensure transition between humanitarian efforts and recovery response, with a view to ensuring that the most vulnerable are including in planning, nobody is left behind and that solutions are tailored to different realities across the country. In response to this, REACH has developed a growing portfolio of area-based assessments focused on localized planning, and has since grown significantly as an information management actor in this space.

 

POSITION PROFILE

Under the line management of the Early Recovery Research Manager, the Area-bases Assessments (ABA) Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of IMPACT’s ABA research cycles in Syria, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination, and evaluation stages. Throughout the ABA, the MSNA Senior Assessment Officer engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. They also ensure an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation.

 

This position requires strong research skills, prior experience in hardship location, an analytical mind, creativity, independence, and an interest in the regional context. 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.

Mission

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Assessment Officer’s responsibilities include:

 

RESEARCH CYCLE MANAGEMENT

  • Understanding key research cycles and how this research contributes to strategic response objectives.

  • Managing relevant research cycle, including oversight of research design, data collection, or analysis.

 

PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT

  • Supporting the development of the Early Recover unit and area-based research projects, while increasing REACH’s profile within early recovery discussions.

 

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING

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

  • Providing day-to-day direct and indirect management of the research team within their unit/workstream.

 

CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING

  • Keeping up to date with the shifting Syria context.

 

RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Overseeing development and implementation of analytical workstreams, including use of existing REACH data in thematic briefs, reports, presentations, etc.

  • Leading the research cycle including research design, tool development, and data collection.

COORDINATION

Internal Coordination

  • Interacting autonomously with HQ departments and may serve as mission focal point for particular themes or technical areas;

  • Coordinating 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

  • Leading on external engagement related to analytical research findings as necessary.

 

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 his/her assignment with IMPACT.

Profil

REQUIREMENTS

  • Years of work experience 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, such as assessments, monitoring and evaluation, research design and analysis, etc.;

  • Research skills Excellent quantitative and qualitative research data analysis experience required;

  • Familiarity with aid system Good understanding of the aid system and the research community. Prior experience with humanitarian coordination forums preferred;

  • Thematic experience Prior experience with ABAs is an asset;

  • Communication/reporting skills Excellent verbal and written communication and drafting skills for effective reporting required;

  • Academic qualifications Excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g. international studies, development, humanitarian response, data science, political science, etc.);

  • 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 an asset

  • Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.

  • Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region is desirable;

  • Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic is an asset.

 

CONDITIONS

  • For this position, salary between 2’580 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).

  • 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.

  • 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.