REACH Research Manager for Yemen At IMPACT Initiatives

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 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. 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 and GIS. 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, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a REACH Research Manager to support our Yemen Team.

Department: REACH Yemen

Supervisor: REACH Country Coordinator

Position: REACH Research Manager

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Amman, Jordan

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is one of the most severe in the world, with 14.3 million people – or 40% of the population – in acute need of humanitarian assistance. The direct effects of the conflict – from airstrikes, to sieges of population centers, to the extensive use of mines – continue to have severe effects on the population. Other aspects of the conflict – especially blockades, the deterioration of basic service infrastructure, and the depreciation of the Yemeni riyal – also have enormous impact on Yemenis. Approximately 9.9 million people in Yemen are facing severe acute food insecurity, not necessarily because food is unavailable, but because they cannot afford to purchase it. Since 2016, Yemen has witnessed up to 1.3 million suspected cases of cholera, with outbreaks exacerbated by crumbling WASH infrastructure. The loss of livelihoods, when combined with the depreciation and general volatility of the Yemeni currency, has made the purchase of basic everyday necessities difficult for most Yemenis.

REACH has supported the humanitarian response to the Yemen crisis since October 2016, working extensively with the Shelter/NFI Cluster, the CCCM Cluster, the WASH Cluster, the Cash and Markets Working Group (CMWG), and the Assessment and Monitoring Working Group (AMWG). The REACH team – based remotely in Amman – provides systemic assessment and IM support to the response through indicator review, tool design, coordination of data collection exercises, data analysis, output production, and IM platform design. Given the challenging context in Yemen, REACH is constantly working to find new and innovative ways to effectively inform the humanitarian response.

SUMMARY:

REACH Yemen is currently recruiting for a Research Manager (RM) to, under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator, oversee the programme management of all REACH Yemen country projects. The role will involve oversight of all REACH Yemen research cycles (projects), line management of and project management support to all focal points of REACH Yemen’s research unit, human resource management, external engagement, and contributions to strategy development through contextual understanding of the Yemen Crisis, response coordination structure, and identification of information management gaps within the humanitarian response. The position will be based in Amman, Jordan.

FUNCTIONS

1) Oversight of all REACH Yemen Research Cycles and Team and Human Resource Management:

Line management of all focal points of REACH Yemen’s research unit. Ensure that focal points are provided with programme management training, support, and resources required to effectively and independently manage their respective research cycles. This includes:

o Regular follow ups and check-ins to project plan and identify and challenges or bottlenecks;

o Supporting in building and maintaining critical external relationships with partners in Yemen;

o Supporting focal points in developing strong and healthy teams and maintaining staff welfare where relevant;

Oversee that research cycles, including associated outputs and documentation, are developed and submitted in a timely manner to IMPACT’s quality standards, and disseminated to relevant stakeholders in line with the REACH Yemen strategy and the information needs of partners and other humanitarian actors.
In collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator, identify needs for staff recruitment. This includes the drafting of TORs, liaison with HR at IMPACT HQ, conducting interviews (or supporting focal points to conduct effective interviews) to identify strong and relevantly experienced candidates.
Together with Country Coordinator, ensure that appraisals, contract renewals, and recruitments are done in a timely manner to minimize gaps in the team.
Through regular check-ins with focal points, identify skills and interests within the team to ensure skills gaps are filled and staff feel fulfilled in their work.
Review and edit REACH Yemen information products to ensure that products are of a high quality, are user- friendly, and effectively inform their target audience before being sent to IMPACT HQ for validation.
Alongside the REACH Country Coordinator, contribute to mission strategic development and direction, and ensure that all team members and partners in Yemen are kept up to date on activities, plans, and achievements.
Together with the REACH Country Coordinator, ensure a positive working environment, taking active steps to ensure staff welfare. This will include building strong professional relationships with staff, having a good visibility

of issues in the team through regular check ins, and maintaining a supportive, approachable and professional presence in the office.

2) Support in the Development and Implementation of the REACH Yemen Country Strategy:

Closely follow the social, economic, and political situation in Yemen as well as humanitarian coordination developments and key issues within the Yemen humanitarian response.
Together with the Country Coordinator, regularly review REACH research products for relevance, user friendliness, effectiveness, timeliness, and to ensure that they sufficiently inform the target audience.
Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator, contribute to strategy development and implementation across the research unit through conversations with external actors, context monitoring, and catch ups with relevant focal points and partners in Yemen.
Ensure that focal points are able to situate their projects within the wider Yemen context and support them in the strategic development of their individual research cycles.

3) Grants Development and Management:

Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator and focal points, contribute to the development of grant proposals.
Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator and focal points, contribute to donor reporting including the tracking of deadlines, delegation, and follow ups both with donors and with focal points.
Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator, contribute to budget strategy through knowledge of staff needs and possible gaps in team capacity.

4) Representation and External Engagement:

Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator, ensure that REACH Yemen maintains its strong relationships and position as a key information actor within the Yemen humanitarian response. This task will require regular and effective engagement with representatives within the Yemen response coordination structure, key partners and other IM and programmatic actors within the humanitarian response.
In collaboration with the REACH Country Coordinator and focal points, identify, develop and maintain partnerships with new relevant actors surrounding the humanitarian response – including partners, donors, representatives of think tanks, academics and other organisations.
Support the REACH Country Coordinator in REACH Yemen outreach and advocacy work by raising awareness of key findings from REACH research projects and situating these findings within the wider humanitarian response to the Yemen crisis.
Ensure that key findings are heard and used to inform the humanitarian response strategies and implementation, and that the response is based upon reliable information.
Represent REACH Yemen and present findings at relevant platforms/meetings.

REQUIREMENTS:

Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in a relevant discipline required;
At least 3 years of relevant working experience or proven progression within IMPACT.
Excellent team management, coordination, organisational, and planning skills required, including ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines through an excellent ability to multi-task;
Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;
Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;
Excellent communication with writing skills required for effective documentation required;
Understanding the process involved in conducting humanitarian assessments required;
Excellent analytical skills required;
Ability to work independently and manage people required;
Demonstrable ability to work under pressure and meeting competing deadlines required;
Solution orientated, flexible, and open minded including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required;
Good understanding of or experience in working within the Yemen Crisis is desirable;
Fluency in English required, fluency in Arabic desirable;

CONDITIONS:

Salary defined by IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security and performance are considered for pay bonus;
Additional monthly living allowance;
Free lodging provided at the organisations guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment);
Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance;
Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package.