Research Manager for Senegal based in Dakar ( Link for Internal Applicants Only)
CDD
01/03/2026- 30/06/2026
3060CHF- 3120CHF
Description
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.
We are currently looking for a Research Manager to join our team in Dakar, Senegal.
Position: Research Manager
Location: Dakar, Senegal (with trips, especially to Mauretania)
Contract duration: 4 Months (extended if grant is renewed)
Start date: 1st March 2026
Deadline to apply: 20th February 2026
Please note that this is a link for internal applicants only and applications of external candidates will be automatically rejected.
COUNTRY PROFILE
IMPACT Initiatives established its presence in Senegal in 2024 to strengthen support to country teams across West and Central Africa (WCA) and to progressively position Dakar as a regional service hub. The Senegal mission is currently in a phase of gradual expansion, with selected functions progressively decentralising from HQ and increased engagement with regional partners and donors in Dakar to ensure alignment with evolving information needs.
From Dakar, the mission provides a growing range of operational and technical support services, including project development and partnerships, finance, communications and advocacy support, and research assistance. Starting in Q1 2026, the office will also deliver research backstopping and validation services for country teams across the region. Several assessment staff are already based in Dakar while supporting research cycles in multiple countries, enabling greater flexibility and cost-efficiency.
In the coming months, IMPACT plans to open a mission in Mauritania through an Information Management (IM) / Area-Based Assessments (ABA) research cycle, conduct a remote Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) and Acute Needs Analysis (ANA) in Niger, and potentially carry out a similar MSNA and ANA in Cameroon. To support these initiatives, we are recruiting a roving Research Manager to provide technical oversight and coordination support across these research cycles.
POSITION PROFILE
Under the supervision of the Multi-Country Representative (MCR), the RM will lead the establishment of IMPACT’s mission in Mauritania and progressively provide technical oversight to research cycles in Niger and potentially Cameroon.
In the initial phase, the RM will focus on opening the Mauritania mission, including recruitment and onboarding of the research team, operational set-up in Bassikounou, and structured engagement with humanitarian stakeholders prior to the launch of research activities. The RM will ensure that systems, partnerships, and analytical frameworks are in place to deliver high-quality IM and ABA.
Subsequently, the RM will provide remote technical guidance and quality assurance for the Niger MSNA and ANA, and potentially for a Cameroon MSNA/ANA, ensuring methodological rigor, coherence across contexts, and alignment with global standards.
The role combines mission start-up leadership with cross-country technical oversight, ensuring operational readiness and strong analytical outputs across all research cycles.
Missions
RESPONSIBILITIES
Coordinating the Mauritania Mission Opening
Lead the recruitment, onboarding, and performance management of the initial national research team, in close coordination with the MCR and HQ HR support.
Establish operational systems and workflows in Bassikounou, ensuring administrative, logistical, and research readiness prior to assessment launch.
Initiate and structure engagement with local authorities, humanitarian coordination platforms, UN agencies, and INGOs to position REACH as a credible and complementary information actor.
Calibrate the initial research cycle (IM / ABA) to local humanitarian priorities, ensuring contextual relevance and alignment with identified information gaps.
Conduct broader stakeholder mapping and strategic engagement across Mauritania to identify where and how REACH can add the greatest value-add within the wider humanitarian response.
Supporting the Growth of the Senegal Mission
Support the MCR in strengthening the Dakar-based regional hub, ensuring systems, team structure, and workflows are fit for expansion.
Contribute to regional positioning efforts through the aggregation and synthesis of research outputs across contexts, supporting the MCR in reinforcing REACH’s profile within the regional humanitarian architecture.
Supporting the Niger MSNA
Provide technical guidance during the preparatory phase of the MSNA and ANA, including research design, methodology development, tool validation, sampling, and analytical framework finalisation prior to data collection.
Support coordination with humanitarian partners, including UN agencies and INGOs, to ensure alignment with response information needs and facilitate uptake of findings where required.
Supporting the Cameroon MSNA
Provide technical oversight during the design and preparation phase of the MSNA and ANA, ensuring methodological rigor and coherence with global standards prior to data collection.
Support engagement with response actors, including UN agencies and INGOs, to ensure the relevance, complementarity, and strategic positioning of assessment outputs.
Profil
REQUIREMENTS
Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in relevant discipline required;
At least 3 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian, development or related settings;
Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;
Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;
Understanding of processes involved in conducting assessments required;
Excellent communication and drafting skills required for effective reporting;
Excellent analytical and research skills required;
Ability to work independently required;
Demonstrable ability to work under pressure and meet competing deadlines required;
Solution-oriented, flexible, and open-minded, including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required;
Good understanding of the WCA context - past experience in the region is desirable;
Fluency in French required; Fluency in English desirable
Excellent command of Microsoft Office required;
A sense of curiosity, the drive to improve the humanitarian sector, and ability to see the big picture
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
For this position, salary between 3’060 CHF and 3’120 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 situational 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.
