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 an Associate Research Manager to support our team in Ukraine

Position: Associate Research Manager

Contract duration: 6 months

Starting Date: 1 April 2026

Location: Kyiv

Please note that this is a link for internal applicants only and applications of external candidates will be automatically rejected.

COUNTRY PROFILE

IMPACT has been active in Ukraine since 2015, working primarily in government controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Following the full-scale invasion in February 2022, IMPACT significantly scaled-up its activities, operating across the whole country to support evidence-based planning and prioritization. IMPACT Ukraine’s research portfolios are structured across four strategic objectives:

Providing timely and relevant data and analysis to inform decision-making in response to new and evolving information needs.

Ensuring systematic and independent tracking of humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities to inform effective prioritization, accountability to affected populations, and coordination.

Making information and analysis available to support sustainable and community-focused planning, policy, and programming in response to longer-term challenges associated with the conflict.

Strengthening the capacity of civil society and authorities to use data to collaborate and respond sustainably to current and future needs.

IMPACT provides operational data and analysis to support the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid in areas close to the frontline and informs countrywide humanitarian prioritization. In addition, we work closely with partners and coordinating bodies to support stabilization, early recovery, and community-planning initiatives that offer longer-term solutions to mitigate the effects of the war on individuals and communities.

As part of this mandate, IMPACT’s Humanitarian Needs Monitoring Unit (HNMU) leads core monitoring and assessment activities in Ukraine. The Monitoring and Rapid Analysis Team forms a key sub-team within HNMU. It integrates regular humanitarian situation monitoring with rapid, issue-based and frontline-focused assessments, enabling continuous tracking of trends while retaining the flexibility to respond to emerging information needs, shocks and access constraints. The team works closely with humanitarian coordination structures, operational partners and local organisations to ensure analysis is timely, relevant and directly usable for decision-making.

POSITION PROFILE

IMPACT seeks an experienced Associate Research Manager (ARM) with strong team management and analytical leadership skills to oversee the Monitoring and Rapid Analysis Team. Under the supervision of the HNMU Research Manager (RM), the ARM will:

Provide direct line management to a multidisciplinary team, including Senior Assessment Officers, Assessment Officers, and Data/GIS staff working across HSM and frontline assessment workstreams.Lead the integration of humanitarian situation monitoring and frontline assessments into a coherent analytical portfolio, ensuring methodological consistency, complementarity, and strategic use.Oversee multiple concurrent research cycles, from design to dissemination, in fast-changing and access-constrained environments.Serve as a key interface between IMPACT analysis and operational and coordination stakeholders, ensuring findings inform decision-making.Manage and strengthen partnerships with local organisations involved in data collection, contextual analysis and field implementation.Contribute to the strategic development of IMPACT’s broader analytical approach in Ukraine.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

Shape how humanitarian monitoring and rapid analysis are combined and operationalised in a complex humanitarian context.Lead and mentor diverse teams working at the intersection of monitoring, analysis and operations.Build and manage meaningful partnerships with local civil society organisations.Engage directly with humanitarian coordination mechanisms and senior operational actors.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Associate Research Manager’s responsibilities include:

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Provide clear strategic and technical direction to MRAT staff, in line with HNMU and country-level strategies;Manage recruitment, onboarding, performance appraisals and professional development of team members;Oversee day-to-day team operations, including work planning, prioritisation and workload management across monitoring and rapid assessment streams;Foster a collaborative, supportive and high-performing team culture in a demanding operational environment.

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH CYCLES

ASSESSMENT PREPARATION AND PLANNING

Ensure research activities align with priority information needs identified by coordination bodies and operational partners;Guide the design of integrated research cycles combining regular monitoring outputs with rapid, issue-based or frontline assessments.Review and validate assessment ToRs, methodologies and tools in coordination with HQ and technical specialists;Ensure appropriate integration of qualitative methods, secondary data and geospatial analysis.

DATA COLLECTION

Oversee data collection modalities implemented through IMPACT staff and partner organisations, ensuring quality, ethical compliance and feasibility;Monitor progress, risks and constraints during data collection and adapt approaches as required;Coordinate with support teams (FLATS, Data, GIS) on logistics, HR, finance and administrative processes.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Oversee the drafting of analytical outputs, ensuring clarity, accuracy and compliance with IMPACT quality standards;Ensure outputs clearly articulate implications for operations, coordination and prioritisation;Liaise with IMPACT HQ for validation of research products as required.

DISSEMINATION AND LEARNING

Lead dissemination of findings through briefings, presentations, coordination meetings and bilateral exchanges;Ensure systematic documentation of lessons learned and contribute to continuous improvement of MRAT methodologies and workflows.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS

Represent IMPACT/REACH in relevant coordination fora, technical working groups and bilateral meetings related to monitoring and rapid analysis;Engage operational partners to ensure MRAT analysis responds to decision-making needs related to access, targeting, contingency planning and response design;Manage and develop partnerships with local organisations, including contractual oversight, capacity support and quality assurance;Promote partner involvement across the research cycle, from design to dissemination, to ensure contextual grounding and ownership.

CROSS-CUTTING FUNCTIONS

Ensure strong information management practices and compliance with IMPACT standards across MRAT activities;Act as a liaison with other IMPACT units to ensure coherence, avoid duplication and promote analytical complementarity;Contribute to proposal development, donor reporting and strategic planning related to monitoring and rapid analysis;Support innovation and methodological adaptation in response to evolving operational and security conditions.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

Ensure research activities are conducted in a respectful, ethical and consultative manner;Promote transparency with respondents and partners regarding objectives, methodologies and use of data.

DATA PROTECTION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Maintain strict confidentiality of all data collected and related processes;Actively prevent unauthorised sharing of information belonging to IMPACT, its partners or affected communities.

REQUIREMENTS

At least 5 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;Proven experience in team management in complex operational environments.Thematic experience Prior experience with humanitarian monitoring, rapid or frontline assessments, or applied research in conflict-affected settings is an asset.Communication/reporting skills Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with proven ability to draft concise analytical reports, briefs and presentations for diverse audiences.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 Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required, with familiarity with Kobo and experience in qualitative analysis tools or GIS considered an asset.Security environment Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in complex, high risk and rapidly changing security environments under time pressure.Experience in geographical region Previous professional experience in Ukraine or comparable high intensity conflict contexts is strongly desirable.Language skills Fluency in English is required, with working knowledge of Ukrainian an asset.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

For this position, salary between 3’180 CHF and 3’240 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 3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance)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’ 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.