IMPACT U-LEARN Research Manager in Uganda
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 organization 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 U-LEARN Research Manager to support our U-LEARN Consortium team in Uganda.
Department: IMPACT
Contract duration: One year
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Starting Date: February 2020
POSITION PROFILE
IMPACT, as part of the “U-LEARN” consortium led by Save the Children International’s Response Innovation Lab (RIL) and in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (UK), will implement a three year cross-sectoral field-driven learning programme for the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development’s Building Resilience and an Effective Emergency Refugee Response (BRAER) business case. U-LEARN will focus on improving quality, accountability and innovation in the Uganda refugee response through the delivery of an integrated programme to enable continuous improvements to the response in Uganda whilst ensuring better accountability to refugee and host communities. The consortium will optimize existing financial resources, systems for Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and knowledge assets to enhance learning with each partner responsible for the implementation of one component. Consortium partners will develop synergies amongst the findings and make results appropriately and easily accessible to various audiences through a Learning Hub, established as a key output of the programme.
IMPACT will provide oversight of aid delivery by DFID’s partners and mitigate risk through systematic and regular visits to DFID-funded project sites to independently verify (IV) the approach taken by partners in a mixed-methods and multi-pronged approach, centered on risk-reduction and clear Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP). IMPACT’s activities will seek to capture detailed information about aid delivery and experience of beneficiaries in close coordination with IRC. These experiences will be conveyed to both DFID and their partners, and other actors in the broader humanitarian response as necessary and will directly inform the AAP and learning components of U-LEARN. IMPACT will take a flexible approach to IV to allow for real time adaptations, and to ensure activities are useful and relevant. All activities will be tailored to provide quantitative and qualitative information across refugee settlements where BRAER partners operate.
IMPACT’s IV approach will include, but will not be limited to:
- Desk reviews of DFID M&E documents and partnership frameworks, such as results frameworks, past project reports, relevant tools for documenting and monitoring project activities, to understand BRAER partners and their activities.
- Household (HH) surveys and assessments through observations, interviews and focus group discussions.
- Key informant interviews (KIIs) with community and village heads, local councils, settlement and district authorities, teachers etc.
- Regular visits and on-site monitoring with visual documentation of implementation sites, such as warehouses, stores, health centers, among others to verify quality and results.
- Inclusion of women and children as well as persons with disabilities in assessments and surveys
- Triangulation of monitoring findings with partner data and through joint analysis workshops to ensure inclusion and comparison.
FUNCTIONS
Under the functional supervision of the IMPACT Country Focal Point in Uganda and of IMPACT’s HQ in Geneva, the U-LEARN Research Manager is responsible for the management of all U-LEARN independent verification research cycles, including implementation, partnership framework, dissemination and evaluation. He/she directly supervises junior assessment and field staff and plays a key role in the development and implementation of IMPACT strategy in Uganda.
The position will be based in Kampala, with 30% travel to the refugee settlements. In close coordination with the IMPACT Country Focal Point, the Research Manager is responsible for:
1. Management of all Research Cycles
1.1 Assessment Preparation and Planning:
- Ensuring that all of the consortium’s Independent Verification activities are planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
- Provide technical support to the assessment team on research design, sampling, methodology and analysis plans
- Review and validate Independent Verification ToRs and ensure they are used by assessment staff and stakeholders, and updated as required; Review and validate in close coordination with Consortium Coordination, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
- Direct line management of IMPACT assessment officers on requirements of research cycle/ monitoring activities;
- Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessment throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
- Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning.
1.2 Data collection and management
- Monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
- Ensure that the Consortium Committee, IMPACT Country Focal Point and IMPACT HQ are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology in line with the agreed TORs; ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation;
- Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security (for IMPACT staff only) and HR processes directly related to data collection activities have been appropriately implemented and coordinated with the relevant ACTED departments;
- Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to the Consortium Committee, IMPACT, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process.
1.3 Product drafting
- Manage assessment staff toward timely and accurate assessment outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, flash reports, etc.), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
- Review and validate all products before they are sent to IMPACT CFP and IMPACT HQ for validation.
1.4 Product dissemination and evaluation
- Under the direction of the IMPACT Country Focal Point and in close coordination with the U-Learn Consortium, engage in the dissemination of monitoring products, targeted e-mails, presentations, meetings, etc, with DfID and their partners as appropriate, and in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;
- Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented throughout the life of the research cycles.
2. Grants Management and Reporting
- Liaise with Consortium finance and reporting units, with oversight from the IMPACT CFP and HQ for timely and accurate submission of reporting documents to DFID
- Support the IMPACT Country Focal Point and ACTED support team in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports;
- Maintain an oversight, in close coordination with the IMPACT Country Focal Point and the Consortium Finance Manager, of budget availability and burn-rates for all data collection activities
3. External Relations
- In coordination with the Consortium Committee, meet with DFIDs BRAER implementing partners to ensure they are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: the preparation of the assessment; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt; ensure that partner engagement is documented;
- In coordination with the Consortium Committee, present research findings to DfiD and partners to enhance their use and impact;
- Ensure that external communications with partners and key stakeholders, including DfID and its partners, is conducted and documented as appropriate;
REQUIREMENTS
- Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
- At least 4 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian, development or related settings such as research, evaluation, assessments and programmes;
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation;
- Ability to implement large-scale assessments, both qualitative and quantitative.
- Experience managing budgets exceeding GBP 1 million;
- Experience coordinating interagency assessments or monitoring activities;
- Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
- Excellent team management skills;
- Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
- Past experience in the region is desirable;
- Fluency in English required;
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills required;
- Ability to operate Microsoft Word and Project Management Software;
- Ability to operate SPSS, Python, R, or related statistical programming required
- Ability to work independently and manage people remotely.
CONDITIONS
- Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
- Additional monthly living allowance provided in country by IMPACT’s partner ACTED
- Food and lodging provided at the organisation’s 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