Research Manager for Senegal, based in Dakar

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACHREACH 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 ManagerLocation: Dakar, Senegal (with trips, especially to Mauretania)Contract duration: 4 Months (extended if grant is renewed)Start date: 1st March 2026Deadline to apply: 20th February 2026.RESPONSIBILITIESCoordinating 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.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 pictureCOMPENSATION 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.HOW TO APPLYPlease apply directly on the website via the following link : Research Manager for Senegal, based in Dakar ( Link for External Applicants)