Senior Research Officer for West & Central Africa, based in Dakar

WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER TO JOIN OUR RESEARCH QUALITY ASSURANCE UNIT IN DAKAR, SENEGAL (IMPACT’S REGIONAL HUB FOR WEST & CENTRAL AFRICA):Division: HQ Programs, Communications and ResearchReporting to: Manager of HQ Research Quality Assurance UnitLocation: Dakar, SenegalDuration: 6 months (with potential for extension)Start date: March/April 2026POSITION OVERVIEWThe Programmes, Communications and Research (PCR) Division at IMPACT HQ was created in 2025, following a restructuring process and subsequent merger of three previous HQ departments: Global Programmes, Research, and Communications & Advocacy. The PCR Division was created to ensure the organisation continues to deliver high-impact, high-quality, research programmes through user-centered design, establishing core standards, supporting country implementation, and amplifying impact through effective communications and advocacy. This is underpinned by robust internal systems for data, GIS and MEAL.Within this set-up, the Research Quality Assurance (RQA) Unit acts as a “guardian” of research quality, ethics, and compliance within IMPACT. This means: Ensuring that all IMPACT teams (global and country) have the knowledge, tools and capacities for the consistent production of rigorous, credible, and responsible evidence across different contexts; and continuously strengthening research methods, tools, processes through a learning-based approach.Through these functions, the RQA Unit will contribute towards achieving Objective 2 - Pioneering Research Excellence - within IMPACT’s Strategic Framework for 2025-2030, and specifically Sub-objective 2.1 focused on Research Quality. To help achieve this, the Senior Research Officer will play a key role in ensuring research implementation is meeting or exceeding IMPACT’s quality standards, providing country teams with technical guidance, peer review support, and learning support on different stages of the research cycles.The Senior Research Officer will be based in Dakar, Senegal - IMPACT’s first regional hub for Western & Central Africa - and will be focusing their support for country operations within this regional portfolio.1 This could involve occasional travel to the countries, to work directly with specific teams, as and when requested.CORE TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES* Support implementation of research standards, especially for IMPACT’s country operations in West & Central Africa; i.e. implement quality control processes and provide technical backstopping and learning support for research implementation, to ensure all teams are complying with established standards, as defined within IMPACT’s Research Toolkit. This includes: * Act as the HQ RQA Unit focal point for the West & Central Africa region and provide day-to-day support and advice to country teams on different stages of research implementation, ensuring proper documentation of all key outputs * Support the transition to more streamlined and decentralised quality assurance processes at the country level, including the development of reviewer tools and training, and any other required capacity strengthening or mentoring support * [In collaboration with Global Programme teams] Provide technical guidance and support for research planning and methodology design, primarily for quantitative research * [In collaboration with Global Programme teams] Provide peer review support for research design, quantitative data processing and analysis, and narrative information products * Flag and discuss relevant risks with Unit Manager in a timely manner * Provide other research implementation support as needed, including temporary in-country deployments (“surge support”) to country teams – this could represent up to 25% of the total working time under this contract. * Strengthen research standards through a learning-based approach i.e. implement internal learning processes to continuously strengthen IMPACT’s research methods, tools and outcomes. This includes: * Support with the development, maintenance of relevant learning solutions (e.g. guidance notes, online courses, quarterly webinars, tailored training sessions) to ensure uptake and application of the Research Toolkit across all teams, primarily within the West and Central African region * [In collaboration with MEAL team] Contribute to the regular review and consolidation of research-related lessons learned and best practices, including in the implementation of regular ‘Quality Monitoring’ exercises to identify, address key gaps vis-à-vis IMPACT’s Research Quality Framework * Identify and integrate required improvements to research processes and guidelines * [On an ad-hoc, by need basis only] Support research implementation in other regions / countries as directed by Unit Manager and based on the team’s workflow and/ or organisational priorities.It is important to note that since this is a first position of its kind at IMPACT, the exact scope of responsibilities and collaboration mechanisms may evolve over time. The selected candidate is therefore expected to demonstrate resilience, flexibility, and adaptability as the structure, workflows, and division of responsibilities between HQ and country teams are refined during this pilot period.REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE* Work experience: At least 3 years of relevant work experience in designing and implementing primary research programmes, preferably in humanitarian or international development contexts * Academic qualifications: Master’s degree or equivalent in relevant discipline (e.g. Social Research, Economics, Data Science, Statistics, Anthropology, International Development, or similar) * Language requirements: Fluency in English and French.REQUIRED TECHNICAL COMPETENCIESIn addition to the seven Core Competencies expected from all IMPACT staff (i.e. Integrity, Learning, Resilience, Interpersonal Skills, Collaboration, Producing Quality Results, Problem Solving), the Senior Research Officer is also required to demonstrate the following technical competencies for this role:* Quantitative Methodology Design i.e. ability to develop clear and appropriate quantitative research methodologies, including indicators, tools, sampling, and analysis strategies * Quantitative Data Processing and Management i.e. ability to clean, process data while ensuring data quality * Responsible Data Management i.e. awareness and application of data privacy and ethical considerations in data collection and analysis * Statistics i.e. ability to apply statistical concepts across the research cycle for rigorous research and analysis. * Programming i.e. ability to use programming languages like Python or R, for data processing, cleaning, analysis, and visualization. * Overseeing Research Quality i.e. ability to ensure all research meets required minimum standardsCOMPENSATIONS & BENEFITSFor this position, salary between 2’460 CHF and 2’520 CHF monthly (before income tax), 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.* 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 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.HOW TO APPLYPlease apply directly on the website via the following link: Senior Research Officer for West & Central Africa, based in Dakar (Link for External Applicants Only)