Research Manager

POSITION PROFILE AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

Under the line management of the IMPACT Country Representative, the Research Manager is responsible for overseeing the implementation of research cycles within their unit, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. Throughout research cycles, the Research Manager engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. He/she also ensures an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation.  

In his/her mission, Research Manager will be hosted by IMPACT’s global partner ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, and relevant Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide to ACTED’s Security, Administration, and relevant HR, Logistics and Finance rules and regulations. 

IMPACT is seeking an experienced candidate, who has previously managed various teams and implemented projects in a complex humanitarian setting. Considering IMPACT’s portfolio in Lebanon, the Research Manager should ideally have experience both REACH and PANDA workstreams. The candidate should be comfortable representing IMPACT with donors and be able to coordinate and liaise with a range of senior external partners. The Research Manager (RM) will be responsible for overseeing the development and strategy of their unit, under the supervision of the IMPACT Country Representative and IMPACT HQ in Geneva. The position is based in Beirut. 

The overall goal of the RM will be to ensure the smooth running of activities, and she/he will be responsible for the implementation and completion of the various work streams. This will include line-management of international and national staff in their unit, including assessment, data and GIS staff of the unit.  

More specifically the Research Manager is responsible for the following: 

STAFF MANAGEMENT:  

• Direct management of international and national assessment team members, including recruitment, appraisals, and capacity building;  

• Day-to-day management of the team, including the development of work plans and performance indicators, and development and implementation of capacity training plans to improve efficiency and performance;   

• Conduct regular check-ins with staff within the unit, and promote team building, productivity and staff welfare;  

Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping;   

• Take on additional work streams and management responsibilities as well as advise in strategic mission decision-making as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) as required, in coordination with the other research managers 

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH CYCLES  

Assessment Preparation and Planning  

• Ensure that all Assessment staff are comprehensively briefed on objectives and expected  

outputs of research cycles, and that the overall implementation strategy of any given activity is clearly understood;  

• Ensure that required secondary data analysis has been conducted in preparation for an assessment;  

• For each research cycle, review ToRs before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before data collection begins;  

• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning, data collection, and management.  

Data Collection  

• Monitor data collection, ensuring correct implementation in line with agreed ToRs;   

• Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle;   

• Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant REACH, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;   

• Work closely with the Operations officer and field manager to ensure logistics, financial,  

administration, security and HR processes directly related to REACH are appropriately implemented, alongside the relevant ACTED departments;   

Product drafting, dissemination and evaluation  

• Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;   

• Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate assessment outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.) which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;   

• Review all unit products before they are sent to IMPACT HQ for validation and ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.   

• Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;   

• In consultation with the Country Representative, engage in the dissemination of research products, including through articles, IMPACT social media contents, targeted e-mails, coordination body presentations, and bilateral meetings, in line with IMPACT Dissemination and  

External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;   

• Support the mission coordination to conduct monitoring and evaluation as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines.   

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION  

• Lead on identifying information gaps in line with humanitarian priorities, and identify advocacy and dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of our work;   

• Lead on formalising synergies with other assessment and knowledge management actors, as well as strategic partnerships with key humanitarian stakeholders and decision makers;   

• As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to the development and  

implementation of the REACH Lebanon country strategy; 

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT  

• Represent IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country, and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings;   

• In coordination with the Country Representative and relevant assessment staff, present research findings to relevant partners, to enhance their use and impact;   

• In coordination with the Country Representative, ensure that relevant partners 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 external communications with partners and key stakeholders, including UN agencies, local and national government, and NGOs has been conducted and documented as appropriate;   

• Support the IMPACT Country Representative in external engagement on IMPACT strategy or (when requested and with focal point) for fundraising and grants management.   

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES   

• The RM is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with Lebanese communities are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner.   

• Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.   

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION   

• The Research Manager will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. He/she will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT  

REQUIREMENTS  

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree;  

• 3-5 years of relevant work experience, such as program management, evaluation and assessments, including from the fields of MEL, TPM, PDM, etc.   

• Previous experience managing teams in a humanitarian setting required, ideally with experience in a senior management role in an INGO team;  

• Experience in conducting impactful applied research (both qualitative and quantitative) in humanitarian or development contexts;  

• Excellent management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including an ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through multi-tasking and prioritisation;   

• Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;   

• Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;   

• Excellent internal and external communication and drafting skills required for effective report writing;   

• Excellent analytical skills required, and an ability to situate findings within a wider context;   

• Fluency in English required;   

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel required;   

• Experience in research cycle (design, data collection, analysis and reporting) implementation required.   

o  Experience with quantitative data collection tools (ODK, ONA, KOBO) desirable;    

o Experience with qualitative research, including focus group discussions and key informant  

interviews required,   

•  Knowledge of the Adobe Suite software, particularly Illustrator and InDesign an asset;   

•  Prior knowledge of the Lebanese context an asset;   

• Experience working and living in challenging environments, for extended periods of time an asset;   

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES 

The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities we work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about REACH and ACTED programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every REACH and ACTED staff member.