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 a Data Specialist to support our team in Syria, based in Damascus.

Department: REACH

Position: Data Specialist

Contract duration: 9 months (extension dependent on funding)

Starting Date: 1st December 2026

Location: Damascus, Syria

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

COUNTRY PROFILE

After more than a decade of conflict, economic collapse, and large-scale displacement, a regime change in December 2024 marked a new phase in Syria’s history. Conditions remain volatile, marked by regular armed clashes, prolonged socioeconomic and infrastructure challenges, and limited access to basic services such as healthcare, education, water, and electricity. While it is widely acknowledged that Syria needs large investments in development in order to recover from years of destruction and economic degradation, the humanitarian response also continues at scale due to high levels of need after fifteen years of conflict, exacerbated by the economic situation and poor basic services infrastructure.

Active in Syria since 2013, the IMPACT Syria mission has been producing key information products over the last decade to provide an evidence base for an informed humanitarian response. Activities have ranged from monthly humanitarian situation overviews and market monitoring, to displacement tracking, to supporting joint planning processes through the provision of multi-sectoral needs data, to providing evidence for durable solutions via area-based assessments.

FUNCTIONS

The REACH Data Specialist will fulfill the following functions:

• Under the line management of the IMPACT Senior Research Manager, the Data Specialist ensures the validity and strengthens the quality and efficiency of all IMPACT research cycles in Syria, in accordance with IMPACT’s standards, partner expectations, and IMPACT’s ethos of facilitating an evidence-based response.
• In coordination with assessment, data, and GIS teams, the Data Specialist will lead in the provision of technical inputs and outputs at all stages of relevant research cycles, including for secondary data reviews, assessment conceptualization, research design, data cleaning, data analysis, production of information products (inclusive of maps and factsheets), and dissemination of information products, etc.
• S/he may be involved in partner coordination, donor reporting, presentations, and input to the strategic development of IMPACT in Syria.
• The Data Specialist will also be responsible for developing and implementing a continuous capacity building program for data team members, and could lead on providing trainings to partners if relevant.

In his/her mission, the Data Specialist 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Data Specialist responsibilities include the following:

RESEARCH PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• In coordination with the Assessment teams, ensure that assessments are planned in line with project objectives and with IMPACT’s guidelines;
• For each assessment, ensure contribution to and review of draft ToRs with a specific focus on the sampling design, data collection methodology, analysis plan, as well as data management plan,
• In coordination with Assessment team, co-construct qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, ensuring data requirements of research cycle/assessment are met;
• Develop data processes and scripts as is relevant, ensure that support is provided by data staff in overseeing data collection, including validation as part of daily assessment checks;

DATA MANAGEMENT, CLEANING AND ANALYSIS

• Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the research project ToRs (Data Management Plan Annex);
• Ensure that data is cleaned, all revisions are recorded, and datasets are maintained and securely stored;
• Ensure data analysis conducted on collected data as per ToRs, and is validated by IMPACT HQ before output product drafting stage;
• Ensure the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information;
• Perform additional analyses on external datasets and internal previous datasets as relevant/required;

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Direct management of data team, including line management of data officers and assistants, including recruitment and staff career management, and the development of work plans and performance indicators;
• Collaborate closely with Country Representative, Senior Research Manager and Associate Research Managers, in terms of work planning and technical guidance of the relevant data staff;
• Conduct regular meetings with all data team members to assess progress in all research cycles and to review work plan;
• Reviewing data staff work throughout research cycles (cleaning datasets, analysis scripts, maps, etc.)
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• In coordination with the IMPACT Country Representative, engage in relevant technical fora in country.
• Support the presentation of IMPACT data products to relevant third parties, to enhance their use and impact.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Under the guidance of the Country Representative, contribute to the development and implementation of IMPACT’s strategy in Syria.
• Work with clusters and partner organizations and working groups to understand the various relevant data gaps within Syria and identify how IMPACT will fill these gaps;
• Engagement with HQ on research and/or coordination and provide support to relevant IMPACT Global Community of Practices (CoPs) (as relevant).

The Data Specialist 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

Academic

Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master’s degree in relevant discipline (e.g. Statistics, Data Science, Data Analytics);

Research skills

Excellent research and analytical skills required, including a sound understanding of sampling methods and their application, an ability to clean and analyse large data sets, as well as conduct temporal or spatial trend analysis. Demonstrable experience of data science. Excellent data analysis skills. Experience with GIS is desirable.

Software skills

Advanced knowledge of R or Python is required. Proven record of writing clean, reusable code with an emphasis on functional programming. Emphasis on thinking about system design and building data processes that scale and repeat with minimal maintenance. Experience with GitHub preferred. Strong knowledge of PowerBi or R Shiny is highly desirable. Proven knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required. Knowledge of ArcGIS Pro/ QGIS/ Leaflet an advantage. If available, please share a link to a GitHub or similar repository you have worked on as part of your application.

Management skills

Demonstrable experience of line managing and building the capacity of technical staff.

Familiarity aid system

Familiarity with the aid system and with the research community;

Years of work experience

At least 4 years of relevant working experience

Training skills

Ability to conduct trainings and mentor IMPACT teams and partners on data/ assessment skills;

Communication/reporting skills

Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;

Multi-tasking skills

Experience multitasking with numerous ongoing projects and ability to prioritise;

Level of independence

Strong existing ability to work independently in support of colleagues and partners;

Cross-cultural work environment

Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;

Experience in geographical region

Past experience in Syria or the Middle East region is desirable;

Security environment

Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment;

Language skills

Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic is a benefit;

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

For this position, salary between 3’420 CHF and 3’480 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 every 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’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.