Regional Senior Research Officer for East and Southeast Africa, based in Kampala

CORE TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Support implementation of research standards, especially for IMPACT’s country operations in East and Southeast 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 East and Southeast African region and provide day-to-day support and advice to country teams on different stages of research implementation, while 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 learning 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 East and Southeast 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 this delocalized position is considered a pilot therefore the exact scope of responsibilities and collaboration mechanisms may evolve over time. The selected candidate is 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 in the East or Southeast Africa regions.
• 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 required.

REQUIRED TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• In 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 Regional SRO 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 standards