Data Analyst for Ethiopia, based in Kampala (External Applicants)

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations 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. 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 and GIS. 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, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Senior Data Analyst or Data Specialist, depending on profile, to work with our team in Ethiopia.

Position: Senior Data Analyst / Data Specialist (depending on profile)

Contract duration: 5 months

Location: Kampala, with possible travel to Addis Ababa

Starting Date: ASAP.

COUNTRY PROFILE

Since 2018, Ethiopia has experienced escalating insecurity and unrest, including large-scale displacement, loss of life, and widespread destruction of property, following significant domestic political changes. These crises have compounded the effects of recurring climate-related shocks affecting large parts of the country. In November 2020, conflict erupted in the northern Tigray region, triggering significant displacement across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions. Since August 2023, renewed conflict in Amhara has further intensified humanitarian needs, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency and restrictions on movement across the region. Together, these crises have severely disrupted livelihoods, constrained access to essential goods and staple commodities, and increased the vulnerability of affected populations, placing additional pressure on humanitarian response capacities across the country.

JOB PROFILE

The Senior Data Analyst / Data Specialist position is based in Kampala, with possible travel to Addis Ababa. The position is fully dedicated to the Ethiopia mission and will report directly to the Deputy Country Representative. The postholder will lead the mission’s data team, coordinating its work across the Sectoral, Intersectoral and PANDA units in close collaboration with Research Managers, the GIS Specialist and relevant HQ technical teams.

The postholder will provide technical leadership and backstopping throughout the research cycle, from methodology and sampling design to data collection, cleaning, analysis, validation and dissemination. The role is responsible for coordinating data officers and interns, agreeing priorities and resource needs with Research Managers, maintaining reusable analysis systems, and ensuring compliance with IMPACT research standards and data protection requirements. The appointment level will depend on the selected candidate’s experience and technical skills; both profiles will carry responsibility for leading the data team.

During the assignment, the Senior Data Analyst / Data Specialist will be hosted by Acted, IMPACT's global partner, and will be under the responsibility of its delegates for all administrative, security, logistics and financial matters. The postholder will fully comply with Acted and IMPACT rules and procedures, including those relating to data protection and information security.

• Planning and coordination: Estimate deadlines and resource requirements for each research cycle across the Sectoral, Intersectoral and PANDA units. Coordinate team members’ workloads, agree data team priorities with Research Managers, and flag risks, capacity gaps and delays early, in writing, to the relevant Research Managers and direct manager.
• Research design: Support assessment teams in designing methodologies, sampling strategies (including sample size calculations and survey weighting), data analysis plans and data collection tools, in line with IMPACT research standards.
• Data collection and cleaning: Oversee the review, testing and deployment of XLSForms on IMPACT’s Kobo server, data checks during collection, and data cleaning in line with IMPACT’s Data Cleaning Minimum Standards. Where relevant, train enumerators and partner staff on data checks and cleaning.
• Analysis systems: Maintain and develop the mission’s R-based cleaning and analysis workflows, including IMPACT R packages, templates and Shiny applications, under version control and with up-to-date documentation so that they can be reused across research cycles.
• Information products: Review country-level information products and dissemination strategies to maximise the use of findings, in accordance with IMPACT research standards and in close coordination with the direct manager.
• Data quality: Improve data quality and monitoring at country level, including resolving discrepancies, keeping geospatial and administrative reference data up to date in coordination with GIS colleagues, and ensuring collected data is correctly georeferenced.
• Data protection: Ensure compliance with IMPACT’s data protection policy and SOP on personally identifiable information in all research cycles. This includes anonymisation and disclosure-risk checks before any dataset is shared, secure transfer, storage and deletion of data, and compliance with data-sharing or data processing agreements with partners.
• Capacity building: Lead the development and implementation of an ongoing capacity-building plan for country data officers and interns, with support from relevant technical colleagues and HQ teams. Provide training, mentoring and regular feedback on data cleaning, analysis and tools, and coordinate with Research Managers on staff development and performance.
• Partner engagement: At the request of the line manager, support partners on data processing, data sharing and the use of findings, and represent IMPACT on data matters in relevant coordination forums.

DELIVERABLES

• Lead weekly data team meetings, maintain a shared task tracker with clear responsibilities and agreed timelines, and follow up on progress and outstanding actions.
• Provide technical guidance to data officers and interns on cleaning, analysis and troubleshooting, implement and track the capacity-building plan, and provide input to their performance appraisals in coordination with Research Managers.
• Regularly liaise with project focal points and Research Managers to monitor deadlines and resource needs, anticipate delays, and communicate risks and agreed corrective actions in writing.
• Conduct internal technical validation of all research cycles, including review of sampling, data collection tools, cleaning and analysis outputs, to ensure alignment with IMPACT/HQ guidelines before submission to HQ for validation.
• Ensure regular maintenance of all mission dashboards, including Power BI and Shiny, and contribute to the design and development of new dashboards when required.
• Keep documentation, including READMEs, SOPs and decision logs, up to date for all workflows and dashboards maintained by the data team, with code under version control and clear maintenance responsibilities.
• For every dataset shared outside IMPACT, document the anonymisation applied, disclosure-risk checks and transfer, in line with the relevant agreement and applicable IMPACT procedures.

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in data management and analysis, preferably in humanitarian settings.
• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline, such as statistics, data science or social sciences, is preferred.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Excellent communication and data visualisation skills.
• Strong skills in R and in data cleaning and survey analysis workflows; familiarity with IMPACT’s R packages is an asset.
• Proven skills in Power BI and R Shiny.
• Experience with KoboToolbox or ODK and XLSForm design.
• Sound knowledge of sampling methods, sample size calculations and survey weighting.
• Experience with Git/GitHub; GIS skills in QGIS or ArcGIS are an asset.
• Knowledge of humanitarian data protection practice, including anonymisation of microdata and disclosure-risk assessment.
• Experience supervising or mentoring data staff, including remotely.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across many research cycles, at times under tight deadlines.
• Strong ability to work independently in support of colleagues and partners.
• Ability to work in an intercultural environment.
• Previous experience in Ethiopia or the Horn of Africa is highly preferred.

• For this position, salary between 2’580 CHF and 2’640 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 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.