RESEARCH ASSISTANT : EU-MADAD LEBANON (WASH FOCUS) (LEBANESE NATIONALS ONLY)

• ABOUT IMPACT INITIATIVES

IMPACT Initiatives is a think-and-do-tank based in Geneva, Switzerland, which specialises in data collection, management and analysis in order to support humanitarian and development action thought its Initiatives AGORA, PANDA and REACH. While AGORA and REACH work to support response coordination mechanisms at various levels, PANDA provides direct assessment, research and M+E support to partners and donors with activities that focus directly on planning, informing and understanding programme implementation. IMPACT is a sister organization of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and which is present 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 on its countries of intervention.

• POSITION PROFILE

ACTED is the lead organization in a five-partner MADAD-funded consortium (Action Against Hunger, GVC-WeWorld, Solidarités International, LebRelief), implementing WASH activities in Lebanon to support water governance and public water and wastewater services. This project is support by the technical expertise of CNRS, LCPS, LEWAP and NDU. IMPACT, through its PANDA (Project Appraisals aND Assessments) Initiative, is providing coordination support, technical leadership of consortium Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL) activities and a number of focused pieces of research.

IMPACT is seeking a colleague with experience in research design and implementation, preferably with experience in WASH/ institutional water governance, to lead the research components of the PANDA support to the consortium and backstop, as needed, IMPACT’s work under the consortium’s MEARL working group.

IMPACT is seeking a colleague with experience in monitoring and evaluation and/or research, preferably with experience in WASH/ institutional water governance, to support all PANDA-led MEARL components of the consortium in collaboration with the IMPACT MEARL Coordinator and Research Officer. This is a position in a small but dynamic regional team which will give you the opportunity to demonstrate technical knowledge in support to consortium partners monitoring activities, and to support research activities which directly inform the programmatic decision making and learning for a EUR 25 million, 3-year project. The role is equal parts technical and coordination which requires self-motivation, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to support delivery of research activities and their outputs on time, on task and on budget.

The successful candidate will necessarily need to wear two hats – supporting the IMPACT MEARL Coordinator in PANDA’s technical leadership of the consortium’s MEARL Working Group and support the IMPACT MEARL Coordinator and Research Officer in implementing specific research activities under the consortium. The Research Assistant is based in Beirut, Lebanon and only open to Lebanese nationals. Travel to other areas of the country may be required.

The Assistant will be managed by the IMPACT MEARL Coordinator, and work closely together with:

1. IMPACT Research Officer
2. ACTED MEAL Unit
3. ACTED FLATS Team
4. Consortium partners
5. Relevant national and local project stakeholders and beneficiaries

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Note: Some of the below duties and responsibilities will have been fulfilled as the consortium is now entering its third year. Nevertheless, to ensure a complete profile, all duties and responsibilities, as agreed upon, have been outlined.

1. Consortium MEARL Working Group Coordination Support In close coordination with the IMPACT MEARL Coordinator and other WG members, provide technical support for all consortium-level MEARL activities, including but not limited to:

1. Support to the MEARL Coordinator in co-chairing the MEARL working group. Supporting facilitation of quarterly meetings to review the progress and performance of programme activities. Provide meeting minutes to all members, relevant Technical Task Forces, the Consortium Management Unit and the Steering Committee;
2. Assisting in the review and harmonisation of agreed-up robust measurement methodologies, technical tools, their application and quality standards within the framework of the overall AME Framework developed for the Consortium;
3. Support the implementation monitoring by partners of Complaints Response Mechanism which meets sector standards, and aid in aggregation of complaints received and response made into coherent consortium-level outputs;
4. Assist the creation and maintenance of up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate databases of progress against project indicator targets, linking to available sources of information;
5. Ensure data management and data security practices under the project scope adhere to the guidelines set by the EU General Data Protection Regulation as well as maintain general good practices.

1. Support to all Research Cycles In close coordination with the IMPACT Research Officer and IMPACT MEARL Coordinator, provide support for all consortium-level research activities, including but not limited to the research phases:

1. • Assessment Preparation and Planning:

1. 1. Ensure that research is planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and within IMPACT research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
   2. For all activities, ensure TORs are developed and reviewed by key consortium stakeholders (ACTED CC, MEARL WG, etc.) before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before any data collection begins;
   3. Support the Research Officer in ensuring that ToRs are understood and used by consortium staff and stakeholders, and updated as required; Support the design and construction, in close coordination with GIS and data management team, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools; ensure engagement with GIS teams on GIS requirements of research cycle/assessment;
   4. Support the tracking of progress and delays of all assigned activity throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific projects are discussed to identify solutions, reported in writing and orally in a timely manner to relevant colleagues and partners, with major issues to be channeled up to the Consortium Coordinator;
   5. Support the Research Officer in ensuring relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged and buy-in activity design and planning.

1. • Data collection and management
2. For research activities to be implemented under IMPACT direct leadership, support the recruitment and training of the required enumerators for primary data collection;
3. Support the Research Officer in monitoring data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
4. Ensure that the Research Officer and relevant partners are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology in line with the agreed TORs; ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation and validated by IMPACT HQ and key partners;
5. Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to PANDA activities have been appropriately implemented and with the relevant ACTED departments.
6. Support the Research Officer in ensuring regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant IMPACT, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process; 
7. Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the ToRs;
8. Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
9. Oversee analysis on collected data as per ToRs;
10. Ensure that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;
11. Ensure that data and its analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage or sharing with external parties and do not contain personal information.
    • Product drafting

1. Support regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;
2. Support the drafting of timely and accurate activity outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
3. Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ, ACTED, Consortium Coordination and MEARL WG before external release.
   • Product dissemination and evaluation

1. Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;
2. Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle;
3. Collaborate with the Research Officer and IMPACT MEARL Coordinator to ensure accurate and timely donor reporting.

•  REQUIREMENTS
• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Bachelors or Master degree in relevant discipline;
• At least 6 months to 1 year of relevant working experience in research, evaluation, assessments, or other similar activities; Experience working in humanitarian or development settings an advantage;
• Familiarity with research methods. Excellent analytical skills – ability to situate findings within a wider context;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian aid system an asset;
• Fluency in English and Arabic;
• Advanced skills in GIS or SPSS and/or R, STATA or other mapping and statistical analysis software an advantage;
• Ability to multitask with tight deadlines;
• Ability to work independently and coordinate remotely;
• An understanding WASH and/ or water governance (in Lebanon) an advantage.