Senior Analyst - Acute Needs Analysis

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

Created in 2010, IMPACT is a Geneva-based NGO and the largest independent data provider in contexts of crisis. IMPACT aims to support a range of stakeholders in making better, more informed decisions in humanitarian, stabilization, and development settings. Through our team of assessment, data, geospatial, and thematic specialists, IMPACT promotes the design of people-centred research and sets standards for collecting and analysing rigorous, high quality data in complex environments. Over the past 15 years, IMPACT has been growing in size and geographic reach to become one of the largest humanitarian research agencies in the humanitarian sector.

IMPACT's teams implement assessment, monitoring, evaluation, and organizational capacity-building programmes in direct partnership with aid actors. IMPACT's team is composed of over 200 full-time international experts as well as a roster of consultants, who are currently implementing 50 programmes in over 30 countries across Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Central and South-east Asia, and Eastern Europe.

We are currently looking for a Senior Analyst to lead our Acute Needs Analysis for the Syria mission.

Department: Humanitarian Planning and Prioritization Unit

Position: Senior Analyst

Contract duration: 6 months

Starting Date: January 2026

Location: Damascus, Syria

POSITION PROFILE

IMPACT is seeking a (Senior) Analyst to work with our Syria team, based in Damascus. This role will lead to a new flagship analytical output that provides a concise, actionable understanding of acute humanitarian needs across geographies and population groups within a crisis. At a time when the humanitarian sector is facing unprecedented challenges, this role will play a pivotal function in ensuring increasingly scarce aid is prioritized according to need.

The (Senior) Analyst role at IMPACT is a unique opportunity to produce work that will directly influence humanitarian prioritization decisions, including—but not limited to—the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC), HNRPs, and donor resource allocation. Analysts will review and synthesize data, conduct structured analysis using IMPACT’s global analytical guidance, and produce a short, high-impact external brief, working closely with GIS, data, and design colleagues to incorporate visual elements where relevant. This role would suit technical staff who enjoy working with large amounts of data, but who are able to situate the technical work they do within the bigger picture to achieve humanitarian impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The main task of the (Senior) Analyst is to lead the implementation and delivery of the Acute Humanitarian Needs analytical product. To do this, you will need to:

Provide overall project planning for the Syrian context: align the country-specific workplan with global objectives, liaising with country coordination and HQ to ensure efficient coordination and timely delivery.

Review and consolidate secondary datasets and provide proactive solutions for data gaps: synthesize data from relevant data sources in country (including, but not limited to, other REACH assessments, UN agencies and INGOs, and public data sources), evaluating data reliability, identifying critical gaps, and advising where and how to launch targeted, light-touch, primary data collection.

Build contextual understanding and stakeholder networks: develop and maintain a network at country level to enhance understanding of the context and what useful outputs would look like, and support joint analysis with relevant stakeholders.

Lead analysis and interpretation: apply defined frameworks (e.g. Risk of Excess Mortality) and IMPACT’s global analytical guidance to produce structured, consistent, and context-relevant analysis of acute humanitarian needs.

Draft outputs and support dissemination: draft the analysis brief, including working with GIS focal points to produce visuals where relevant, and lead the presentation of findings to clusters, working groups and donors as needed.

Contribute to learning for 2026 and beyond: support lessons learned and propose improvements to the global analytical processes and guidance.

REQUIREMENTS

• Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills: experience interpreting complex data and the ability to evaluate the quality of different data sources.
• Academic qualifications: excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree in a relevant discipline is preferred.
• Understanding of humanitarian coordination system: understanding of the HPC and inter-agency needs analysis and assessments, and experience engaging with a variety of stakeholders (clusters, donors, UN agencies) across the humanitarian response.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills: a proven ability to identify trends, contextualize findings, and synthesize complex information into actionable insights for diverse humanitarian audiences.
• Proficiency in Excel: with experience of an additional analytical tool (e.g. PowerBI, SPSS, R, STATA, or Python) and an understanding of basic GIS processes and outputs an asset.
• Strong writing skills: experience producing clear, concise outputs for humanitarian audiences which combine text and visuals for maximum impact.
• Delivering at pace: the proven ability to manage workflows and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines and with shifting priorities.
• Fluency in English required; fluency in Arabic also an asset.
• Comfortable working in cross-cultural environments.
• Resilience, sound judgment and emotional intelligence: comfortable with working autonomously and creativity in proposing solutions. Patience when things don’t go your way, and the resilience to continue in difficult situations.
• Prior experience in Syria would be a strong asset.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 2’820 CHF and 2’880 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 in a guesthouse is provided as well as a stipend for food.
• 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 after 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.

How to apply

Please apply directly on the website: Senior Analyst – Acute Needs Analysis for Syria, based in Damascus (Link For External Applicants) | Impact