Research Assistant- REACH

About Acted

“We go the last mile. Founded in Afghanistan, against the backdrop of a forgotten crisis, Acted’s mission is to save lives and support people in meeting their needs in hard-to-reach areas. Millions of vulnerable people around the world need humanitarian assistance today, and hundreds of millions will need it tomorrow, in the face of the growing threat of climate change. We believe that our assistance must be conceptualised and delivered within the framework of people’s natural environments, and the territories on which they depend. Therefore, Acted pursues a triple mandate as a humanitarian, environmental and development aid actor, contributing to the relief, stabilisation, and recovery of crisis-affected people in fragile areas. This vision is guided by the motto “Think Local – Act Global” - reflecting the need to rely on a deep understanding of local territories and contexts to develop and implement actions based on local knowledge, structures and capacities. This local thinking contributes to a global response - running through all Acted programming and operations - as we work together towards the building of a 3ZERO world: a world with Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, and Zero Poverty”.

REACH

REACH was founded by Acted and sister organisation IMPACT Initiatives to provide humanitarian actors with much needed analysis for use in planning and prioritisation. Evidence-based planning and programming is paramount to ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable are met and that humanitarian/early recovery response is tailored to the realities facing communities. As a global leader in humanitarian research, REACH operates in dozens of countries worldwide.

The REACH Regional Office in Jordan works across five key areas of research: 1) humanitarian planning and prioritisation, 2) displacement and assessment of camp-like settings, 3) markets and household economy, 4) pathways to early recovery, and 5) climate hazards. REACH Regional also provides technical support to clusters, including information management support and technical assistance (mapping, ad hoc analysis).

Greening strategy:

Acted’s greening strategy aims to tackle environmental degradation and climate change while meeting the needs of the most vulnerable who are often those most affected by the deepening environmental crisis. Each Acted employee will adhere to these principles through key green programming responsibilities:

• Contribute towards the adherence and development of the greening strategy plan.
• Explore innovative green programming opportunities and/or solutions within your realm of responsibilities and roles
• Encouraging and promoting environmental safeguarding processes and environmental programming standards in accordance with SOPs and technical guideline notes

Acted PSEAH Policy:

The REACH Syria Research Assistant (RA) has the responsibility to adhere to the PSEAH Policy (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment). The RA has the obligation to complete all mandatory trainings related to the Code of Conduct and the PSEA policy and report any safeguarding concern such as breaches of organisational policies or codes of conduct according to Acted’s procedures. The RAshall carry out work duties in a way that does not harm children, vulnerable adults or other staff or volunteers.

Location: Damascus, Syria

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality delivery of assigned research tasks.
• Positive internal and external feedback on the quality and relevance of outputs.
• Effective collaboration and clear communication among Field, Data, and GIS teams.
• Active participation in discussions aimed at improving assessment practices and methodologies.

Job Purpose:

REACH seeks to conduct innovative, timely and well-targeted research aimed at informing decision-making within humanitarian emergency and early recovery planning. REACH assessments often draw on qualitative, statistical, and geospatial analysis to provide a clear picture of the situation related to the needs, preferences and opinions of affected populations, the functionality of systems supporting affected communities, and cross-cutting factors (such as the impact of climate on humanitarian crisis).

To support these endeavours, REACH Syria is seeking enthusiastic researchers to support on humanitarian research, possibly including climate, livelihoods, humanitarian situation monitoring, camps and displacement, durable solutions, and area-based approaches (ABAs).

Under the management of a Senior Assessment Officer (SAO), the Research Assistant will beresponsible for supporting on:

• designing and implementing research projects based on existing guidance,
• engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders,
• coordinating with field teams to ensure optimal operationalization,
• organizing inputs from geospatial and statistical analysts,
• operationalizing research design, including translation,
• ensuring that analysis is accurate and relevant**.**

Objectives:

• Support the development of technically robust research design and assessment plans that respond to information needs while factoring in resource availability, timelines, and human capacity.
• Collaborate effectively with GIS, Data and Field teams during all phases of the research cycle to ensure smooth collaboration towards the achievement of accurate, relevant and innovative research outcomes.
• Contribute to the production of concise, well-crafted descriptive and/or interpretive analytical products responding to the research questions and the information needs / analytical capabilities on the intended audience.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of a Senior Assessment Officer, the Research Assistant will support various research cycles focusing on climate, livelihoods, humanitarian situation monitoring, camps and displacement, durable solutions, and area-based approaches. The RA's responsibilities will include:

Research Cycle Support:

• Understand the objectives of assigned research cycles and how these contribute to strategic goals.
• Assist in drafting and reviewing research designs, data collection plans, and analytical approaches.

Tool Development:

• Create and refine assessment tools, including Kobo questionnaires, ensuring accurate translations into Arabic.

Training and Capacity Building:

• Develop clear and concise training materials on assessment indicators and data collection methodologies.
• Facilitate training sessions for enumerators and field coordinators.

Data Processing and Analysis:

• Conduct data cleaning processes for quantitative and qualitative datasets, coordinating closely with field teams for follow-up and validation.
• Implement analysis plans, producing clear informational outputs such as factsheets and situation overviews using Microsoft Excel and Adobe InDesign.

Contextual Awareness:

• Regularly update contextual knowledge of assigned areas through reading, dialogue with field teams, and engagement with response actors.

Data Protection:

• Maintain strict confidentiality of all data collected and processed.
• Ensure adherence to data protection standards to prevent unauthorized sharing of information.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• Education: University degree.
• Years of work experience: At least one year of experience working humanitarian or development contexts, ideally involving research or assessment activities.
• Research skills: Demonstrated experience conducting research or working with data.
• Analytical skills: Strong analytical capabilities to identify key trends and contextualize findings.
• Software skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel.
• Languages: Fluency in English and Arabic; excellent writing and communication skills.
• Teamwork: Ability to operate independently and within a multicultural team environment.

Desired

• Technical skills in any of the following:
  • Proficiency with data analysis software such as R, SPSS, STATA.
  • Experience with mobile data collection tools (ODK, ONA, KoBo).
  • Experience in data cleaning and analysis.
  • Skills in data visualization tools (Power BI or similar).
  • Knowledge of the Adobe Suite, especially In Design.
  • Understanding of the humanitarian context in Syria.

How to apply

Interested and qualified applicants should apply by filling out the application form through this link

Research Assistant- REACH – Fill out form

Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

By applying for this position, you certify that all the details of your current application, are true to the best of your background and knowledge. You accept the legal mentions of www.acted.org and authorize the automated processing of your personal data by ACTED for recruitment, HR management and administrative compliance control purposes, in accordance with European regulations for the protection of personal data.(http://www.acted.org/)

ACTED is committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in the framework of its programs in Syria. The successful candidate will be required to adhere to ACTED Code of conduct and ACTED Global Policies, especially regarding the protection of children and the protection against sexual exploitation and abuse. A rigorous reference and background checks will be undertaken, and information will be requested from previous employers about any disciplinary action of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

ACTED is committed to gender equity and to have a balanced and diverse workforce. ACTED strongly encourages qualified women, persons with disabilities, and persons from under-represented groups to apply for the position.

ACTED offers a variety of arrangements that enable women to excel in their careers, including flexible working hours for work-life balance, maternity leave, and career coaching.

ACTED never uses external recruitment agencies and recruitment is always free of charge.

The necessity of ensuring the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, with proper attention to promoting diversity, is the most important concern in the recruitment and employment of staff at ACTED.

Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision, or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided.

ACTED reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible