Country Representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo, based in Goma at IMPACT Initiatives

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives: REACH, AGORA, and PANDA. The IMPACT team is composed of specialists in data collection, management, and analysis, as well as GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO headquartered in Paris and present in some thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, allowing IMPACT to benefit from ACTED's operational support in its areas of intervention.

The REACH initiative was established in 2010 as a joint initiative of two international NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and UNOSAT. REACH aims to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the decision-making and planning capacity of the humanitarian community in emergency, reconstruction, and development contexts. AGORA, a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, founded in 2016, promotes effective, inclusive, and integrated local planning, aid response, and service delivery in crisis situations by applying territory-based processes and tools. AGORA enables more effective and tailored aid responses to support the recovery and stabilization of crisis-affected communities, while also fostering the restoration of local services and supporting local governance actors. PANDA is IMPACT's operational program that aims to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian and development interventions by informing partners throughout the entire program cycle.

We are currently seeking a country representative to support our IMPACT team in the DRC.

Department : IMPACT - Coordination

Title: Country Representative

Contract duration: 12 months

Work location: Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (with occasional travel to the field and other bases)

Start date: September 2026.

COUNTRY AND MISSION PROFILE

Since 2016, IMPACT—currently present in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, and Kalemie—has been providing rapid and in-depth assessments, information management services, and mapping through its three initiatives, REACH, AGORA, and PANDA, to inform humanitarian planning and action in the DRC. All publicly available information products produced by the mission in the DRC can be accessed through the REACH Resource Center. The DRC continues to face an acute and complex humanitarian crisis. Recurring conflicts in the eastern provinces, health shocks and natural disasters, as well as the chronic poverty suffered by a large part of the population, all contribute to the high level of humanitarian needs. According to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs Outlook, 21.2 million people in the DRC require humanitarian assistance.

Since 2016, IMPACT Initiatives DRC – with teams currently based in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, and Kalemie – has provided assessment, information management, and mapping services to inform humanitarian planning in the DRC. Since 2020, REACH has been conducting cross-sectoral research cycles in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Tanganyika, and Ituri, with recent expansion into the northwestern provinces. Since 2021, REACH has been conducting a multi-sectoral needs assessment (MSNA) to inform the humanitarian programming cycle in the DRC. For the first time in 2023, thanks to a technical partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), the MSNA achieved national scope, followed by a more limited MSNA in 2024 and 2025, the results of which confirmed IMPACT's added value to humanitarian coordination in the DRC.

Since 2021, the PANDA and AGORA initiatives have also been deployed in the DRC with a strategic partnership for the PANDA initiative to implement independent monitoring ( third-party monitoring ) of emergency programs funded by the British donor FCDO.

The Public Health unit, introduced in 2023, has gradually expanded within the IMPACT DRC mission, supporting health coordination structures, conducting SMART and IPHRA assessments, and contributing to the implementation of independent third-party monitoring of partners on health-related issues. The IMPACT DRC mission has thus grown until 2026, requiring an experienced professional for the overall management of the mission and its external representation, as well as strengthening the internal coordination and operations management teams.

JOB PROFILE

Under the supervision of the Regional Coordinator - Africa based at IMPACT HQ in Geneva, the IMPACT Country Representative will have 3 main objectives to fulfill in order to advance and promote IMPACT and its initiatives in the DRC:

External Representation & Advocacy: The IMPACT Country Representative is the primary point of contact in relations with current and prospective donors for the mission (including, but not limited to, FCDO, UNICEF, and targeted donors such as ECHO, SIDA, etc.). The IMPACT Country Representative must not only communicate about project development or the management of existing grants but also build trust and enhance IMPACT's reputation by using the analyses produced for advocacy purposes. This communication objective also extends to all coordination platforms with which the Country Representative is involved, such as (but not limited to) the Humanitarian Country Team, the national Intercluster, relevant Working Groups, the INGO Forum, management of UN agencies and other organizations, key national institutional stakeholders, provincial coordination platforms when relevant, etc.

Mission support, quality and operations supervision: The IMPACT Country Representative will be responsible for monitoring the financial health of the mission; monitoring and continuously improving human resource conditions, including the nationalization of certain positions; jointly developing the mission's security procedures with the partner Acted; and, in conjunction with the Deputy Country Coordinator, continuously improving quality monitoring processes and ensuring the efficient organization of operations in all areas of activity implementation.

Support for the programmatic supervision of research units: The IMPACT Country Representative will provide support to the Deputy Country Coordinator in their supervision of the research managers of the three research units developed within the mission: the humanitarian/intersectoral programming cycle unit, the public health unit, and the accountability and resilience unit. The main objectives of this supervision include ensuring that the units' activities are aligned with the various grants, and developing these units within the Country Strategy in close collaboration with the mission's senior management team (SMT).

Development and implementation of the country strategy:

Analyze the socio-economic situation of the country, the impact of a crisis and the aid/humanitarian situation;

Understanding the mechanisms of humanitarian coordination, as well as the main actors;

In consultation with the Deputy Country Coordinator, develop and oversee the implementation of a country strategy in line with headquarters priorities:

Consolidate and strengthen ongoing programming and operations;

Ensure that IMPACT's activities are relevant and have an impact on the humanitarian response;

Identify new areas in which IMPACT can add value to the humanitarian response; Organize cross-cutting internal follow-ups: Organize internal documents for monitoring strategic objectives, as well as other regular follow-ups such as on HR points (monitoring of movements/leaves), for the purpose of monitoring the mission strategy.

Representation and external engagement:

Establish, maintain and improve relationships with key partners (including donors, coordination actors, national institutional actors, etc.);

Promote IMPACT and its programs in key decision-making forums;

Ensure IMPACT's participation in key humanitarian coordination forums;

Direct the dissemination of information and analysis products;

Fundraising:

Communicate with current donors and approach new donors to identify funding to support IMPACT programs;

Supervise the conceptualization of project proposals in line with the national strategy;

Oversee the design of budgets, in close consultation with ACTED, and IMPACT HQ;

Negotiating proposals and/or contracts with funders.

Financial and operational management:

In consultation with the Deputy Country Coordinator, ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements;

Anticipate financial risks and funding gaps for the entire mission;

Control project budgets to avoid insufficient/excessive spending, in conjunction with the Finance departments of IMPACT HQ and (where applicable) ACTED;

Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, in connection with the finance of IMPACT HQ and (where applicable) ACTED;

Supporting the preparation of internal/external audits in close collaboration with HQ Finance and Compliance.

Ensure the implementation of agile operations enabling the implementation of the country strategy.

Leadership and team management:

Provide leadership across the entire mission, as well as within the country's Senior Management Team (SMT);

To transmit IMPACT's values ​​and vision and their implementation at the national level, and to help managers and all staff to do the same;

Ensure that all staff members have clear mandates, work plans and key performance indicators; ensure regular performance reviews;

In consultation with the Deputy Country Coordinator, mentor and support the team to build capacity, improve efficiency and performance, and monitor staff career management;

In consultation with the Deputy Country Coordinator, promote staff growth and development within the organization, establishing active links with headquarters to provide feedback and support retention and internal mobility;

Develop and update the country's organizational chart and staff recruitment plan;

Internal coordination & with Acted:

Ensure the implementation of regular internal team meetings;

Submit regular reports to headquarters, including the monthly coordination report;

Coordinate regularly with the ACTED Country Director through weekly meetings;

Ensure regular coordination with ACTED's project development and FLATS departments (finance, logistics, administration, transparency, security) at all stages of project development and implementation;

Ensure all IMPACT staff comply with ACTED FLAT and security procedures. Facilitate coordination between IMPACT programs and ACTED area coordinators, as appropriate.

As part of their mission, the country representative will be hosted by ACTED and will report to the ACTED country director and their delegates. They will fully comply with ACTED's rules regarding security, human resources, administration, and logistics.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The country representative must maintain the highest level of confidentiality for data collected by IMPACT DRC and ensure adherence to global personal data protection processes. They will also be responsible for implementing mechanisms to prevent the unauthorized sharing of information collected during their mission, in collaboration with IMPACT headquarters in Geneva.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The country representative, like all other IMPACT staff members, is responsible for ensuring that relations with the communities in which IMPACT and its partners work are conducted respectfully and consultatively. Particular attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are properly consulted and informed about the objectives, activities, and methodologies of IMPACT projects.

• For this position, the salary ranges from CHF 5,100 to CHF 5,160 per month (before income tax) with a monthly living allowance of USD 500. Note: IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary scale based on job grade and staff education level. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied to account for the fact that some staff members must work in challenging locations where living and working conditions are significantly more difficult than elsewhere .
• Accommodation and meals are provided in a guesthouse. Depending on the security situation in certain areas and Acted's current HR policies, a personal housing contribution of up to 75% of a benchmark amount may be applied instead. Note: IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country. This base is not a family assignment location.
• Membership in a Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife - approximately 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
• Airfare every 6 months and visa fees covered (travel expenses within the country and business expenses are fully covered).
• R&R after 2-3 months (airfare up to $500 + $200 living allowance) if the duty station allows it.
• Contribution to baggage transport: between 20 and 100 kg, depending on the duration of the contract (+ baggage and personal belongings insurance).
• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Leave for family or compassionate reasons, if applicable.
• Pre-departure initiation - 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives headquarters in Geneva + one week of pre-departure training at ACTED headquarters in Paris, including 4 days of on-site security training.
• Registration for the IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months following the start of the contract.
• IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among other things, up to €1000 per year of psychosocial counseling costs.

Please apply directly on the website via the following link: Country Representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo, based in Goma (Link for External Applicants) | Impact