Data Specialist – Damascus, Syria (9‑month contract)

About the role

The REACH Data Specialist will support IMPACT’s humanitarian research in Syria, based in Damascus. Reporting to the Senior Research Manager, the role ensures high‑quality data cycles, produces evidence‑based information products and contributes to strategic planning.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and implement assessments, co‑design data collection tools and ensure sampling, methodology and data management align with project terms of reference.
• Manage data storage, cleaning, validation and analysis in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and produce maps, factsheets and other information products.
• Lead the data team, overseeing data officers and assistants, developing work plans, conducting performance reviews and providing technical back‑stopping.
• Engage with partners, donors and technical fora to present IMPACT data products and support capacity‑building activities.
• Contribute to IMPACT’s strategic development in Syria, identifying data gaps and supporting global communities of practice.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Statistics, Data Science, Data Analytics or a related discipline.
• Strong research and analytical skills, including sampling design, large‑dataset cleaning and spatial/temporal trend analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in line‑managing data staff and coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams.

Required skills

• Advanced proficiency in R or Python, with experience writing clean, reusable code.
• Version control using GitHub.
• Data visualisation with PowerBi or R Shiny.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• GIS expertise with ArcGIS Pro, QGIS or Leaflet.