Avantages
At this point, they are willing to hire anyone. Most of the senior staff have all resigned and new hires rarely last a year. They already had staffing issues. Now they are just desperate to fill positions. They have dozens of openings in a small organisation. This should be your first red flag. You can gain international experience. However, do not expect much professional development. Do not expect training when no one left know what they are doing. So, while others on this site recommend it as an initial stepping stone into humanitarian work, I respectfully disagree. Listing it on your resume will not impress future employers; it may even do more harm than help.
Inconvénients
IMPACT is a nominally independent NGO that touts itself as an analytical specialist. It was formed out of ACTED less than a decade ago. It is still controlled by ACTED’s board of directors. Nearly all IMPACT projects are in support of ACTED programmes. Note, ACTED has a very bad reputation in the sector. It is known for a race-to-the-bottom business model. This relies on a high turnover of entry level staff who are over worked and underpaid. So, while they may underbid other NGOs for grants, they are notorious for their lack of expertise and consistently delivery sub-par outcomes. Thus, IMPACT was created to shore up confidence in donors that ACTED would have a partner with the requisite know-how. Unfortunately, IMPACT has the same business model which works even worse for a technical organisation. They cannot hire or retain any experts in the areas that they are supposed to be specialist in. Senior headquarters staff too have no background in these areas. As a result, projects are poorly designed, unnecessarily expensive and time consuming, and often riddled with errors. The organisation is in a constant state of crisis and already developing a dismal reputation. Safety and security. It is only by the grace of God that more staff have not been killed. The organisation places staff at unnecessary risk. Senior management have worried about losing grant money if they evacuate a mission. During the start of the pandemic their policy was to get staff stuck in-country before the borders where closed. Staff have been kept in place even a city is being bombed. Though they could just as effectively be working remotely from the safety of anywhere else. IMPACT and ACTED staff were massacred in Nigeria because people because of a series of poor decisions. It was an entirely preventable tragedy. There is never any accountability, and nothing to keep it from happening again. Accommodations. IMPACT staff have their housing provided by ACTED. IMPACT and ACTED staff live together in a large, run down, guest house. Most posts are in dangerous areas, so the guest house is surrounded by a large wall topped with razor wire. Staff can only leave in an approved vehicle to approved destinations during approved hours. Rooms are private. Kitchen and bathrooms shared - with too many people. Be prepared for the occupational electrify, internet, or water outage. Young and overworked staff often leads to alcohol abuse. Staff will often be drinking and playing loud music late into the night. Be careful as the most common security threat is from other staff, especially if the door to your room cannot be lock. Bring a non-slip door stop just in case. The grievance mechanism cannot be relied on. There is no accountability for misconduct. Salaries (Swiss frac per month). Depending on the position, the post, and your background you may also receive a couple hundred francs more based on their salary grid. Even the most senior field positions are comparable to junior positions in other organisations. 1,700 - Junior Officer 2,000 - Officer 2,300 - Senior Officer 2,600 – Manager or Specialist 3,200 - Country Coordinator