Senior Specialist, Rapid Response and Decision Support

The Senior Specialist, Rapid Response and Decision Support is the Department’s first line of analytical support for senior leadership. When a reform program stalls, a policy question needs an answer, or a decision must be made quickly, this role defines the problem, gathers and analyzes the evidence, and delivers clear options and recommendations, often within days. The role combines the speed of a consulting team with the rigor of a policy research unit, and works closely with subject matter experts, data providers, and partner teams.

Key Responsibilities

Rapid Analysis and Problem Solving

1. Receive urgent analytical requests from senior leadership, clarify the question, scope, and deadline, and agree on the expected output.

2. Break complex problems into clear issues using structured methods such as issue trees, hypothesis-driven analysis, and root cause analysis.

3. Conduct in-depth analyses on priority topics, focusing on issues and obstacles that slow down reform and development programs.

4. Deliver analysis within short timeframes, ranging from 48 hours for urgent briefs to 2 to 6 weeks for deep-dive studies, without compromising quality or accuracy.

5. Assess policy options, including costs, benefits, risks, and implementation feasibility, and recommend a preferred course of action.

Data Collection and Analysis

1. Gather, clean, validate, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from internal records, statistical sources, surveys, interviews, and international databases.

2. Build analytical models and dashboards to track performance, compare options, and test assumptions.

3. Benchmark against international practice and comparable countries, cities, or institutions to identify proven solutions.

4. Flag data gaps and data quality issues, and propose ways to address them.

Decision Support and Communication

1. Prepare concise briefing notes, decision memos, policy briefs, and presentations for senior, non-technical audiences.

2. Present findings in meetings with senior leadership and respond to questions with clear, evidence-based answers.

3. Translate technical findings into practical actions, with owners, timelines, and expected results.

4. Follow up on approved recommendations and report on their implementation and impact.

Expert and Stakeholder Coordination

1. Identify, brief, and manage subject matter experts engaged for specific assignments, and integrate their input into final outputs.

2. Coordinate with other departments, policy units, data providers, and external consultants to collect information quickly.

3. Facilitate workshops and working sessions to align stakeholders on problems and solutions.

Quality and Knowledge Management

1. Apply quality review standards to every output, including fact-checking, source verification, and peer review.

2. Build and maintain a library of past analyses, templates, toolkits, and lessons learned to speed up future responses.

3. Mentor junior analysts and contribute to building the Department’s analytical capability.

4. Share relevant insights with the Strategic Forecasting and Foresight team to connect short-term analysis with long-term outlooks.

Key Deliverables

1. Rapid response briefs of 1 to 3 pages delivered within 48 to 72 hours

2. Deep-dive analytical reports and policy option papers

3. Decision memos with clear recommendations and implementation steps

4. Executive presentations and performance dashboards

5. Progress reports on the implementation of approved recommendations

Success Measures in the First 12 Months

1. Urgent requests delivered on time and to the agreed quality standard

2. Recommendations adopted by senior leadership and moving into implementation

3. Positive feedback from leadership and partner teams on clarity and usefulness of outputs

4. A working library of templates and past analyses that shortens response times

Works With

1. Head of the Department and senior leadership

2. Strategic Forecasting and Foresight team

3. Heads of other departments and policy units across partner institutions

4. Statistics and information technology teams that provide data

5. External subject matter experts, consultants, and vendors

Minimum Requirements

1. Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Business Administration, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field.

2. Minimum 7 years of professional experience in strategic analysis, management consulting, policy research, or decision support.

3. Proven experience producing time-sensitive analysis that directly informed senior-level or executive decisions.

4. Demonstrated ability to write clear, concise briefing notes and decision memos.

5. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and at least one data visualization tool such as Power BI or Tableau.

6. Fluency in Kurdish and English, spoken and written, Arabic is an advantage.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Experience with a top-tier management consulting firm, an international organization, a delivery unit, or a strategy office.

2. Experience supporting large-scale reform, transformation, or development programs.

3. Working knowledge of statistical or programming tools such as Stata, R, Python, or SQL.

4. Experience managing subject matter experts or external consultants.

5. Professional training or certification in project management, policy analysis, or data analytics.

Core Competencies

1. Structured problem solving: breaks down unclear questions into logical parts and builds answers backed by evidence.

2. Analytical rigor under pressure: delivers accurate work on tight deadlines.

3. Synthesis: turns large amounts of information into a few clear messages and recommendations.

4. Communication: writes and presents clearly for senior, non-technical audiences.

5. Stakeholder management: builds trust with senior officials, experts, and partner teams.

6. Adaptability: shifts priorities quickly as new requests arrive.

7. Ownership: takes responsibility for outputs from first request to final recommendation.

8. Integrity and discretion: handles sensitive and confidential information with care.