About INSO

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organization (INSO) is an international NGO that supports humanitarian aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety-related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations, and training. INSO provides daily support to more than 1,500 NGOs operating in 24 of the world’s most insecure countries. INSO is registered in the Netherlands, with its headquarters located in The Hague, a city renowned for its international focus on peace and justice.

Job Summary

The Head of Methodology is responsible for defining, safeguarding, and continuously strengthening the methodological framework of the Conflict and Humanitarian Data Centre (CHDC), ensuring that all incident data, across field and open-source modalities, meet consistent and rigorous standards of classification, eligibility, verification, and documentation.

As the owner of CHDC standards, the role maintains the global incident typology, metadata structure, and verification standards that underpin data integrity and comparability, while providing independent methodological oversight in collaboration with Information Management, Technology, and Analysis teams.

Main responsibilities

Lead CHDC methodological governance

• Define and maintain CHDC incident typology, classification rules, and inclusion thresholds.
• Maintain and update the CHDC Methodology Manual and ensure version control of revisions.
• Define metadata structures and verification standards supporting incident analysis and comparability.

Develop open-source and multi-modal data methodology

• Develop and maintain the CHDC methodology for integrating external-source incident data.
• Define source reliability tiers and verification scoring frameworks.
• Establish triangulation and verification requirements across data collection modalities.

Lead verification governance

• Define verification and deconfliction standards across data collection modalities.
• Review disputed or sensitive classifications and provide methodological guidance on complex incidents.

Ensure interoperability and external benchmarking

• Benchmark CHDC typology against external datasets and monitoring initiatives.
• Develop and maintain interoperability approaches where strategically appropriate.

Support internal capacity building

• Contribute to internal training on CHDC classification and verification standards.
• Develop SOPs, decision trees, and guidance materials for data users.

Strengthen data quality assurance

• Improve the CHDC quality assurance framework in collaboration with the Senior Information Management team.
• Conduct structured audits of incident entries and identify systemic classification inconsistencies.
• Develop corrective guidance and methodological clarification for internal users.

Contribute to INSO’s global development

• Collaborate with Information Management, Technology, Analysis, and Policy teams to strengthen INSO’s data architecture.
• Support research, analytical outputs, and advocacy products related to humanitarian safety.
• Participate in INSO global coordination mechanisms and cross-departmental initiatives.

Manage and develop the team

• Recruit, mentor, and supervise one Methodology Officer.
• Plan workloads, set objectives, and support staff professional growth.

Requirements

Essential

• 7+ years of professional experience in data methodology, conflict monitoring, research design, or statistical classification systems.
• Demonstrated experience designing or managing incident databases.
• Strong understanding of verification standards in complex or conflict environments.
• Fluency in English with excellent writing and communication skills.
• Experience developing formal methodological frameworks and documentation.
• Proven supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of data governance, ethics, and quality assurance systems.

Nice to have

• Experience in humanitarian safety or access analysis.
• Working proficiency in French, Arabic, or Spanish.
• Technical familiarity with database architecture or data science tools.

Core Competencies

• Integrity – Acts with honesty and strong ethical standards while maintaining confidentiality and discretion in handling sensitive information.
• Analytical Thinking – Applies sound judgement to interpret information, identify patterns, and ensure accuracy through strong attention to detail.
• Collaboration – Works effectively with both technical and non-technical colleagues to achieve shared objectives.
• Proactivity – Anticipates challenges, adapts to changing circumstances, and takes initiative to develop practical solutions.
• Humanitarianism – Demonstrates commitment to humanitarian principles and responsible, ethical use of data.