Data Analyst Research / NGO experience required

Data
Analysis and Insights Generation

·        Analyse data to generate
actionable insights that inform strategic decisions and programme improvements.

·        Create, enhance and support the
use of interactive dashboards and analytics tools to improve data-driven
decision-making across the organisation and network.

·        Provide statistical methodology
to design and execute experiments, including evaluations and research projects.

·        Ensure that data analysis and
insights are aligned with SmartStart’s broader strategic goals related to child
outcomes and early learning.

·        Support real-time monitoring
and feedback loops to enable rapid adjustments and responsive decision-making.

·        Identify patterns, trends, and
correlations in data to inform programme adaptation and innovation.

·        Write up findings in accessible
and understandable formats for audiences of varying technical ability.

·        Create insights briefs and
reports to communicate key findings and recommendations.

Supporting
Organisational Learning and Adaptive Strategy

• Support teams to leverage insights for
  learning, programme improvements, and innovation, including rapid
  experimentation.
  
• Support the creation of conditions for
  network-wide rapid learning, iterative experimentation, and collective
  intelligence.
  
• Translate complex data into actionable
  insights tailored to different audiences (e.g., programme teams,
  leadership, network partners).
  
• Provide training and capacity-building to
  strengthen data literacy and improve the organisation’s ability to engage
  with data for strategic decision-making.
  
• Work closely with the Senior Data Analyst
  and Senior MEL Manager and programme teams and external partners to
  integrate data insights into programme design and delivery.
  

Co-Developing
Research and Evaluation Agenda

• Collaborate with the Research team to design
  and implement research and evaluation strategies.
  
• Support the conceptualisation of research
  and/or evaluation questions, studies, and terms of reference.
  
• Provide input into research design, data
  analysis, and interpretation.
  

 Data
Governance and Quality Assurance

• Together with the SDI team, enable and
  coordinate data governance, including data availability, accessibility,
  integrity, quality (including accuracy, consistency, and reliability),
  usability, security, and regulatory compliance (in collaboration with IT
  and legal teams).
  
• Ensure data handling and analysis are
  conducted with high ethical standards, safeguarding privacy and equity
  considerations in line with SmartStart’s values.
  
• Conduct assessments of key data assets and
  identify potential risks or gaps, including data process mapping.
  
• Support the development and maintenance of
  metadata to ensure data consistency and reliability.
  
• Support the establishment of systems to
  monitor data hygiene, conduct regular quality checks, and address
  discrepancies, in collaboration with the IT department.
  

External
Engagement and Knowledge Sharing

• Support the preparation of data and insights
  for funder reports, impact statements, and advocacy purposes.
  
• Respond to queries from local and
  international researchers and analysts.
  
• Engage with external partners to manage data
  sharing agreements and restructure data according to their needs.
  
• Supervise and evaluate the work of external
  consultants where necessary.
  

Requirements

Essential
Skills and Experience

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in
  education, Psychology, Economics, Social Sciences, Statistics, Public
  Health or a related field, with a masters preferred.
  
• At least 2 years of experience in data
  analysis, data science, or related fields, provided the candidate can
  conceptualise and execute research/statistical analysis independently.
  
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills,
  including proficiency with statistical software (e.g., Stata, R, or SPSS)
  
• A strong working and theoretical knowledge
  of statistical principles, ideally relating to designing and running
  randomised control trials.
  
• Experience with data visualisation tools
  (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
  
• Proven ability to drive continuous
  improvement in data systems and insights generation.
  
• Strong communication and report-writing
  skills, with the ability to explain complex data to non-technical
  audiences.
  
• Experience in managing and working with
  large datasets and relational databases.
  
• Familiarity with data governance, including
  privacy, compliance, and security requirements.
  
• Ability to work collaboratively and
  effectively in a cross-functional team environment.
  
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement
  rapid experiments.
  
• Strong strategic thinking and
  problem-solving skills.
  
• Experience working in a social
  impact or nonprofit context.
  

Desirable
Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with survey software (e.g.
  SurveyCTO) and CRMs (Microsoft Dynamics) as well as Azure.
  

• Experience in building capacity for data use
  and improving data literacy across teams.
  
• Experience and/or curiosity to work
  with AI tools, automation tools, machine learning and algorithms.