Senior Data Specialist at TechnoServe

Practice Overview

• TechnoServe’s Impact Team is a dynamic and growing unit of global experts in monitoring and evaluation and business insights data, with the mandate of providing highest quality evidence to support decision-making in our projects around the world.
• The team has two components: A Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) leadership team, and a MEL Technology Team. The MEL Leadership team is comprised of Senior MEL Managers that support a portfolio of 10-20 projects in the design and implementation of MEL activities.
• The MEL Technology Team is comprised of Senior Data Specialists who work hand-in-hand with the Senior MEL Managers to provide projects with best-in-class data and analytics solutions that support effective implementation and enhance organizational learning.

Position Description       

• The Senior Data Specialist is responsible for the design, operation, maintenance, and customization of TechnoServe’s MEL technology and data across a portfolio of projects that focused on High Margin Agriculture (HMA) in our East Africa and West Africa Regions.
• This includes mobile data collection, data integration/migration, data management, data quality control, and including data visualization and analysis. S/he will ensure that the system can satisfactorily respond to the data needs of both individual programs and regional/country management.
• The position will report to the Regional MEL Manager for West Africa, who will collaborate with the Senior Data Specialist on the design and development of the overarching M&E system, of which the data management approach is a critical part.
• The role will work in close collaboration with our four other Senior Data Specialists that serve other portfolio and receive advisory support from the Global IT Department.

Duties and Responsibilities
With a particular focus on the HMA projects in East and West Africa, the Senior Data Specialist will:

• Onboard new projects to MEL technology platforms. This will require working with the project team and Senior MEL Manager to identify the proper data structure, IcT tools, and reports needed to respond to projects’ MEL needs. Initially, this will require substantial amounts of design and custom configuration, but will increasingly involve onboarding projects into existing systems.
• Guide all projects within West Africa to institute improvements to MEL technology systems by providing technical input, ensuring that proper data architecture and structure is put in place to respond to the project’s MEL and donor reporting requirements.
• Provide strong backstopping support to project-level MEL staff in data management, data quality, and data privacy. This includes verifying the integrity and availability of server resources, systems and key processes, reviewing system and application logs, and verifying completion of scheduled jobs.
• Perform weekly data backups of M&E data, archiving and purges as necessary. Maintain documentation and training materials on the system that are up-to-date and accurate.
• Verify key performance results and institute data quality checks, provide feedback.
• Manage all project data security protocols.
• Create reports and dashboards based on the project team’s specifications.
• Perform regular file archiving and manage West Africa MEL shared drive in collaboration with MEL Managers and Regional MEL Manager.

Collaborate on Impact Team global initiatives:

• Support and reinforce MEL implementation standards across projects in the region.
• Actively participate in Global M&E tech huddle, contributing input on feature requests, bottlenecks, software alternatives, and other system upgrades.
• Develop and advance best practices in partnership with the rest of the Impact Team, including active participation in team meetings.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with a technical major, such as Engineering or Computer Science, Information Technology and/or Software Engineering,
• Five (5) years of experience in systems administration, with particular emphasis on data management for business analytics, monitoring & evaluation, or other business needs that require close to real-time data use;  OR
• Master’s Degree with 3 years of experience.
• Required technical skills:
  • Experience using CommCare or other ODK-based platforms is a plus. Demonstrated interest in learning the platforms required.
  • Strong proficiency in BI/visualization tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau)
  • Familiarity with G Suite

Required Language: 

• Fluency in business English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency with any of the following: JavaScript, SQL, AWS, SalesForce, and/or AppSheets
• French language skills

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong attention to detail; specifically, with data quality/cleaning techniques
• Knowledge of appropriate data structures that facilitate the management of large datasets
• Ability to manage multiple projects at once and work independently and remotely to prioritize requests from project teams.
• Ability to proactively identify and address complex problems in a way that responds to end user needs.
• Ability to explain complex technology to users of all ability levels in a way that is respectful and engaging.
• Strong cross-cultural skills; deep respect for and collaborative spirit working with people of all educational, socio-economic, demographic backgrounds, and lifestyles.
• Willingness to travel regionally 15-20% of the time. Willingness to work evenings and weekends, often with little advance notice. Collaboration with staff based in other countries will require flexible work schedules.