The Senior Associate, Program Data Analytics (PDA) analyzes cleaned program data - handed off by the Program Data Management (PDM) team - to generate insights, visualizations, and reports that inform program decisions across West and Central Africa (WCA).
The Senior Associate collaborates closely with program teams and other MLE units to understand analytical needs and to translate lessons learned from data into decision-ready outputs.
This position will be an integral part of the Data Analytics and Learning team that operates within Evidence Action's broader Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) team for the WCA Sub-Region. In this role, the Senior Associate will report to the Associate Manager, Program Data Analytics, and will supervise the Associate, Program Data Analytics.
Primary Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Associate Manager, Program Data Analytics, take the lead in running statistical analysis and generating reports, visualizations, and publications from cleaned program data
Ensure adequate information flow within and between program teams and MLE divisions on analytical findings
Review and experiment with innovative visualization techniques to showcase MLE analytical work effectively
Design content for in-house mentorship and training sessions for MLE field teams and facilitate these sessions
Participate actively in organizing in-house MLE meetings and represent the Program Data Analytics department and MLE in internal and external engagements when necessary.
Duties and Responsibilities
Data Analysis:
Run descriptive and inferential statistical analysis (e.g. summary statistics, cross-tabulations, regression analysis) on cleaned program data using Stata, R, or Python
Full understanding of program needs for analysis and translating that back to the MLE team, including developing tools that enable clear and effective analytical requests
Identifying, prioritizing, and communicating program team analytical requests to the MLE team
Flag data anomalies or emerging trends identified during analysis to the Associate Manager
Ensure effective information flow and communication of lessons learned from MLE to programs
Writing and editing reports and presentations with a keen eye for how analytical findings should be phrased based on the viewpoint of the target audiences (i.e. data visualization software, infographics, etc.)
Collecting and organizing/curating information from various sources (i.e. existing program (primary) research, external (secondary) research, new analyses, management information systems, etc.) to help programs in making decisions
Participating in the development of informative and eye-catching infographics that aid in guiding data-driven decision making
Maintaining oversight of MLE dashboards by communicating with dashboard developers to guarantee the best aesthetics and the most up-to-date data are reflected
Empowering the MLE field team officers to make quality presentations during bi-monthly meetings with programs
Extracting learnings from analysis and research products that enable program teams to make evidence-based decisions
Routinely attending meetings within MLE and across various programs as required.
Team Management:
Managing productivity, professional development, and skill building for at least one Associate, Program Data Analytics
Contributing to the accomplishment of the program data analytics work plan.
Key Performance Indicators
Short turnaround time between cleaned data hand-off, analysis output generation, and report development and dissemination
Analytical rigor: documented, reproducible analysis with minimal errors identified in review
Introduction of innovative ways, including visualization techniques, to the portfolio of the program data analytics team
Fluency in articulation of findings both orally and in written form through reports or visuals
Routine attendance at meetings within MLE and across various programs as required.
Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in a Data-oriented discipline (i.e. Statistics, Data Science, Economics, or related fields).
A postgraduate degree will be an added advantage
A minimum of 3 years' work experience running quantitative data analysis and generating high quality, clear, thought leadership reports
Strong working knowledge of statistical software packages such as Stata, R, or Python, with demonstrated experience running descriptive and inferential statistical analysis
Experience transforming cleaned data into insights and reports, working with large amounts of data/information and seeing the 'bigger picture'
Proven work experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau for interactive dashboards and reporting
Experience developing infographics using tools/software such as Piktochart, Canva, Snappa, Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, etc
Working knowledge of mapping software - either R/R Shiny, ArcGIS, or QGIS
Personal characteristics: proactive; strong communication skills; creative/thinking out of the box; an eye for detail; and a love for data
Fluency in English required; working proficiency in French desirable for engagement in Francophone WCA countries
Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance analytical workflows, automate routine processes, and improve overall productivity.