What You’ll Do

The Program Officer will be a

Grant maker and investor to help invest in and strengthen local data use and measurement ecosystems and support reformists and champions within countries to move the needle on how data is generated and used.

Technical advisor and honest broker to help advise and identify needs and use cases where data use and capabilities can be strengthened.

Mentor and coach where you get to work with, take bets, inspire and be inspired by young talent across the continent and support incubation and growth of local ecosystems.

Risk taker and innovator who can help test and try out innovative solutions within country contexts

Connector and Collaborator who can identify, work with and crowd in a range of internal, global, national, public and private partners over common agendas.

Data User and Analyst who has an ability to use and make sense of data and identify quality gaps and generate insights internally and externally.

Quality Assurer and Critical Reviewer who can interrogate different approaches to measurement and programming and question the strength of evidence.

Adviser and Ideas Generator who can help generate new insights or point to missed lessons and opportunities to explore further.

Economic Steward who is always questioning and thinking through cost benefit options from the onset.

Continuous Learner and Listener where you get to immerse yourself in the ground where citizens are struggling to access basic services and critically question what role investments in better data use and measurement can play to improve conditions based on the realities you experience and find ways to have the voices of those hidden be heard and counted.

Design and lead investments across various countries in the continent that sustainably strengthen institutional capabilities and local data ecosystems to improve data use and measurement.

Proactively research and scouting for investment opportunities and demand in country where reformists want to truly strengthen measurement and data use capabilities at all levels.

Strengthening coordination and impact of measurement investments through multi-stakeholder collaboration externally and internally.

Incubate, test and innovative institutional partnerships within countries that help countries and ministries use data better

Explicitly find opportunities to invest in and create partnerships where governments can tap into the youth demographic dividend to improve measurement and performance management within countries.

Proactively support, handle, prepare, track and analyze key data trends affecting selected countries and sub-nationally while identifying practical solutions on how data quality can be improved.

Critically review, research, advise, engage and form points of view on different measurement methodologies that shape how countries measure and track progress and how gaps in knowledge can be filled.

Represent the foundation in key technical forum focused on strengthening measurement systems and use as needed.

Maintain and nurture strong relationships with technical users of data in core government ministries to understand and solve problems on what enhances and limits effective data use.

Be a key knowledge resource to the team for emerging research questions, assisting with internal research requests and finding opportunities for learning.

Manage budgets and returns on investment with a keen eye on cost efficiencies.

Your Experience

Advanced degree and / or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as epidemiology, biostatistics, statistics, data science or international public health.

Proven and practical experience of public health and socio-economic challenges in Africa.

A minimum of 5 years of practical proven experience supporting, leading or contributing to strengthening of data use and measurement ecosystems within a country with a demonstrable portfolio of work.

Experience and deep understanding of the complex range of measurement data systems and approaches to measurement.

Evidence and experience of collaboration with government stakeholders and champions and playing a technical advisory function.

High degrees of methodological and analytical proficiency skills spanning measurement design / methods, quantitative and qualitative methods and demonstrated ability to analyze and engage with data and draw critical inferences

Experience in strengthening local measurement ecosystems and nurturing local talent.

Deep understanding of in-country health care service delivery in one or more African countries, with full appreciation of the complexities of implementing and managing country work with sustainability as a priority.

Experience of working as a grant maker or equivalent experience as a grantee in an organization with experience of grant cycle management from proposal design to evaluation.

Experience in evaluating proposals and technical specifications and providing critical input.

Program and / or project management capabilities; from workplan concept development through implementation, with strong organizational and prioritization skills. Attention to detail.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to effectively synthesize data and information to reach diverse audiences, build consensus in internal and external contexts.

Model professional courage – engages in trust-based debate, asks hard or unpopular questions, and is willing to say no.