Data Scientist

Location: Bhisho

Join to apply for the Data Scientist role le:
Data Scientist Reporting Unit/Supervisor:
Impact team

Location:

Remote (Preferred in Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Nigeria)
Grade: 9

FLSA Classification:
Exempt Travel:
Possible International up to 10%
Techno Serve Background:

Founded over 50 years ago, Techno Serve is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. A nonprofit organization operating in 29 countries, we work with enterprising men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. By linking people to information, capital and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities.
Team Overview:

The Global Impact team has the mandate to make Techno Serve an industry-leading example of responsible use of data to manage effectively, generate insight, and drive innovation for fighting poverty. Specifically, the team integrates with project teams to provide advanced direct technical assistance. Having a global Impact team, external to project reporting lines, creates value for Techno Serve and its donors by allowing all projects to have advanced technical skills embedded in the team without hiring a full‑time team member, rapidly deploy best‑in‑class data platforms, provide objective backstopping, and connect the project to global learning initiatives.

The Impact team also runs Techno Serve’s global results reporting systems, leads working groups, and runs other initiatives to ensure data and results across the organization are valid. The team has two components: a Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) leadership team and a MEL Technology team. The MEL Technology team is composed of Data Scientists who work hand‑in‑hand with Senior MEL Managers to develop and deploy data platforms and support the effective use of data throughout the life of the project.
Position

Description:

The Data Scientist will support a collection of projects (mostly clustered within their region) by customizing Techno Serve’s standard MEL technology approach to the requirements and operational context of each project. This is an iterative process that requires strong communication skills and a user‑centered design approach. Once the system is deployed, the Data Scientist will support effective management, reporting, and insight generation through creating dashboards, analysis, and products that allow project teams to engage their data.

In addition to direct project support, the Data Scientist will help advance global best practices and the standardization of MEL systems, investigate emerging technologies, and participate in global working groups. While this is a technical role, success hinges on integrating with projects, understanding their context and needs, collaborating successfully, and ultimately delivering an excellent customer experience. Strong soft skills are therefore critical.
Duties and Responsibilities

Develop MEL tech for new projects by working with the project team and Senior MEL Manager to identify the proper data structure, ICT tools, and use cases, then configure the standard MEL Tech platform and integrate other technology as needed.
Support effective adoption of MEL tech by providing onboarding and ongoing training to project teams, modifying the system as the project evolves, and developing data utilization tools such as dashboards that respond to emerging needs.
Provide strong backstopping support to project‑level MEL staff in data management, data quality, and data privacy.
Verify key performance results and institute data quality checks.
Perform regular file archiving and manage Google Team Drive folders in collaboration with MEL Managers and the Regional MEL Manager.
Collaborate on global initiatives: refine and roll out MEL tech standards and best practices in collaboration with the Global Impact Team and practice areas; participate in the MEL tech community of practice to build capacity and elevate emerging talent within the organization.

Qualifications

Educational:
Bachelor’s Degree with a technical major (engineering, computer…