Senior Data Analyst

The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) was founded as a response to the National Development Plan's call for stakeholders to work together to improve educational outcomes in South Africa. It is a partnership initiative involving government, business, labour and civil society.

The NECT seeks to employ an individual who is experienced, innovative, highly skilled, organised and a passionate self-starter.

Role Overview:

The Senior Analyst will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive tools and strategies that allow raw data to be transformed into programme insights. In addition, they will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams within the NECT, Department of Basic Education (National and Provinces), and district and provincial stakeholders to drive evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement in education programme outcomes.

Role Description / Key Performance Areas:

Operational Delivery:

• Utilise data drawn from various sources to develop new insights, to inform decision-making, address strategic and operational business questions.
• Develop and deliver statistical and mathematical models to support insights within the organisation and Division that lead to fact-based decision making.
• Proactively provide fact-based analytical programs to address strategic business and programme needs.
• Test and process data sets, developing test cases with data science applied.
• Review data quality and issues and compile action plan for quality improvement.
• Guide and quality assure instrument development, data collection and all other aspects of data management.
• Employ meaningful analytical methods to provide insights and actionable recommendations.
• Adhere to ethical standards in managing public, personal and confidential data.
• Understand business processes and data sources, definitions, and values in order to design, initiate and conduct key tasks or projects.
• Identify, analyse, and interpret trends, patterns and relationships in complex data sets and make recommendations based on findings.
• Ensure timeous delivery of accurate data.
• Produce high quality analytical reports.
• Understand sampling and weighting

People Delivery:

• Lead analytics and education insights functions including data integration, reporting, dashboards, and predictive analytics.
• Manage the training and workload of a junior data analyst.
• Lead the training of others in the MRF team requiring skills in data and analysis.
• Collaborate effectively with others to achieve personal, team, and program objectives.
• Engage with colleagues and program beneficiaries/stakeholders in accordance with NECT human capital practices and policies to create an enabling environment.
• Implement people and culture strategies based on NECT's human capital practices and policies to foster an environment that empowers high-performing teams
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Finance and Governance:

• Complies with Finance and Risk management governances.
• Ensure standard project practice and governances followed.
• Ensure that data related activities adhere to ethical standards, regulations, and sector best practices.
• Safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of research subjects and sensitive data

Technical Competencies

Data Analytics:

• Advanced skills in the analysis, modelling, and interpretation of data to derive meaningful insights. Sound skills in maintaining data integrity. Advanced skills in using data analysis tools.

Data Management and Integrity:

• Advanced skills in data management, including data storage, cleaning, and maintaining data integrity. Knowledge of data governance principles to ensure data quality and compliance.

Data Reporting and Visualisation:

• Advanced skills in data management, including data storage, cleaning, and maintaining data integrity. Knowledge of data governance principles to ensure data quality and compliance.

Data Reporting and Visualisation:

• Advanced skills in creating clear and compelling data reports and visualisations for program stakeholders. Knowledge of data visualisation tools and best practices.

Project Coordination and Delivery:

• Intermediate skills in coordinating a project according to the required project methodology. Knows how the costs and risks are managed on the project.

Qualifications required:

Master's degree in a relevant field (Education, Demography, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics).

Experience required:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in data analysis, preferably in the context of large-scale education programs.
• Proven track record of successfully managing and analysing complex datasets.
• Proficiency in statistical analysis software for data manipulation and analysis.
• Experience with survey design, sampling methodologies, and data collection techniques.
• Strong knowledge of impact evaluation methodologies, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and case control studies.
• Data visualisation skills using tools including STATA, Tableau, R, Power BI, or similar platforms.
• Basic knowledge of impact assessment methodologies.
• Understanding of data privacy and ethics principles when working with sensitive or personal data in the education sector.
• Fundamental statistical concepts, such as mean, median, standard deviation, and hypothesis testing.