PO- Data Use, Institutional Strengthening & Strategic Partnerships at Gates Foundation

Your Role

• We are looking for proactive and energetic talent that is preoccupied with a core question: how do you help countries enhance and run better measurement systems and invest in local ecosystems and capabilities that ultimately strengthen the analysis and actionable use of data in practical and pragmatic ways that are responsive to country needs? You will have practical with demonstrable experience and must have contributed to the effort of strengthening institutions that support data analytics and usage at country and regional level. You will have experience in supporting research and policy development in global health or a relevant socio-economic sector and a passion for investing in local institutions and young talent on the continent.
• You will be someone with experience and deep understanding of the gaps and opportunities to enhance data use across multiple levels from sub-national to national. You will also have concrete experience in engaging with multiple data systems and types ranging from population surveys to surveillance systems, to administrative data, to modelled data and other non-traditional data sources such as citizen generated data. You will have deep understanding of the various institutions and political economies of data and measurement ecosystems in different countries and globally and an ability to build relationships and decipher practical use cases that are relevant to countries. We are looking for someone that is not swayed by hype but rather has the practical ability to help governments nurture strong actionable data using ecosystems that are sustainable, cost effective and based on grounded realities.
• This role is well suited for early to mid-career professionals who are passionate about helping countries improve data use and investing in country capabilities and are keen to put their skills to use to address real world challenges while proactively rolling up their sleeves to grapple with collective problem solving. You will lead and drive our evolving work and investments on strengthening country capabilities for data generation, analysis and use with a primary focus on public health but also focusing on and paying attention to socio-economic sectors that ultimately affect health and social outcomes in society.
• The role is a member of the Africa, Data and Digital team within the broader Africa Team, reports to the Deputy Director, Data and Digital, Africa and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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.

Other Attributes

• Ability to travel within the continent and support countries up to 40% of the time
• Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship. Kenya Based