Data Management and Analytics Officer

AGRA seeks to recruit Data Management and Analytics Officer who plays a critical role in leading the overall design and implementation of quality information management systems, data management standards, data quality assurance and facilitation of evidence use across teams and field sites. The role requires extensive statistical experience and a good understanding of data toolkits, applications, measurement approaches, and concepts. The post holder will be expected to provide technical support in: data gathering, aggregation, MEAL tool development, support electronic data platforms, databases and select technologies to capture and organize data in a usable format. He/she will work collaboratively with program officers, partner implementation teams, and AGRA Head Quarters (HQ) support teams.

AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farm households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income.

Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and linkages to profitable markets.

In our work, we aspire to build the alliances, partnerships, and networks required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation. We work with our partners to create an equitable youth-friendly environment that harnesses the youth dividend on the continent to drive growth and facilitate open employment opportunities for young women and men. We achieve our key objectives through a focus on the following four areas of intervention:

Implementing Our New Strategy Through People

People are the heart of our organization and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact. We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the continent combined with an inclusive and diverse workforce from over 24 nationalities. Our commitment to a call to action goes beyond ourselves as we arise to catalyze African Food Systems transformation by being Deeply collaborative, Executing Excellently, Sincerely Constructive and Increasingly Entrepreneurial aligned with our values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship and Equity).

We are, therefore, looking for people who are passionate about Africa to join our innovative, growing, and multidisciplinary team. Together, we can grow Africa’s food systems by improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Want to join us?

The Data Management and Analytics Officer will provide leadership to the country team in ensuring that data collection remains consistent, transparent, and aligned with data system standards. S/e will also bridge the gap between raw data and evidence-based decision-making through advanced visualization, partner capacity building, and high-level reporting.

Role Summary:

This position will leverage data to generate insights, drive informed decision-making, and support organizational goals and objectives. The specialist plays a critical role in managing and analyzing data to extract valuable information, identify patterns and trends, and provide actionable recommendations to improve business performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. Additionally, by applying statistical techniques, data modelling, and advanced analytics, this position will uncover meaningful insights that can inform strategic planning, resource allocation, process optimization, and performance measurement. This position will, therefore, serve as a clearing house for all data and analytics that informs the diverse programmes the AGRA Ethiopia Country Office invests in.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Maintain and enhance data collection systems including ActivityInfo 5Ws, KoBo forms, and PowerBi dashboards.
• Work closely with the CPL, M&E and Program teams to analyze linkages and bottlenecks in the supply chains and opportunities to make VCs more productive for the youth.
• Support undertake analysis on country economic conditions, inclusion approaches, possible potential risks the youth, especially women may face in local and regional markets.
• Develop predictive financial models to support youth and women business cases for priority value chains.
• Map target value chains and outline opportunities and how business cases can be developed from each potential value chain for the youth, and especially women to sustainably gain employment.
• Analyze local market structures and key risks/barriers in enabling the environment and factors affecting market access for the youth and ways for their improvement.
• Provide analytics on financial costs, including gross margins in the chain and compare costs of credit with profit margins in the prioritized value chains.
• Analyze current market trends in terms of market demand and supply, price-scheduling mechanisms, market determinant factors, supply chains and government market regulatory and control mechanisms for specific value chains.
• Assess existing and potential markets for priority value chains to ensure direct linkages of the youth with the major markets and increased incomes from their business cases.
• Analyze historical and current financial data to understand value chain analysis for local and regional markets in terms of type, size and volume of market, goods sold and bought, supply chain, type of producers, suppliers and vendors, women-led businesses/trades, and market associations/trade organizations, especially for women and competitiveness.
• Analyze processes to identify gaps that can improve profit margins and establish benchmarks for financial processes.
• Support data and analytical evidence to inform investment opportunities and financing decisions along value chains (VCs) to facilitate agribusiness growth.
• Develop profiles on the competitiveness, size of markets, volumes of sale, market integration /segmentation of priority value chains and determine the cost, profit, marketing, and supply and demand dynamics of the prioritized value chains.
• Advise the Country Office on the potential of AI for expanding access to finance, including through automating credit underwriting.
• Design KPI dashboards and program monitoring systems using Power BI and Tableau to support evidence-based decision-making
• Design and deliver training modules on data management, visualization, and the use of information management tools.
• Support the expansion of the use of digital technologies and online dashboards to enhance timeliness and quality data collection, analysis, and visualization.
• Develop compelling content and visualizations to communicate needs and response efforts to external stakeholders.
• Utilize Adobe Creative Suite to produce donor-friendly materials and amplify the visibility of AGRA’s contribution to food systems development.

Academic and professional qualifications:

Education:

• Master’s degree in information technology, statistics, economics, and related fields.
• Relevant professional certification.

Experience:

• Seven years of relevant experience.

Skills:

• Relevant professional job experience (market assessments, local economic development, value chain development, strategic planning, etc.).
• Proficiency and experience with data analysis and modelling techniques using software programs such as Excel, STATA, R, SPSS, SAS,
• Proven proficiency in tools such as ActivityInfo, PowerBi, KoBo, Klaviyo, and ArcGIS will be an added advantage.
• Strategic thinking and organizational skills.
• Hands-on experience working with statistical analysis and statistical packages.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality reports and advocacy materials using Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including international NGOs, donors, and government entities.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, power queries, functions).
• Expertise in data transformation, visualization, and analytics, particularly using PowerBi and DAX.
• Proven ability to manage confidential data and implement data protection protocols

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Grade: HG15

Minimum Base Salary: USD 1,271 per month.

Terms of appointment: These are National Staff (NS) positions, initial appointment is for two years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes a very competitive salary and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plan, etc

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data
• Economics / Statistics