Data Systems and Support Associate

The context: 

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help.

About us:

At Rising Academies, our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. The goal is to unleash the full potential of every student, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and character to succeed in further study, work, and day-to-day life. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.

We own and operate our own great value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to help other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola Epidemic before opening our first school in April 2015. Today, we serve more than 250,000 students across more than 900 schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and now Rwanda.

Through great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools. In June 2024, one of our private schools in Sierra Leone - Rising Academy Waterloo - was shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World's Best School Prizes in the Overcoming Adversity category. Sierra Leone's Minister for Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Mr. Conrad Sackey, .

About the role:

We are looking for an exceptional Data Systems and Support Associate to join our academics team at Rising Academies. As a Data Systems and Support Associate, your role is pivotal in improving and maintaining our data systems, encompassing our data collection and visualization tools, and conducting regular analyses. Your main responsibility will be to ensure we have the best tools and processes in place to inform our program teams' decision-making and measure progress towards our goals. This role presents an exciting opportunity to master essential data tools while supporting our data teams and educational operations across multiple countries. The ideal candidate will combine technical aptitude with strong analytical skills, a collaborative spirit, and a customer service mindset.

The Data Systems and Support Associate will:

Technical Systems Management

• Maintain key operational tools including CommCare, Looker Studio, and Zapier
• Develop processes for managing data system requests and updates
• Maintain data sources in Google Sheets and PostgreSQL
• Implement system improvements to enhance performance and user experience

Analysis and Reporting

• Support country teams with analysis of survey data
• Produce comprehensive analysis reports and insights
• Conduct custom analyses on various educational metrics

Data Tools Development

• Develop new data collection tools and dashboards based on project-needs
• Respond to and implement dashboard and tool update as requested

Training and Support

• Deliver workshops to enhance in-country data teams' technical capabilities
• Provide technical support to other departments

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time, fixed-term remote position. The Data Systems and Support Associate will report directly to Rising’s Head of Data and Research.

Application deadline: 

The target start-date for this role will be February 1st 2025.

Qualifications and Experience:

• University level undergraduate degree in statistics, economics, social sciences or a relevant field.
• 2+ years of experience in a similar role (MEL, data collection, analysis).
• Proficient with using data collection and visualization software's like CommCare (or SurveyCTO/Kobo/ODK). 
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and Google Sheet. 
• Basic SQL knowledge and data manipulation skills.
• Familiarity with Looker Studio and Zapier is desired. Having demonstrated experience using these tools is a huge plus.
• Strong experience in training or capacity building, playing a technical support role for diverse data teams in the past.
• Background in education data systems.

About You:

• You can communicate with stakeholders in a multicultural environment, as well as clearly document high level data and reports for these audiences.
• You are keen on system building and improvements.
• You have a keen interest in student learning and leveraging data tools to improve our programs.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interpersonal skills.
• You demonstrate people skills; must be able to collaborate effectively with diverse personalities and skill sets, and enjoy constructive conflict.
• You have a strong track record of professionalism, trustworthiness and working independently sometimes.
• You are data-driven, making decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
• You possess strong analytical and reasoning skills with ability to adapt to changes in a fast-paced agile environment.
• You are proactive, self-driven and can take initiative and problem-solve.
• You are willing to take risks, fail, learn, give and receive feedback, and try new approaches.
• Strong familiarity with technology, including Microsoft, Google Suite, data collection tools, slack and data visualization tools.
• You are passionate about improving the quality of education across Africa.

Compensation and Benefits:

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits. 

Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable. 

The benefits we offer are built to have a strong added value on our staff’s well-being and we are excited to discuss this further with you in the process.

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Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.

Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.