PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Scientific and Technical Leadership
Collect, clean, and preprocess data from diverse sources, including African population cohorts.
Develop pipelines for data extraction from Local Participating Cohorts (LPCs).
Analyse structured and unstructured data to identify trends, patterns, and actionable insights.
Develop predictive models, statistical analyses, and machine learning algorithms to support research objectives.
Visualise data insights using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, matplotlib, or Seaborn.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams and cohort partners to understand data requirements and inform project design.
Map and harmonise metadata across APCC LPCs.
Document methods, models, analyses, and data-related workflows in a clear, reproducible manner.
Ensure adherence to FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and best practices in data governance.
Stay updated on emerging data science methodologies, statistical tools, and computational techniques.
Support the development and implementation of data harmonisation protocols, metadata standards, and data interoperability strategies.
Implement and monitor data quality assurance, validation, and reproducibility processes.
Ensure compliance with ethical standards, data protection regulations, and secure data-sharing protocols.
Maintain and manage APCC data repositories, including GitHub and other collaborative platforms.
Research Strategy and Innovation
Conduct programme-relevant research to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects within the APCC portfolio.
Collaborate with the M&E team to collate, track, validate, and analyse programme data, providing actionable insights for decision-making.
Develop and implement innovative data-driven solutions to enhance programme delivery and research outcomes.
Track research trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in population health and data science to inform APCC strategy.
Prepare reports, policy briefs, publications, and presentations for grantee meetings, stakeholders, and strategic discussions.
Build and maintain relationships with universities, research institutions, government agencies, think tanks, and intergovernmental organisations.
Support cross-cohort comparative analyses and meta-analyses to strengthen evidence generation.
Programme Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement
Represent SFA Foundation and APCC programmes at internal and external meetings and events.
Work closely with Communications teams to develop media, outreach, and dissemination strategies to enhance programme visibility and stakeholder engagement.
Support cross-cutting programme activities across SFA Foundation initiatives when required.
Coordinate training and capacity-building sessions for cohort partners on data management, analytics, and visualisation tools.
Contribute to programme planning, budgeting, and resource allocation in collaboration with the Programme Manager.
Support risk management, including identifying, tracking, and mitigating data-related and programme risks.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Academic Qualifications
A Master's or PhD degree in a relevant Data Science/, Computer Science, Statistics, or related research field obtained over the past 5 years; or equivalent training qualities and experience.
Experience
At least 5 years' experience working in research/data capacity and development of programme design and implementation on the African continent.
A proven record of data analysis.
Experience with data visualisation tools.
Knowledge of big data platforms.