Project Officer - Data Analyst

Reports To:                      M&E Lead

Length of Contract:        One year with annual renewal subject to availability of funds

 

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out the commitment of the Catholic Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. 

 

CRS is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting relief and development work in over 100 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity, race or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners, including the Government to implement its programs.

 

CRS opened operations in Kenya in 1965. For over 50 years, we have worked throughout the country to implement programs in agriculture, livelihoods, health and nutrition, water, sanitation, emergency relief and peace building. We have built deep relationships with the Government of Kenya and the Catholic Church through ongoing collaboration and support.

 

Background

CRS is leading the Nawiri Project, a consortium of international non-governmental organizations, local implementing partners and international/ national research institutions to implement a multi-year USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA). Our partner agencies include Isiolo and Marsabit county governments, Isiolo and Marsabit Caritas, JSI, Village Enterprise, Concern Worldwide, IBTCI, Tufts University and Kenyatta University. The overarching goal of this multi-sectoral activity is to sustainably reduce levels of Persistent Acute Malnutrition (PAM) in Marsabit and Isiolo Counties of Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Following completion of Phase 1 (Oct. 2019 – Feb. 2022), the project is now in its implementation phase, focused on systems and institutional strengthening. An extension period means the project will now run until 2027, but with less presence over time as local actors including county governments increasingly take over.  

 

Job Summary 

The Project Officer – Data Analyst plays a critical role in ensuring Nawiri effectively uses its data for making evidence-based decisions and drive continuous improvement. Nawiri collects a lot of data and current utilization is currently low besides reporting. The data analyst will work closely with the sector teams to analyze data further and develop trends, regression analysis and cross tabulations that will be useful in showing the direction of change.  They work closely with the M&E team to ensure that both Nawiri custom and USAID BHA indicators are calculated accurately according to the performance indicator reference sheets (PIRS), correctly tabulated and entered on the indicator performance tracking table (IPTT). They also verify participant based annual survey (PaBS), Recurrent Resilience Analysis (RRA) data and ensure it is correctly analyzed and reported.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Participate in designing data collection, cleaning and analysis methods and preprocessing structured and unstructured data to ensure its quality and reliability.
• Create and execute machine learning algorithms and statistical models for routine monitoring data and special surveys.
• Work with the sector and information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) teams to explore and visualize data to identify patterns, trends, and relationships, and presenting the results and suggestions to relevant parties by using easily understandable visuals and concise reports.
• Ensure the effectiveness of data models through rigorous testing and analysis and evaluating the performance of data models and refining them as needed.
• Ensure the indicator performance tracking tables (IPTT)/dashboard accurately represent USAID/BHA requirements including indicator calculations from Participant based Annual Survey (PaBS), Recurrent resilience analysis (RRA), and post distribution monitoring (PDMs) amongst others.
• Ensure learning consistently accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle through collaboration with other ICT4D professionals, documenting data models, configurations, and procedures to ensure that other team members can understand and maintain the system effectively.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely, influence and get buy-in from staff and local partners.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Presentation, facilitation, training, and mentoring skills.
• Strong active listening and communication skills using both formal and informal approaches.
• High integrity with ability to manage sensitive information professionally while maintaining confidentiality.
• Demonstrated commitment to respect, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

 

Required Languages: Excellent verbal and written communication in English, with ability to write reports.

 

Travel: Position is based in Nairobi. Must be willing and able to travel to the field up to 40%. 

 

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

 

Key Working Relationships 

Internal: Strategic Learning Lead, County-based M&E staff, Project staff, CRS Information and Communications Technology (ICT)/GKIM staff.

 

External: Implementing partner M&E officers and consortium partner staff, and peer agencies’ staff. USAID and Mercy Corps led Nawiri ICT4D staff.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, data science, computer science, or another quantitative field is required. Formal/certification in relational databases and/or advanced visualization platforms is an added advantage. Additional experience may substitute for some education qualifications.
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of statistics, data science, modelling, and data analysis.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in data science, such as Python or R. These languages are used for data manipulation, analysis, visualization, and model development.
• Strong understanding of statistical concepts and techniques, including hypothesis testing, regression analysis, time series analysis, and probability theory. Statistical knowledge is crucial for data exploration, model building, and evaluating the significance of results.
• Knowledge of machine learning algorithms and techniques for supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. This includes algorithms for classification, regression, clustering, dimensionality reduction, and ensemble methods.
• Skills in data wrangling and manipulation to clean, preprocess, and transform raw data into a suitable format for analysis. Proficiency in libraries like Pandas (Python) or dplyr (R) for data manipulation tasks.
• Ability to create effective visualizations to communicate insights from data. Proficiency in data visualization libraries such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, ggplot2, PowerBi, ArcGIS or Plotly for creating plots, charts, and interactive dashboards.
• Knowledge of database systems and querying languages like SQL for data extraction and manipulation. Understanding of relational databases, NoSQL databases, and data warehouse concepts
• Knowledge of USAID indicators tabulation and calculation.
• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating groups, meetings, and events (both online and in-person), resulting in collaborative decision-making with agreed-upon action items/priorities. 

 

MEAL Competencies (for CRS MEAL Program Staff)

Each staff member in this position is expected to have solid knowledge and ability and can apply the following competencies with minimal or no guidance, in the full range of typical situations, while requiring guidance to handle novel or more complex situations:

• Monitoring
• Accountability
• Learning

 

In addition, each staff member in this position is expected to have basic knowledge and ability and, with guidance, be able to apply the following competencies in common situations that present limited difficulties:

• MEAL in Design
• Evaluation
• Analysis and Critical Thinking
• ICT4MEAL
• Management in MEAL

 

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability - Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others - Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn - Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

 

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change - Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others - Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhances team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset - Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

 

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

 

What we offer:

CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

 

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

 

CRS Kenya strives to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come and work, stay, and do their best.

 

CRS provides equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability or handicap, medical condition and any other status protected by law. As an equal opportunity employer, CRS will recruit, hire, train and promote persons solely on their qualifications and abilities.

 

CRS’ emphasis on family values supports benefits, including maternity and paternity leave, policies that promote exclusive breastfeeding, the availability of a baby room at the office, and flexible working hours where possible. Women and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

 

By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.

 

The protection of your personal data is important to Catholic Relief Services. By submitting your application, you consent to CRS using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. CRS will not use your personal data in any other way other than for purposes of recruitment.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.