Job description

About IDinsight

IDinsight uses rigorous evidence to help leaders improve lives. They tailor a wide range of data and evidence tools, including randomized evaluations and machine learning, to help decision-makers design effective programs and rigorously test what works to support communities. IDinsight works with governments, multilaterals, foundations, and innovative non-profit organizations in Asia and Africa. They work across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, and financial inclusion. Their team is made up of exceptional economists, data scientists, policy experts, and development professionals.

They’ve worked in 21 African countries on around 80 projects, and they’re continuing to grow. IDinsight Africa is a critical contributor to national and state level policy decisions, and pivotal to IDinsight’s presence on the continent.

To learn more about them, please visit our website: www.IDinsight.org.

About the role

The Associate Director (AD) role will be supported by other directors in the region and IDinsight’s CEO and will assume critical responsibility for driving large pieces of IDinsight’s work and strategy in the Southern Africa Region. The AD will be supported by high quality research teams, an excellent operations team that ensures a well-functioning organization, and a communications team to help amplify the Director’s voice in policy circles. They will also be provided with bi-annual performance reviews (including feedback from peers and direct reports) to help them grow continuously and learn as professionals. 

The AD role will be provided with significant autonomy to leverage IDinsight as a platform to drive social impact (in consonance with our mission and strategy), whilst also being held accountable to clear goals that they will set for themselves in consultation with the Head of Africa and other leaders at IDinsight.

The AD role will be unique and tailored to individual strengths and interests. However, at a high level, these roles will include the following:

Key Responsibilities: 

• Develop and lead high-impact opportunities: Building on their experience, expertise, and networks, the Southern Africa Associate Director will help conceptualize, secure, fundraise, and execute impactful initiatives that use data and evidence to drive change. All initiatives should be in line with IDinsight’s mission and strategy but can take various forms, ranging from direct client-service engagements to amplify our partners’ impact, to contributing to public knowledge products aimed at infusing data and evidence into important social sector debates.
• Lead, mentor and guide project teams: Project leadership involves liaising with senior clients regularly, ensuring the highest standards of research quality and ethics, overseeing and mentoring teams (usually 3- 5 Managers, with 10-15 members in total), ensuring a safe and enabling atmosphere for colleagues, and keeping within project budgets. Most importantly, the AD will be expected to set and drive their projects toward achieving social impact. 
• Be a thought leader, a trusted advisor, and an advocate for data-driven reforms: In addition to leading projects, the AD will be expected to apply their considerable experience, expertise, and skills to shape evidence-informed action within one or multiple sectors, regions, or specializations. This includes writing in leading newspapers and journals, speaking at important conferences, harnessing relationships and networks within the impact community to develop trusted advisory positions with senior leaders, and participating in consultative councils within governments, foundations, and/or non-profits. 
• Contribute to IDinsight strategy: The AD will be responsible for working closely with Africa and global leadership teams to craft, refine and execute on realizing IDinsight’s strategy in Southern Africa. 
• Support organizational development: The AD will also be involved in contributing to global and regional operations such as recruitment, onboarding and performance reviews. They will be expected to support IDinsight to remain an impact-first, values-based, and nimble organization even as we grow. 
• Exemplify IDinsight’s mission and values: Ensuring a strong alignment between incoming Directors and IDinsight’s values is an important priority for us. The AD will be the face of IDinsight both externally and internally and will be expected to always and unambiguously exemplify our mission and values.

This position is based in Lusaka, Zambia and will likely include a good amount of domestic and international travel (around 30%, dependent on exact role and subject to adjustments due to the COVID-19) in order to fulfill the responsibilities mentioned above.

Additionally, due to the COVID-19 crisis, they are currently working remotely until it is possible to safely and responsibly resume work from office.

Does this sound like you?

• Deep passion for development and social impact, and strong alignment with IDinsight’s vision and mission 
• Record of building strong stakeholder and client relationships, especially with governments, Foundations, and non-profit organizations
• Record of impactful thought leadership and advocacy around important social and/or technical issues
• Fluency in the role of data and evidence tools – such as impact evaluations, representative surveys, monitoring systems, and/or machine learning – to create insights and impact
• Ability to be an inspiring leader in a dynamic, multicultural, and values-based environment
• Attitude to thrive in an entrepreneurial setting, and able to adapt to dynamic growth and change
• Eagerness to be a lifelong learner with keen intellectual curiosity and sense of humor
• Willingness to travel as needed and to work with remote colleagues
• 10+ years’ experience using data and evidence to improve social impact, ideally in Southern Africa
• An advanced degree (Master’s or Doctoral), preferably in public policy, economics, public administration, business, or public health
• Excitement to work across multiple development sectors

They understand that no one candidate will be able to excel in all these attributes. Instead, they are looking for leaders who significantly peak in certain attributes, while meeting a minimum threshold in all attributes.