Data Systems Associate, Rwanda 2024

Position Overview 

The Data Systems Associate will play a crucial role in supporting our organization's data infrastructure. You'll work hand in hand with teams across the company to create and maintain the data pipelines and systems that power our decision-making.

In this role, you'll be the go-to person for ensuring that data flows smoothly between our systems. You'll optimize our databases to keep things running like clockwork and dive deep into the data to generate insights. You'll collaborate with stakeholders to truly understand what they need from our data, then support it building out. 

As our Data Systems Associate, you'll have the chance to leave your mark on our data landscape. We'll look to you and your technical capabilities, analytical mind, and knack for collaboration to shape our data-driven strategies and push our success to new heights. You'll be part of a dynamic, talented team that thrives on turning data into better decisions and driving impact. If you're ready to make a real impact, this is the place to do it.

The right person for this role will:

• Have strong analytical and problem-solving skills to effectively handle complex data challenges
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders at all levels
• Be able to clearly articulate technical concepts and data insights to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Demonstrate the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Be a strategic thinker, proactively identifying opportunities to leverage data for impact
• Have meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality work
• Show a passion for continuous learning and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in data engineering and analysis
  

Sound like you or someone you know? Read below, visit our careers page to learn more about Educate!

About Educate! 

By 2035, Africa will contribute more people to the workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. Educate! leverages an obsession with evidence and iterative learning to tackle one of our planet's greatest challenges — unlocking the potential of its youngest continent. 

Educate! prepares youth in Africa with the skills to succeed in today’s economy. We've created a 100-hour experience that delivers the most essential skills youth need to transition to work, combining training, mentorship, and practical experience starting a business. We deliver this experience to youth in 3 ways: directly to schools, integrated into education systems, and through bootcamps for out-of-school youth.

All three delivery channels have been validated by several independent evaluations, and to date, more than 200,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted by this model across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. Along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth skills provider in East Africa.

Educate! is a team of over 210 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. 

We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures, Big Bang Philanthropy,  #startsmall, and Echidna Giving. Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award, and has been highlighted by the World Bank’s S4YE's Impact Portfolio, an Al Jazeera documentary, BBC, The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator. In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year. By 2025, we aim to scale our annual reach by 4x and measurably impact over 400,000 new youth with the essential skills they need to succeed in life.

Performance Objectives 

Set data pipelines between various systems as needed: 40%

• Design, develop, and maintain efficient data pipelines to facilitate data flow between different systems
• Ensure data integrity, reliability, and timely delivery through the pipelines
• Troubleshoot and resolve pipeline issues to minimize data flow disruptions

Data Management Operations through database manipulation: 25%

• Perform database manipulations to support data management operations
• Optimize database performance and ensure data accuracy and consistency
• Develop and maintain database schemas, indexes, and queries
• Collaborate with team members to define and implement data governance policies

Carry out data analysis as required:: 20%

• Conduct data analysis to derive insights and support decision-making processes
• Apply statistical techniques and machine learning algorithms to analyze large datasets
• Identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in data and provide actionable recommendations
• Generate reports and visualizations to present analysis findings effectively

Set up data display channels: 15%

• Create and maintain dashboards, reports, and data visualization tools
• Design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for data display channels
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate frontend systems with backend data processes
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their data visualization requirements
• Ensure data display channels are accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with business needs

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in data engineering, data management, or a similar role
• Strong knowledge of data pipelines, ETL processes, and data integration techniques
• Proficiency in SQL and experience with database management systems (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL)
• Experience with data analysis tools and techniques (e.g., Python, R, SQL)
• Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Looker Studio, Tableau, Power BI)
• Familiarity of frontend development technologies (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Strong communication and collaboration abilities
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously

Terms 

• Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience 
•  Benefits include medical insurance 
• This position will be based in Rwanda.

What Is Educate! About? 

We’re ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We’re inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey.e their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey.

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We never forget that Educate! exists to impact youth. We are purpose-driven. We obsess over impact daily and if it doesn’t lead to impact, we want nothing to do with it. We prioritize interacting with and listening to youth. We design and manage the organization to ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences that youth value. 
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results. When we know what needs to be done, we do it. We don’t wait to be asked and we don’t stop at what is asked of us. We look for solutions as much as we identify problems.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded. We know there is always another way and we are excited to learn about it. We continuously look for resources of all kinds from multiple disciplines. We try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We say what we think while treating each other well. We believe that all people have the same inherent value and that diverse ideas and open dialogue fuel excellence. We constantly strive to create an environment where everyone can and does express themselves freely. We support and respect each other as people and colleagues.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We will always keep innovating to grow our impact. We aspire to be game-changing. We never think “we have arrived” or “we’re done.” We question the status quo in our industry. We move fast and embrace change to move towards our long-term vision. We’re not afraid of failure. We interrogate anything that slows us down. 

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do. 

Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community.  In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences to join our diverse team.

Child Safeguarding: Educate! is committed to child-safe/youth-safe recruitment, selection and screening. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory Certificate of Good Conduct as a condition of employment. We reserve the right to decline to offer employment to an individual or terminate an employment contract with an employee that may pose a risk to children and youth.