Data & Technology Manager, Acumen East & West Africa

<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acumen is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Impact Data and Technology Manager with at least 8 years of work experience to provide Data, System Operations and Technology leadership at a regional level for </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Green RISE (Resilient Impact through Sustainable Entrepreneurship) Africa.&nbsp;</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>About Green RISE Africa</strong><br>Green RISE Africa is a program being implemented by Acumen in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation. It is focused on creating 443,000 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young people — with 70% being young women — across Sub-Saharan Africa. The program operates across four pillars:</span></p> <ol> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">GROW — Partnering with Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESO's) to provide practical training and mentorship to nano and micro entrepreneurs in 7 countries (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone)</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">BUILD — Training and mentoring 320 young climate leaders via a Green Entrepreneurship Fellowship</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">ACCELERATE — Supporting early-stage entrepreneurs through structured readiness and scale-readiness programs</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">SCALE — Identifying and scaling 35+ high-impact enterprises across the continent</span></li> </ol> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This role</span><strong> </strong>will be based out of<strong> </strong>Acumen's office in<strong> Nairobi or Lagos</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with the expectation to work in office 3 days a week. Remote from other geographies is not an option.</span></p> <p><strong>About Acumen<br></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acumen is a global force of entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and social innovators working together to build a world based on dignity. We were founded by Jacqueline Novogratz on the radical idea that business, when cultivated with moral imagination, can break the cycle of poverty. We invest in transformational companies, build sustainable markets, and prepare leaders with the tools they need to create a more just and inclusive future. Since 2001, we have scaled companies and shaped markets in some of the hardest-to-reach communities on the planet, impacting over half-a-billion lives. To learn more visit</span><a href="http://www.acumen.org/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></a><a href="http://acumen.org"><span style="font-weight: 400;">acumen.org</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><strong>About the Role<br></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><strong>Data and Technology Manager</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> you will be responsible for designing and implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving the technology solution for the programmatic MEL framework under Green RISE Africa. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The technology stack and solutions Acumen is leveraging include, but are not limited to:&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Salesforce as the central record for grant management, impact capture and reporting</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">FormAssembly</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Google Suite</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">AI-powered tools and enterprise solutions</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the grant’s implementation we expect the role to focus on continual identification of system, data, and data management, and reporting improvements.Candidates must be well-versed in Salesforce applications,&nbsp; have highly technical proficiency with data and software solutions, and a growing skillsbase in the use of AI.&nbsp; This role will </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">work closely with the </span><strong>Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will focus on MEL framework design and implementation and adaptive learning. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, you will work closely with other Impact &amp; Insight staff based in the UK and in East and West Africa.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The post holder is expected to travel occasionally within the region.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong>Accountabilities include:&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Operationalising Green RISE Africa’s MEL framework</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lead in managing, developing and improving the Green Rise Africa technology stack to support programme implementation</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Support the implementation of Green RISE Africa’s programmatic MEL framework (including MEL plan, data collection plan, data management plan, quality assurance protocols, results framework) through the technology stack to support data collection, management and reporting to the MasterCard Foundation&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lead in the continued development of the technology platform to support partner reporting&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Work collaboratively with the Impact Manager: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning to co-develop quarterly reporting processes, automated reports, infographics, and data visualisations on key metrics and KPIs (including financial KPIs for companies), for sharing with a range of stakeholders&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Collaborate closely with the Finance team to quality assure and integrate finance data with impact data&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Programme data management&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ensure that data is collected, managed, maintained, and up-to-date across our grants management system&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liaise with the Compliance and Legal team to ensure we are following best practices on data consent, use, management, retention, reporting, protection and security approaches.&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Integrate data from a range of&nbsp; sources ensuring alignment to MEL reporting systems&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be the point person for all impact data requests</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Knowledge Management and Learning</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Set up and co-develop internal Knowledge Management system for the programme</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Work closely with the Programme Insights team to ensure lessons are captured and knowledge management processes are followed.&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Work closely with the Programme Insights team to ensure qualitative data is managed in line with best practices.&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Actively support any programmatic evaluations that are required by donors by ensuring all data needs are met</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Capacity building - team and partners</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Build capacity of team members on how to use technology solutions for MEL implementation, including training and learning sessions</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Build capacity of partner organisations on how to report with the programme’s technology solutions&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Develop training materials and training sessions to upskill staff and partners with a range of skills in this space</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Support lower capacity organisations to develop their own internal reporting systems in line with programmatic needs&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Site visits to monitor partner data management and reporting systems</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quarterly reporting on data quality from partners</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Skills and qualifications</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">At least&nbsp; 8 years of professional experience in a similar role - developing and maintaining a technology stack, including at least 3 years of experience in developing and managing data systems, MEL databases, and reporting tools</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Demonstrated experience configuring, administering, and stewarding Salesforce as the MEL system of record, working through in-house and external build partners</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Demonstrated experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) for complex, multi-country programmes, including using technology to support MEL in field and country contexts, including mobile data collection</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Demonstrated ability to strengthen the use of data for decision-making across different organisational levels</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Strong skills in data analysis and data visualisation</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experience setting up routine reporting systems (actuals vs targets) for quarterly and annual reporting</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experience working with compliance teams on data governance and best practices</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experience in AI solutions or AI agents for MEL</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experience working in multi-country, matrix-managed environments</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Experience in gender and youth programmes or working with private sector partners</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Familiarity with Power BI, Airtable, Claude or similar tools</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Permanantly authorized to work in Kenya or Nigeria&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Location: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nairobi (East Africa) or Lagos (West Africa)&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acumen is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, age, differential ability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or background.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. <br><br></span>#LI-ACU1</p>