Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Job Title: Head Analytics
Grade TBA
Incumbent Reports to Chief Executive Officer
Department Analytics
Location Lusaka
Date Last Reviewed July 2021

Context of the Role
The Head – Analytics is a senior management position reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. The Head – Analytics leads and oversees:
a) Monitoring and Results Management (MRM) by supporting the implementation of FSD Zambia activities through a strong MRM system as well as measuring and communicating results, itself contributes to the delivery and communicating of improved results and impacts. The FSD Zambia MRM system applies a Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach and is designed to manage the ambitious systemic-change objectives of the programme;
b) Management of aspects of FSD Zambia research engaging with the Manager Research and other members of Analytics. This involves managing a cross-cutting research agenda (which includes but is not limited to the FinScope demand side survey, geospatial mapping of the locations of financial services access points, and market access reviews), as well as engaging with external researchers, encouraging national research agendas which relate to FSD Zambia work, and providing overall leadership and support for thematic area research projects (at times taking on a direct research role); and
c) Management, development and implementation of a wide range of knowledge management activities engaging with the KM Officer, building market capacity to collect quality data, access and analyse it, use information to spur innovation in supply, demand, and policy change, and bring rigor to the way FSD Zambia measures long-term outcomes and impact.

Job Purpose
The position plays a large and significant role in influencing FSD Zambia production of new knowledge through results measurement; innovative and strong research; managing knowledge to inform industry to innovate/strategize effectively; using monitoring and evaluation tools when proving and improving implementation for timely results; and communicating to a broad range of audiences to persuasively convey ideas and lessons from FSD Zambia projects and research findings, with a view to stimulating debate and action. This role includes administrative functions and strategic management roles, supporting the CEO and management team in defining and delivering the FSD Zambia agenda and strategic outcomes.

Key Competencies
Below are key competences for this position:
Leadership and Team Management
• Capacity to develop and deliver strategies that deliver on the FSD Zambia vision.
• Ability to motivate staff and negotiate for resources to achieve optimal results.
• Team player, demonstrating leadership skills to realise goals in a balanced manner, incorporating effective gender balance.
• Assesses staff capacity and effectively builds them through training, coaching and mentoring.
• Strong negotiation and collaborative skills to reinforce the results of the CEO and management team.
Strong competency in conceptualizing measurement frameworks.
• Guided by FSD Zambia MRM Manual, able to support timely and effective development of FSD Zambia measurement plans.
• Ability to structure, check and update logframes, results chains, and other materials both within FSD Zambia and with partners and financing partners.
• Good knowledge of monitoring developments in the industry, and regular updating of skills and use for self and team.
Supportive attitude towards processes of strengthening staff capacity in MRM
• Working with technical teams, can regularly support capacity building activities for monitoring and documentation of results.
• Willingness to proactively work as a team and lead measurement and reporting activities.
Strategic Planning and Coordination
• Handles integration of project progress, resources and risk strategies into a dynamic, manageable plan linked to a reasonable budget.
• Ability to produce continuous project performance and delivery control, both outputs and budget.
• Skills in measuring, forecast and controlling project performance by employing value for money lens.
• Successfully manage multiple tasks within given time constraints.
• Produce clear and concise project progress reports.
• Effectively manage project teams, stakeholders, and groups of people for strong, coordinated results and team job satisfaction.
Good knowledge of research methodology
• Competent skills to support design and implementation of research agenda methods and appropriate sampling processes.
• Support and guide research concept discussions, comment on methodology, oversee results and analytics, and enable proper targeting of communication of results to the correct audiences.
• Update skills and interact with leading researchers both within Zambia and abroad to enable ongoing improvements in FSD Zambia research.
Good skills in critical thinking, assessment and analysis
• Able to interpret FSD Zambia Interventions’ theory of change and apply it to support development of measurement activities.
• Lead other Analytics team members and contribute to FSD Zambia impact assessment and other monitoring activities, communicating results in timely and strongly written manners and optimal forms to the appropriate client groups.
Good skills in Knowledge and Results measurement
• Able to define, guide and support the knowledge management agenda to influence market actors to innovate for better financial inclusion.
• Ability to support the refinement, implementation, oversight, and monitoring of the Knowledge Management strategy and workplan for FSD Zambia to ensure its effectiveness.
Writing and editing
• Ability to write clearly and strategically in line with FSD Zambia strategic goals.
• Ability to document and edit team work so team and FSD Zambia materials are of high quality.
• Significant attention to detail, ensuring the highest quality of MCA, knowledge products, and other materials.
Administration
• Ability to monitor and keep track of all programme and contractual deadlines.
• Excellent hard copy and electronic record keeping skills.
• Highly organised and computer literate.
• Process-driven and focused on finalising and disseminating knowledge products.
Contract management
• Understand and apply the principles of contracting and guiding manuals - bidding, evaluation and selection, legal frameworks, deliverables, timeframes, payment and closing out.
• Capacity to apply and use all contract clauses and ensure all consultants under this area are properly managed, supervised, and results confirmed of high quality, on time, with effective communication of results.
Compliance
• Ability to follow FSD Zambia implementing procedures and overall compliance in line with all policies, procedures, and manuals.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Statistics or a related field including course work in advanced economics and statistics. Master’s degree is an added advantage.
Years of Experience
Minimum eight (8) years of professional work experience, including five (5) years of managing teams in M&E, both quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis and Knowledge Management.

Other Relevant Experience
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams, with multiple stakeholders under competing time pressures.
• Capacity and organizational skills to manage a variety of tasks and demands with minimal supervision to meet deadlines in a responsible and flexible manner.
• Demonstrated ability to provide independent analysis and interpretation of performance data using advanced methods in economics, policy analysis, and/or statistics.
• Experienced user of statistical software (such as STATA or SPSS), Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proven experience in the development and implementation of monitoring systems, experience with surveys, MRM system design and management.
• Knowledge of the Zambian financial sector.
• Proven ability to work in a national context and with international agencies.

Scope of Work
The Head – Analytics in the following focus areas;
• Developing theory of change and measuring change
• Monitoring and reporting
• Supporting continuous decision-making by management
• Insight through Research and Knowledge Management

Focus Area 1.
Developing theory of change and measuring change
• Map out logical flow of FSD Zambia implementation strategy of interventions.
• Complete results chains construction of sector systemic change (Thematic Area, Project and Intervention level).
• Guide the construction of impact pathways Results Chains (RC) at programme level, Thematic Area Projects and Interventions level.
• Lead RCs interrogation and updating at all levels of the organization, based on better understanding of the market system, particularly reviewing assumptions and logic.
• Based on the Intervention RCs, develop Intervention Results Guides (IRG) following approval of an Intervention.
• Support and develop MRM plans of Thematic Area Project Plans and Intervention Plans.
• Conduct Bi-Annual Results Chain review and update according to new information on the intervention and or project impact pathways.
• Based on the Intervention Measurement Plans (IMP) conduct early warning and logframe numbers verification to monitor early indications of market system change, access and utilisation of new financial services, and likelihood of impact.
• Maintain and oversee the FSD Zambia MRM system through IRG oversight, timely results reporting and creating a programme culture that encourages the use of results.
• Provide support to partners in designing and managing MRM processes and consequent reporting to FSD Zambia.
• Develop Concept Notes, Terms of Reference (TOR), and other tools, and measure impacts and evaluate outcomes of target beneficiaries/end users.
• Guide the regular sharing of outputs of MRM early warning and logframe verification findings with relevant Thematic Heads and Project Managers, project staff, partners and co-facilitators to improve quality of project activities.
• Provide regular feedback and support to the technical team through Monthly Results Chain review meetings with Thematic Heads and Project Managers and Quarterly reviews with FSD Zambia CEO.

Focus Area 2.
Monitoring and reporting
• Robust and cost-effective monitoring of FSD Zambia activities/results to prove implementation effectiveness and value for money.
• Draft and revise logframes, results chains, indicators in VfM, and other measurement structures to be consistent with market engagement, our work and programmes, and financing partner arrangements and agreements.
• Timely and credible reporting of FSD Zambia activities and results to all financing partners.
• Guide Thematic Heads and Project Managers in preparing monthly reviews, logframe Quarterly reporting, logframe Quarterly and Annual projections. Together, analyse achievement against logframe milestones.
• Guide MRM to populate the FSD Zambia Aggregation sheet with high quality, validated data from partners to update the logframe for FSD Zambia Quarterly results reporting.
• Support Thematic Heads and Project Managers to review partner and co-facilitators monitoring reports and ensure they comply with the milestones integrated in Grant Agreements, in particular reporting according to IMP indicators and results projections.
• Collaborate with staff and implementing partners/co-facilitators on rapid qualitative monitoring to provide relevant information for ongoing monitoring impact studies.
• Identify the need and draw up the Short Time Technical Assistance (STTA) ToR for refresher training in specific M4P-supported MRM for Thematic Heads and Project Managers.
• Support internal and external information needs by key stakeholders on FSD Zambia MRM system best practices.
• In collaboration with Finance and Operations, lead FSD Zambia Value for Money (VfM) quarterly indicator tracking, documentation and annual reporting.
• Engage with and coordinate MRM skills and interactions with other FSD partners in the network, including upgrades of staff and own skills, and sharing experience.

Focus Area 3.
Supporting continuous decision-making by management
• Quest for a culture of reflective practice for learning and decision making through Monthly, Quarterly Progress, and Annual Report meetings.
• Support Thematic leads and managers to interrogate intervention projections and better plan intervention tactics for portfolio growth.
• Capture lessons leant from MRM activities and share these with project managers for better implementation planning.
• Support thematic leads and managers to effectively plan their MRM, Research, and Knowledge Management meetings to produce outcomes that improve performance.
• Check timely use of monitoring data discussed in monthly progress meetings in terms of implications for future action and fill in any gaps.
• Manage an MRM repository that tracks evidence of intervention activities and market system change.
• Produce minutes of Monthly Progress Meeting (MPM) meetings and keep track of key decisions and follow up in the subsequent meetings and actions taken.
• Support MRM staff to develop concise plans and implement.

Focus Area 4.
Insight through Research, and Knowledge Management
• Conceptualize and manage research and knowledge-based projects that meet FSD Zambia’s strategic goals.
• Develop, mobilize and manage research programmes and studies in agreement with the FSD Zambia CEO and Management Team.
• Oversee management and access to databases from FSD Zambia research for open access and updating as appropriate.
• Lead FSD Zambia research efforts across focus areas in area-specific information and evaluation-related activities, ensuring that insights from these activities are captured and shared.
• Build thought leadership and disseminate FSD Zambia work through publications and presentations at workshops and conferences.
• Manage and direct knowledge management activities, and work to facilitate information sharing and influence of our work across the market to expand financial inclusion
• Ensure creation and management of timely workflows for knowledge management, and provision of information to the market in appropriate forms and timelines. Enable support of thematic areas by writing and editing by the Knowledge Management staff.
• Support advocacy efforts by FSD Zambia using knowledge insights from research and MRM findings.
• Develop close working relationships with the other FSDs, identifying common research goals and leveraging other research efforts including co-funding opportunities.
• Track key research activities in Zambia and elsewhere that are relevant to our work in FSD Zambia, and access materials and research contacts as relevant for our use.
• Build and maintain relationships with key knowledge partners within Africa and globally. Engage with Zambian and international researchers in areas of common interest and encourage national interaction to deepen research and results.
• Develop the capacity of Zambian research institutions (including the CSO) to engage in financial inclusion research.
• Develop effective working relationships with FSD Zambia staff as well as with external consultants, researchers and academics.
• Support capacity building of FSD Zambia staff in research and impact evaluation.
• Establish, enhance and curate an FSD Zambia financial inclusion information platform as a resource for FSD Zambia stakeholders centered around a dynamic website and working with strategic content partners.
• Provide incentives to private sector service providers to encourage their use of FSD Zambia research to inform strategy and increased transactions.
• Prepare or provide input into the Terms of Reference for all research commissioned by FSD Zambia.
• Evaluate or provide input on proposals for all research commissioned by FSD Zambia, especially with regard to design and methodology.
• Ensure that market research firms appointed to conduct FSD Zambia research are technically competent, adhere to expected research standards, and meet agreed objectives within the deadlines specified.
• Review and provide input on research reports generated by research firms and/or consultants commissioned by FSD Zambia.
• Ensure that FSD Zambia research and data management policies accurately reflect the strategic outlook of FSD Zambia.

Any other activities as required by FSD Zambia in support of FSD Zambia programme outcomes
• Represent the CEO in any meetings, internal or external as directed.
• Take lead in any responsibilities that FSD Zambia Director Analytics or CEO delegates.

Conduct of Work
FSD Zambia has a relatively flat management structure. Everyone across the FSD Zambia team needs to be able to take the initiative to get things done without being told precisely what to do or how to do it. The responsibility to deliver on objectives starts with the individual member of staff. This does not mean that people operate independently. It is vital to be able to judge when and where to look across the team and to leadership for support, advice, ideas or simple validation of an approach.

Key Relationships
Stakeholder Interactions
Internal Relationships
• FSD Zambia CEO
• Director – Policy and DFS
• Director – WIN
• Director – Finance and Operations
• Director – Internal Audit
• Director – Financial Services Supply
• KRM Manager
• All FSD Zambia technical and operational staff

External Relationships
• FSD networks
• Zambia research networks
• Financing partner representatives
• Co-funded partner organisations
• Internal and external STTA and LTTA

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 96

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to recruitment@fsdzambia.org by close of business on 4 April 2022.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who do not use the stipulated email will not be considered.

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