About\nthe Role<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b>
<\/p>This is a senior\nleadership position at the heart of how SmartStart understands and acts on data\nacross its national network. You will lead the Sense Making, Data, and Insights\nfunction, translating complex information into meaningful action, driving a culture\nof learning, and ensuring SmartStart's data systems are fit for societal scale.<\/span>
<\/p>You will lead a team of\nseven and work closely with senior leadership, government partners, and the\nbroader ECD ecosystem.<\/span>
<\/p>Key\nResponsibilities<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b>
<\/p>- Direct a network\-wide performance monitoring and sense\-making ecosystem to drive data\-informed decision\-making for senior stakeholders and strategic partners<\/span>
<\/li>- Drive the evolution of SmartStart's data\n governance from a centralised service to a distributed, enabling\n capability<\/span>
<\/li>- Align SmartStart's data systems with key\n government partners including DBE, National Treasury, and eCares<\/span>
<\/li>- Lead rapid learning, iterative\n experimentation, and collective intelligence synthesis across the network<\/span>
<\/li>- Contribute to SmartStart's senior leadership\n community as a values\-aligned, adaptive leader<\/span>
<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/span>
Requirements<\/h3>
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<\/p>- Master's degree in a relevant discipline\n (data science, statistics, MEL, social sciences, or public policy)<\/span>
<\/li>- 8+<\/b> years of relevant experience, with at\n least 4 <\/b>in a senior data leadership role<\/span>
<\/li>- Proven ability to lead data teams and\n communicate complex insights to non\-technical audiences<\/span>
<\/li>- Experience in social impact or complex\n systemic contexts<\/span>
<\/li>- Systems thinker with a genuine learning\n orientation and commitment to social justice<\/span>
<\/li><\/ul>Advantageous<\/span><\/span><\/b>
<\/p>- PhD in a relevant field<\/span>
<\/li>- MEL/MERL certification or Power BI / Tableau\n proficiency<\/span>
<\/li>- Experience with eCares or government data\n systems<\/span>
<\/li>- Background in early childhood development,\n education, or public health<\/span>
<\/li>- Fluency in one or more South African\n languages<\/span>
<\/li>- Project management qualifications (eg. PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum) <\/span>
<\/li><\/ul>
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