Data Specialist [open To All Applicants]

Organizational Context

The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) is a partnership between six Central African countries and a coalition of donors to preserve the region's vital forests, mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable development. CAFI utilizes a Trust Fund and is administered by the MPTF-Office. The initiative focuses on implementing country-led REDD+ and Low Emissions Development frameworks, with a growing emphasis on Payments for Environmental Services (PES) and innovative digital tools for transparency and accountability.

Job Purpose

The Data Specialist will enhance CAFI's data architecture and governance to ensure robust analytical systems, data quality, and traceability. This role is crucial for transforming program data into strategic insights, thereby supporting effective portfolio performance, risk management, and donor accountability. The Data Specialist will contribute to improving CAFI's monitoring architecture by integrating various analytical tools, performance dashboards, and spatial data into a cohesive results monitoring system. This system will align with the CAFI Results Framework and support the organization's performance-based programming, ultimately strengthening evidence-based decision-making and reporting across the CAFI portfolio.

Responsibilities

The Data Specialist is responsible for managing and strengthening analytical systems for CAFI's multi-country portfolio, ensuring data quality, and developing automated workflows for monitoring and reporting. This includes producing analytical insights on program performance, tracking progress against frameworks, and preparing data for institutional reporting. The role involves strengthening results-based management, developing performance indicators, and producing analytical briefs and visualizations. Additionally, the specialist will manage and develop interactive dashboards and data visualization tools, support digital monitoring systems, and integrate spatial datasets. Key responsibilities also include supporting risk monitoring, ensuring data protection, implementing data quality assurance procedures, and facilitating knowledge management and strategic reporting for the CAFI Secretariat and Executive Board.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of professional experience (with a Master's degree) or 7 years (with a Bachelor's degree) is required in areas such as Monitoring & Evaluation, performance-based payment mechanisms, environmental protection, or related fields. Experience with UN systems or in developing countries is desirable.

Skills

Proficiency in data analysis, cleansing, transformation, and modeling. Experience with digital product management, system thinking, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Skills in using software such as ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, MS Office Suite, and PowerBI. Experience with monitoring systems, portfolio dashboards, and digital monitoring tools. Familiarity with environmental conservation, forest management, or sustainable agriculture programs is advantageous.

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