Data Systems, Quality & Governance Specialist

SmartStart

SmartStart

Quality Assurance
Johannesburg, South Africa · Gauteng, South Africa · Johannesburg, South Africa · South Africa
Posted on Oct 4, 2025

Key Responsibilities

Data Governance and Quality Assurance

  • Design, operationalise and oversee the data governance function within the organisation.
  • Enable and support data governance processes, including data availability, accessibility, integrity, quality (including accuracy, consistency, and reliability), usability, security, and compliance (in collaboration with IT and legal teams).
  • Assist with regular data cleaning and quality checks to ensure high data integrity
  • Develop and maintain documentation, SOPs, and metadata to support consistent and high-quality data management.
  • Design data quality dashboards and set up regular monitoring and review alerts.
  • Work within the organisation to enhance data literacy, improve existing data processes and workflows and support future data process design and development.
  • Work across teams to roll out data quality improvement plans, design processes to collect missing data or improve data accuracy.
  • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to improve data practices, including onboarding sessions, governance workshops, and learning events.
  • Conduct assessments of key data assets and identify potential risks or gaps, including data process mapping.
  • Coordinate and lead data governance efforts, including defining data ownership, steward roles, and accountability structures across operational teams.
  • Support product stewardship for key data platforms, ensuring alignment between data processes, user needs, and platform functionality.
  • Lead or support change management processes for data tools and structures, ensuring stakeholder alignment and minimising disruption.
  • Monitor data hygiene and escalate discrepancies to the relevant team members.

Data Analysis and Insights Generation

  • Conduct data analysis to support strategic decision-making and programme improvements.
  • Respond to data requests from programme teams and leadership.
  • Conduct routine data checks to ensure data integrity.
  • Identify patterns and trends in data and provide clear summaries for different audiences.
  • Support the preparation of data insights briefs and reports.
  • Create, enhance and support the use of interactive dashboards and analytics tools to improve data-driven decision-making across the organisation and network.

Supporting Organisational Learning and Adaptive Strategy

  • Assist with enabling teams to leverage insights for learning and programme improvement.
  • Contribute to rapid experimentation by supporting data collection and analysis processes.
  • Support the delivery of basic data literacy training across the organisation to improve data engagement and interpretation.
  • Support teams to improve data capturing, quality assurance and related processes.
  • Translate data insights into accessible formats for programme teams and leadership.

Research and Evaluation Support

  • Support the Senior Data Analyst and Research team with research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
  • Assist in co-conceptualising and co-creating research and evaluation questions, studies, and terms of reference.
  • Provide input into research reports and recommendations.



Requirements

Essential Skills and Experience

  • A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Social Sciences, Economics, Mathematics, or a related field.
  • At least 6-8 years of experience in data analysis, data management or a related field, including experience where you have had ownership over the data process, and demonstrable leadership experience.
  • Strong quantitative and analytical skills
  • A curious approach to technology, with interest and experience working across multiple tools to solve organisational challenges.
  • Excellent knowledge of and ability to work with SQL databases.
  • Experience with data visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
  • Ability to summarise data insights and communicate findings to non-technical audiences.
  • Experience in managing and working with large datasets.
  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of statistical principles, especially relating to designing and running randomised control trials.
  • Experience working in a social impact or nonprofit context.
  • Proficiency in Excel and at least one statistical tool (e.g., Stata, R, SPSS).
  • Familiarity with survey software (e.g. SurveyCTO), CRMs (Microsoft Dynamics), and Azure.
  • Basic knowledge of data process mapping and workflow optimisation.
  • Knowledge of automation using code and/or workflow tools (Make.com, Zapier, Power Automate etc.)