DATA ENGINEER III/IV

Location: Nairobi, Kenya or Delhi, India.

IDinsight is hiring a full-time data engineer (4 to 7 years of relevant experience) to grow our data systems and broader software engineering capabilities. In this role the data engineer will work with project teams and clients to build data systems to drive social impact. You may build software to help manage on-the-ground efforts to locate out of school children, to introduce greater accountability and effectiveness into social safety net programs, or to deliver socioeconomic data to high level decision-makers in the social sector.

We are a social-impact oriented organization, so can guarantee incredibly meaningful work tackling some of the world’s most complex international development challenges around the world.

Grow as a data engineer while doing meaningful work

We are working to build IDinsight into a global leader in the use of innovative data systems to solve some of the world’s most urgent problems. 

You’ll be joining a growing data engineering team and working on highly impactful and innovative projects with our partners. You’ll be joining an entrepreneurial team where you have a strong voice in how the team functions and grows. To be effective, data engineering products need to be contextually relevant and build on subject-matter expertise. You will get to work closely with our partners, our team of economists, social-sector experts, and public health specialists to build and test solutions.

Learning is a key part of being a data engineer. 10% of your time would be dedicated to learning new skills and side projects of your choice. You’ll have strong mentorship to guide your data engineering career and you’ll make interesting and valuable connections.

About IDinsight 

We amplify social impact by partnering with leaders to develop tailored solutions. Our mission is to use data and evidence to help leaders combat poverty worldwide.

IDinsight is a mission-driven global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that helps global development leaders maximize their social impact. We tailor a wide range of data and evidence tools, including randomized evaluations and machine learning, to help decision-makers design effective programs and rigorously test what works to support communities. We work with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and innovative non-profit organizations in Asia and Africa. Our work spans various sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, financial inclusion, and other areas.

We have expertise in various rigorous approaches and methodologies, which we tailor to each client depending on their needs and constraints. To achieve a positive social impact we:

• Support clients’ use of data and evidence for routine and major decision-making.
• Inform funding decisions – toward high-impact initiatives and away from less effective programs or approaches.
• Create and share tools, knowledge, and ideas that expand the use of data and evidence for social good.

IDinsight is committed to non-discrimination in our recruitment, employment practices, and organizational culture, regardless of people’s age, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Our diverse, growing team of roughly 200 outstanding colleagues operates in nearly two dozen countries worldwide.  Learn more about our mission and values at www.IDinsight.org.  

About the Role

We are seeking candidates with a strong background in Python/SQL and core data engineering skills, and a passion for building solutions to difficult social problems. Most importantly, successful candidates should possess the ability to work independently to solve complex challenges, both human and technological.

As a data engineer, the day-to-day work may include:

• Working with clients to understand their needs: understanding their current processes and pain points and identifying which of these can be addressed through automating and streamlining data flows.
• Wrangling/cleaning government or client data, with an eye toward automation: from extracting data from SQL databases and making API calls to scraping websites and cleaning survey data.
• Creating and maintaining optimal data pipeline architecture.
• Working with analytical tools to provide actionable data insights to decision-makers.
• Working with other team members to test and deploy these solutions.
• Providing mentorship and guidance to junior team members.

Qualifications

Technical qualifications:

• Proficiency working in Python and SQL is required. 
• Proficiency building data pipelines in a production setting.
• Proficiency using Python packages like requests, scrapy, pandas, and sqlalchemy to perform extract, transform, and load operations.
• Proficiency working with third party API’s.
• Proficiency with data modelling techniques.
• Proficiency working with relational databases.
• Experience working with popular data engineering platforms like Airflow, PySpark, and Kafka.
• Experience working with a cloud hosting platform, preferably AWS.
• Experience working with devops tools like Docker and Terraform.
• Sound foundations in statistics and probability.
• B.S./B.S.E. degree in Applied Math, Data Science, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering or Similar Technical Field

Required qualifications:

• Proven ability to work alone and with teams in a dynamic, multicultural environment.
• Passion for improving lives through evidence-informed policy.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English. Fluency in languages spoken in countries where IDinsight works is a plus.
• Strong values aligned with IDinsight’s stated values.
• Ability and interest in sharing knowledge, mentoring others, presenting work and reviewing the work of others.
• Deeply passionate about global development and improving lives in disadvantaged populations
• Open-minded self-starter who will thrive while tackling new, unusual and unpredictable challenges

Preferred qualifications:

The most competitive applicants will also have experience in one or more of the following:

• Experience living and working in developing country settings.
• Experience working with R and R Shiny.

Professional development

Skill and career development are core to IDinsight's values and long-term impact strategy and have been noted highlights of teammates’ experiences. IDinsighters receive significant mentorship from IDinsight leadership, support from talented peers, and considerable autonomy when ready. They maintain professional development plans and are provided "stretch" opportunities designed to strengthen various skills. Real-time feedback is embedded in our culture, and a formal structure enables maximum professional growth. Additionally, teammates have access to an annual professional development stipend that they are encouraged to explore their career interests and develop their skills.

Nuts & bolts

Location

This position is located in one of IDinsight's existing offices, with the possibility of extensive travel dependent on project needs. The most likely offices for this position are New Delhi, India or Nairobi, Kenya.  Preference will be given to those with pre-existing work authorization in these countries; however, IDinsight will seek work permits where possible for exceptional candidates.

Start date

The start date of this position is flexible, although there is the potential to start almost immediately. We expect a minimum one-year commitment, with regular professional development conversations and potential for a long-term career at IDinsight.

Work authorization

IDinsight can sponsor employment visas for all nationalities in these locations; however, we will prioritize candidates who do not require IDinsight to sponsor work authorization in the aforementioned countries. All candidates not currently located in our country offices listed above will be expected to relocate to their office locations at the onset of their employment.

Compensation

Compensation and benefits are commensurate with the qualifications and experiences IDinsight is hiring for and competitive within the global development sector. We are especially proud of the people-focused benefits we offer, including comprehensive international health insurance, including mental health coverage; paid vacation, sick, and parental leave; relocation benefits; a travel stipend; technology and work from home stipends; a professional development budget; and more.

Please note, as a non-profit, we are unable to provide compensation similar to leading private sector organizations.

How to apply

Please click the "Apply for this job online" button at the top right. Applications wiil be reviewed on a rolling basis. The application asks various questions for us to get to know you and requires a CV and cover letter. 

Please ensure that your CV includes relevant professional and personal experience and details on academic qualifications. CVs can range from one to two pages. Please note that headshot photographs, parental information, birth dates, marital status, and other personal information not relevant to the application do not need to be included in your CV. Additionally, we strongly encourage you to use your cover letter to highlight why you want to work for IDinsight specifically and what has prepared you to succeed in the role you’re applying for. A customized cover letter is an important part of IDinsight’s recruiting process as it allows us to understand your motivations for the position, relevant skills, and clarity of writing.

More information, including details on IDinsight’s hiring process and frequently asked questions, can be found online at IDinsight Careers. Any queries should be directed to careers@IDinsight.org. 

IDinsight’s commitment to reducing power asymmetries

IDinsight is committed to reducing power asymmetries in the social sector. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion reflects our understanding of the need for the sector to abandon unhealthy practices of the past. We wish to be part of a new generation of international NGOs who are honest about this history and transparent about our role in the present. Our commitment is also aligned with the impact of our work. 

We seek a workforce that is inclusive of a variety of perspectives that will help us refine and improve our methods and relationships and strengthen the services we provide our clients and their communities or constituencies. The following commitments represent our vision for the IDinsight team:

1. IDinsight will have greater representation from the populations with whom we work and clients we serve.
2. IDinsight will have greater representation from the countries in which we work.
3. Across all countries in which we recruit, we will seek greater representation from historically excluded communities.
4. IDinsight will foster an inclusive work culture that empowers a diverse team to do their best work.

IDinsight is an equal opportunity employer and strives to create a diverse and supportive workplace.