Executive (Senior) Associate, West and North Africa (WNA) Team
Associate/Senior Associate level role reporting to the WNA Associate Director & Chief of Staff, with scope for growth within the WNA Executive Team.
Location: Rabat, Morocco or Dakar, Senegal
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 Africa and Asia. Our work spans a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, financial inclusion, and other areas.
We have expertise in a variety of 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.
Our diverse, growing team of roughly 300 outstanding colleagues operate in more than 30 countries around the world. Learn more about our mission and values at www.IDinsight.org.
Job Description
The West and North Africa (WNA) region has two regional offices in Dakar, Senegal (for West Africa); and Rabat, Morocco (for North Africa). The WNA team counts more than 40 talented and dynamic colleagues, and is poised for further growth in 2025 and beyond. The Executive (Senior) Associate will be an integral member of the WNA Executive team, reporting directly to the WNA Associate Director & Chief of Staff. This position entails close collaboration with executive, client-facing, and operations teams on high-impact projects across the continent.
The Executive (Senior) Associate will join the WNA Executive team at a crucial time at which the region is aiming to fulfill its recent 2022-24 strategy and elaborate the 2024-26 regional strategy, building out the structures to support long-term growth, including partnerships and projects. This is a role with visibility into the core parts of how our organization functions, and which will be key in contributing to the growth and impact of the WNA team.
The Executive (Senior) Associate, while reporting to the WNA Associate Director & Chief of Staff, will closely collaborate with the WNA client-facing Directors and Operations team. We seek a self-starter who will be able to independently coordinate and manage a range of work-streams, who is looking for a role that emphasizes problem-solving, organization, and rapid execution, and who would be excited to develop the skill set for a Chief of Staff. This role is a particularly good fit for individuals that want to gain insights and experience relevant to how fast-paced, fast growing non-profits are run.
Responsibilities
The Executive (Senior) Associate will have the following responsibilities:
Implement strategic internal initiatives in partnership with the Associate Director & Chief of Staff, West and North Africa. Upcoming strategic initiatives include operationalizing the WNA 2024 OKRs, implementing the WNA 2022-24 strategy, coordinating the production of the WNA 2024-26 strategy, improving project budget monitoring, enhancing WNA systems and processes, etc.
Support WNA Senior Leadership in developing partnerships across the region. This includes working with the Associate Director & Chief of Staff but also WNA Leadership to identify potential new partners, conduct preliminary research, develop presentations, and join client development conversations. This also includes supporting Directors in building out concept notes and proposals for new IDinsight engagements.
Support the Associate Director & Chief of Staff in managing relationships with key funders and thought partners across the continent. This includes leading annual reporting for funding partners, exploring ways to deepen these relationships over time, developing ad-hoc communication materials, and proactively identifying ways in which IDinsight WNA can increase our social impact and reach across the continent.
Own, manage, and maintain the organizational systems and processes in the region. This includes acting as the central point-person for all information about current and pipeline projects being developed across the region. It also includes being a key inputter for project staffing/billing, and acting as a liaison between project teams, and global functions such as our executive, communications, innovations and Research, Evaluation and Data teams.
Optimize collaboration within the WNA team, and between the WNA Executive team and other IDinsight teams. This includes leading the agenda coordination, scheduling, pre-read compilation, and follow-ups for all internal calls with the CEO, Global Operations Director, WNA Leadership, and other global teams. This would also include preparing WNA-specific material for board meetings, global calls, etc.
Key Skills
The Ideal candidate will possess:
Knowledge of international development practices. You will need a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in NGOs, Government, or social private sector roles, with preference for prior experience as a client-facing associate or consultant. Internal candidates from IDinsight should demonstrate proficiency and comprehension of IDinsight's project operations and methodologies.
- Strong coordination skills. You have strong coordination skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and stakeholders concurrently and effectively. You have proven experience in contributing to client development efforts, such as identifying and cultivating new opportunities. You are proficient in conducting comprehensive background research to inform decision-making and project planning.
- Ability to be solution-oriented and get a lot done quickly. You will need to translate high-level strategic ideas into immediate action plans and execute multiple work streams simultaneously. You bring a solution-first mentality in working with internal and external senior leadership to deal with challenges.
- Capacity to think strategically and desire to tackle major challenges. You thrive when asked to collaboratively solve complex or thorny problems under time pressure. You are excited to weigh in on high-level organizational decisions on topics that might not be familiar to you; and are willing and able to discuss, brainstorm, and ideate with our senior teammates and senior external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated track record as an entrepreneurial self-starter and leader, including comfort with ambiguity and dynamic environments and workstreams.
High level of independence and attention to detail – if you say the work will be done, it will be done.
Fluency in French and English with outstanding soft skills and communication abilities across various platforms, including written communications, public speaking, teamwork, and upward management. You can translate complex and multifaceted information into digestible materials and can effectively build rapport and communicate with senior leaders internally and externally.
- Alignment with IDinsight values and mission.
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 are given considerable autonomy when ready. They maintain professional development plans and are given "stretch" opportunities designed to strengthen a variety of skills. Real-time feedback is embedded in our culture and our formal structure enables maximum professional growth. Additionally, teammates have access to an annual professional development stipend that they are encouraged to utilize to explore their career interests and develop their skills.
Nuts and Bolts
Location
This position is based in IDinsight’s Dakar, Senegal or Rabat, Morocco office. This position is not eligible for remote work, or otherwise, from the United States. 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 with preference for candidates that can start immediately. We expect a 2-year minimum commitment, with regular professional development conversations and potential for a long-term career at IDinsight.
Work authorization
IDinsight is able to 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 who are 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 are rolling and considered as they are submitted. The application asks various questions in order for us to get to know you and requires a CV and cover letter. Applications are due 3 May 2024.
Please ensure that your CV includes relevant professional and personal experience as well as details on academic qualifications. CVs can range from one to two pages. Please note, headshot photographs, parental details, 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 questions should be directed to wna.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:
- IDinsight will have greater representation from the populations with whom we work and clients we serve.
- IDinsight will have greater representation from the countries in which we work.
- Across all countries in which we recruit, we will seek greater representation from historically excluded communities.
- IDinsight will foster an inclusive work culture that empowers a diverse team to do their best work.
IDinsight is committed to non-discrimination in our recruitment, employment practices, and organizational culture, regardless of people’s age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion or belief, or any other status protected by applicable law.
