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East and Southern Africa Regional Director

Location: Nairobi, Kenya, or Lusaka, Zambia

About the Role:

The East and Southern Africa Regional Director (ESA RD) will lead dynamic, committed teams in Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa to drive social impact using data for decision-makers across a diverse set of clients and sectors. The ESA RD will set the regional strategy in line with the broader organizational strategy and will exercise significant autonomy to leverage IDinsight as a platform to realize this strategy in the ESA region. The ESA RD will be responsible for client development, fundraising, portfolio management, and partnership building for an impactful and financially sustainable portfolio of IDinsightʼs client work in the region.

The ESA RD role will be supported by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Impact Officer (CIO), IDinsight Global Executive Team as well as ESAʼs Senior Leadership. Further, the ESA RD will be supported by high-quality research teams, an excellent operations team that ensures a well- functioning organization, and a communications team. The ESA RD will also work closely with a Chief of Staff and the Kenya and Zambia Country Leads to execute their responsibilities. Finally, the ESA RD will be provided with bi-annual performance reviews (including feedback from peers and direct reports) to help them continuously grow and learn as professionals.

At a high level, the role will include the following responsibilities:

• Lead IDinsight ESA towards social impact: The ESA RDʼs primary responsibility is to drive and increase IDinsight ESAʼs social impact using their experience, expertise, and networks.Toward this goal, the ESA RD will conceptualise, secure, fundraise, and execute high-impact projects that use data and evidence to drive change. They will set the regionʼs partnership development priorities, determine what opportunities are pursued and which are not, and support senior leaders in the region to identify and pursue impactful and funded opportunities. In addition, the ESA RD is expected to repeatedly set the north star of social impact for the region, including for all project teams, and drive all aspects of the organisation towards this goal. This may involve deciding to turn down project opportunities that are lucrative but not set up to be socially impactful.
• Ensure the financial sustainability of the ESA region: The ESA RD will be tasked with ensuring that the region is meeting its revenue targets, covering costs (IDinsight is a non-profit, so the goal is to cover costs, not make profit), operating efficiently, and targeting promising areas of funder interest and revenue generation to sustain an impactful portfolio of client work.
• Envision and execute IDinsightʼs ESA strategy: The ESA RD will work closely with ESA and global leadership teams to develop, refine and update IDinsight ESAʼs strategy and lead its execution. As the ESA RD leads the regional team through a period of strategic growth, they will be expected to not only apply their established and refined strategy but also apply dynamic, flexible decision-making to opportunistically test new hypotheses, experiment with new partnerships or organisational models, and improve the strategy.
• Represent IDinsight ESA externally: The ESA RD will represent the organisation within ESA and globally. They will be expected to apply their considerable experience, expertise, and skills to shape evidence informed action within one or multiple sectors, regions, or specialisations. This includes writing in leading media and journals, speaking at conferences, harnessing relationships and networks within the impact community to develop trusted advisory positions with senior leaders, and participating in consultative councils within governments, foundations, and/or nonprofits.
• Lead, mentor and guide a team of talented and mission-driven colleagues: The ESA RD will create the conditions for a rewarding professional experience for colleagues at varying points in their careers. This includes establishing a shared vision and effective organisational priority-setting that fosters broad ownership; recruiting and mentoring both senior and junior colleagues and supporting their career development; and consistently modelling inclusive leadership. The ideal candidate will exemplify IDinsight values, demonstrate a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their daily interactions, be seen as a trusted advisor, and work well with others across all levels of the organisation.
• Lead partner-facing research project teams: The ESA RD will also directly lead a small number of projects. Project leadership involves liaising with senior clients regularly, ensuring the highest standards of research quality and ethics, overseeing and mentoring teams, problem solving, ensuring a safe and empowering atmosphere, and keeping within project budgets while maximising social impact.
• Contribute to IDinsightʼs global activities and influence: The ESA RD will be a member of the global IDinsight executive team and will be expected to contribute to global strategy development and implementation across the larger organisation. Because global leadership and support functions are designed to facilitate context-centred impact, input from regional leadership is highly influential in IDinsightʼs global direction.
• Support organisational development: The ESA RD oversees the regional operations team, which oversees the recruiting, hiring, and retention of teammates and overall employee experience. As we grow, they will be expected to support IDinsight to remain an impact-first, values-based, and nimble organisation.
• Exemplify IDinsightʼs mission and values: Ensuring a strong alignment between incoming ESA RD and IDinsightʼs values will be an important priority. The ESA RD is the face of IDinsight both externally and internally and will be expected to always and unambiguously exemplify our mission and values.

Qualifications:

• Extensive experience (15 years) in global development, primarily in East and/or Southern Africa, preferably with a recent focus on the data and evidence space. IDinsight aims to provide cutting-edge, contextually-tailored data and evidence services in every region in which we operate. As such, a deep understanding of the region and the space is critical. The new ESA RD should have:
• Strong network and reputation in the region and sector, particularly Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and/or South Africa, with a track record of developing high-impact projects and strong funder relationships;
• Good understanding of the role of data and evidence tools – such as impact evaluations, representative surveys, monitoring systems, and/or the application of data science and generative AI – to create insights and impact;
• Strong alignment with IDinsightʼs approach to generating and using evidence for decision-making;
• Some experience working in the data and evidence space, but more importantly, a broader understanding of the development sector in the region.
• Preferred: Proven ability to develop, refine, and communicate a strategic vision
• Engaging leadership style and enthusiasm for interacting and connecting with a young team. Relationship-building is a critical aspect of management, especially in East and Southern Africa. The new ESA RD should have the following:
• A clear, empathetic communication style and excellent listening skills
• Ability to give and receive feedback well, instilling a growth mentality in others and exemplifying this in oneself
• Enthusiasm for mentoring and coaching a young, passionate team
• A good sense of humour!
• Preferred: a proven track record of managing a growing, dispersed team
• Ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial setting and be able to adapt to a dynamic environment, growth, and change. IDinsight ESA is much like a startup that is shifting to maturity and accelerated growth in Kenya and Zambia, as well as Malawi and South Africa. As such, the new ESA RD should have the following:
• The ability to take a flexible, dynamic approach to decision-making, with an interest in setting up and strengthening systems.
• The ability to drive with the big picture in mind and get into the details of operations and execution as necessary.
• Willingness to learn and dive deeply into IDinsightʼs business model and explore innovations in the model, e.g. new funding structures, strategies for smoothing the pipeline
• Ability to identify and mitigate key operational risks
• Willingness to learn internal systems, including those for communications, finance, and productivity
• Preferred: Experience working in a startup environment, particularly in the transition to maturity
• Preferred: Experience starting new partnerships in new geographies
• Preferred: Proven ability to integrate into a new organisation in a high-level role
• Experience identifying, cultivating, and securing significant new partnerships and/or funding. IDinsight ESA is in an exciting growth stage and aims to expand its portfolio geographically and sectorally. As such, the new ESA RD should have the following:
• Deep understanding of funders and other actors in the development space, particularly those with an interest in data and evidence
• A strong track record of partnership-building in the region and a strong understanding of local political economies
• A proven ability to secure funding for social impact and/or research projects
• Preferred: Record of influential thought leadership around important social and/or technical issues
• Ability to drive operational and fiscal discipline and transparency. As the regional team grows, it will need to remain committed to operational and financial effectiveness. As such, the new ESA RD should have experience managing tight operations and budgets, especially with growing teams.

Additional requirements:

• Willingness to travel as needed (approximately 10-20%+ of their time) and to work remotely with colleagues in other locations and time zones;
• An advanced degree (Masterʼs or Doctoral), preferably in public policy, economics, public administration, business, or public health.
• Fluency in English is essential, and working proficiency in one or more additional languages used in the region is a plus.

We understand that no candidate will excel in all these attributes. Instead, we are looking for leaders with significant strength in certain attributes while meeting a minimum threshold in all attributes.

IDinsight is growing and evolving quickly. We may suggest other suitable roles to candidates who apply based on the overlap between IDinsightʼs needs and candidatesʼ experience and qualifications.

Professional development

Skills 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 formal structure enables maximum professional growth. Additionally, teammates have access to an annual professional development stipend which they are encouraged to utilize to explore their career interests and develop their skills.

Nuts & bolts

Location

This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, or Lusaka, Zambia and will include domestic and international travel to fulfill the above-mentioned responsibilities. While IDinsight recognises the value of flexible “work from homeˮ policies, significant in-office presence is required to lead the team and be a culture and values champion.

Start date

The start date of this position is immediate, with preference for candidates that can start as soon as possible. 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; however, we will prioritize candidates who do not require IDinsight to sponsor work authorization.

Compensation

Compensation is competitive within the global development sector and commensurate with experience. IDinsight offers a strong benefits package, including health coverage, generous leave policies, travel support, and flexible work arrangements. We welcome discussions with shortlisted candidates to ensure transparency in our compensation philosophy.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a CV and a Cover Letter via the 'Apply for this job online' button. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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 is committed to non-discrimination in our recruitment, employment practices, and organizational culture, regardless of people’s age, disability, gender, gender identity, genetics, national origin, race, color, religion or belief, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.