Impact Evidence & Insights Lead

About Africa Practice

Africa Practice is a mission-led strategic consulting firm that has been advising investors and development partners across the African continent for over two decades. The firm’s mission is to shape a prosperous Africa that inspires the world. Africa Practice partners with global investors, policy-makers, development partners, and other changemakers to drive transformation across the continent through strategic advisory services. The firm specializes in insights and advocacy solutions that are rooted in detailed systems and stakeholder understanding. Africa Practice identifies, generates, and analyzes human-centered systems data to design impactful advocacy interventions. The company delivers world-class insights and advocacy solutions through its extensive local presence that spans across the African continent and extends to London. Africa Practice operates as an integrated company with a diverse team working on a hybrid basis across multiple African cities including Abuja, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi, as well as London. The firm’s workforce comprises risk analysts, development economists, advocates, storytellers, data scientists, policy experts, systems thinkers, and creative professionals. The organization maintains a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, with over 80 percent of staff being African and over 50 percent being women. Africa Practice has been a signatory to the UN Global Compact since 2021 and achieved B-Corp certification in 2024, reflecting its commitment to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

About this Role

This role is designed for a research expert who is passionate about solving complex socio-economic challenges within the African context. Africa Practice is seeking someone who excels in designing and executing creative and rigorous research methodologies that blend both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The successful candidate will become the firm’s internal expert on building primary data collection strategies, including innovative digital and social media-based surveys, while combining a variety of data and insights repositories and synthesizing diverse inputs into powerful, evidence-based narratives. The ideal candidate will be comfortable handling quantitative data and supporting basic economic models. Success in this role will depend on demonstrated curiosity, strategic thinking, and the ability to connect rigorous research to the firm’s wider mission of building a prosperous Africa. This is not a purely technical position; it is a strategic role that requires a self-starter who can develop solutions, manage complex deliverables, and is deeply motivated to make a positive impact. The role will support Africa Practice’s growth team, which invests in “breakthrough projects”—significant initiatives focused on issues considered critical to unlock Africa’s prosperity. This includes understanding intra-African migration flows and quantifying the impact of media bias on investment flows. Additionally, the candidate will support client projects requiring rigorous mixed-method research, particularly those working with the public policy team that advises clients on strategic engagement with policymakers. This often requires assessing the socio-economic impact of policy, corporate interventions, or specific projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of creative and rigorous mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) research methodologies for client projects and internal insights
• Act as the internal expert on complex, mixed-method research and quantitative data analysis for high-stakes research
• Develop and implement innovative primary data collection strategies, including digital and social media-based surveys
• Synthesize and structure complex information and data from various sources into clear, powerful, and evidence-based narratives and reports
• Manage and handle quantitative data, including supporting the development of basic economic and impact models
• Manage complex project deliverables related to research and impact assessment from inception to completion
• Collaborate closely with team members to understand their data and evidence needs and translate them into research requirements
• Champion a culture of rigorous, evidence-based inquiry that aligns with the firm’s mission

Requirements

• Deep and demonstrable alignment with the vision of an influential and prosperous Africa, driven to make a positive social impact
• Strategic and creative thinker, intellectually curious and passionate about answering complex socio-economic questions in the African context
• Proven experience of 5 or more years in a consulting, research, or in-house role focused on designing and executing complex research projects
• Strong academic background with a master’s degree in a relevant analytical discipline with strong quantitative and qualitative research acumen (such as development economics, social studies, or related fields); a PhD is a significant advantage
• Demonstrable expertise in designing and managing mixed-methods research (both quantitative and qualitative)
• Proven experience in data-led investigations, including identifying and sourcing diverse datasets in data-scarce environments, including identifying proxy datasets or using primary data for reference in creative yet robust ways
• Practical experience in developing innovative primary data collection strategies, preferably including digital or social media-based approaches
• Strong quantitative analysis skills, including proficiency with Excel and familiarity with basic economic modeling concepts
• Excellent synthesis skills; ability to manage and structure inputs from various sources and weave them into a clear, compelling narrative
• Self-starter with strong project management skills, able to manage complex deliverables from design to execution
• Excellent communication and writing skills, with meticulous attention to detail
• Good understanding of the public policy, regulatory, and political economy landscape in Africa (highly desirable)
• Experience with social listening tools (highly desirable)

Benefits

• Competitive remuneration based on experience and competence
• Full-time contract position for 2 years with option of permanent extension
• Immediate opportunities for growth and career development within a dynamic pan-African consultancy
• Collaboration with a diverse and experienced team of colleagues
• Flexible location options with preference for Johannesburg or Cape Town
• Hybrid work arrangements
• Opportunity to work on high-impact breakthrough projects critical to Africa’s prosperity
• Chance to contribute to an influential and prosperous Africa inspiring the world
• Position within an organization committed to inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in the workplace

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