Job Highlight:

• You will help WRI Africa shape our strategy related to urban data and guide the development of data products—both datasets and digital applications—to meet the needs of important urban stakeholders. You will ensure user research is at the heart of a data and product strategy. You will manage stakeholder relationships, make recommendations for digital products, and manage teams to support use of these products. You may also be called upon to directly manage the delivery of important projects. The near-term projects you will support have goals ranging from planning for sustainable urban growth; avoid extreme urban heat; fill gaps in data on African cities and climate resilience for the most vulnerable urban residents. You will sit in the Cities Program in WRI Africa and be affiliated with Urban Data & Tools team in WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the WRI Data Lab.
• You will report to the Director of WRI Africa Cities and work with the global manager of Cities Data and Tools and the Global Network Lead for WRI’s Data Lab.

What will you do:

Guide Strategic Direction of Data Products and Programs (40%):

• Develop a cohesive strategy for urban data and associated tooling in partnership with managers and technical teams
• Contribute to the design of new data applications and products, ensuring they stay true to a cohesive overall strategic direction and are responsive to user needs
• Manage small, matrixed teams of analysts, coordinators, and specialists, both internal and external resources, to achieve projects with oversight from managers
• Stay up to date with developments and changes in the landscape of data for African sustainable development, and ensure WRI’s strategy remains aligned. This will involve conducting market research for new tools and programs
• Work with senior staff from the Cities and Data teams on the strategic development and management of urban data work in Africa
• Support fundraising, including encouraging new project opportunities and prospective donors and preparing proposals
• Partner with internal staff to coordinate fundraising opportunities within the Africa Cities team related to urban data

Project and Product management (30%):

• Initiate new projects, creating initial work plans, budgets and organizational structures designed to align the project to goals and main success criteria
• Guide the delivery of large-scale products through the whole product lifecycle through best practices in technical delivery.
• Maintain clear and comprehensive project documentation
• Communicate work to non-technical, senior audiences internally and externally to ensure clarity and understanding
• Work with Monitoring and Evaluation teams to define methods and metrics for measuring product success. This can include product analytics and Indicators
• Oversee vendor procurement and relationship management, including contracts, creating work plans, and managing deadlines and budget

Relationship Management, User Research (20%):

• Develop relationships with stakeholders and current and prospective product users
• Collaborate with communications colleagues to lead outreach to reach target audiences and initiate opportunities for collaboration and engagement with partners
• Work with the Data Lab’s User Research Lead to organize and run events for user research and engagement, such as interviews, trainings or workshops
• Design and manage user research activities, with User Research Lead, to support the development and testing of products and services
• Monitor user engagement throughout the lifecycle of a product or service. Use these findings to inform ongoing development, engagement, continuous improvement and measurement, evaluation, and learning

Communications (10% of time):

• Communicate to internal and external audiences using clear writing, data visualization, and presentation skills
• Guide analysts in developing analyses and data communications materials required to meet project needs
• Lead the drafting of blogs, technical notes, and papers
• Apply basic knowledge of frontend frameworks for data visualization
• Apply basic knowledge of cartographic principles and map design tools and practices

What will you need:

Education: A BA or BS degree in a relevant field

Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of full-time work experience. Implement user research best practices.
• Experience Lead technology product development, working with external vendors
• Coordinate partnerships of partners, donors, and governments
• Facilitate vendor procurement processes
• Experience with project management practices.
• Past work in an urban policy or planning context or with urban data.

Languages: You have verbal and written proficiency in English and additional fluency in more or more language spoken in WRI Africa focus countries

Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization