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.