m2m: Data Scientist

mothers2mothers (m2m) is an Africa-based NGO that unlocks the potential of women to eliminate paediatric AIDS and create healthy families across eight sub-Saharan countries. m2m trains, employs, and helps empower HIV-positive women to work as community healthcare workers in understaffed health centres and underserved communities. Through a peer-to-peer approach, these ‘Mentor Mothers’ deliver a range of health services, advice, and support to women and their families. Started in Cape Town, South Africa in 2001 with an initial focus on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, m2m has innovated and built on its strengths and now provides family-centred support for a range of related health and social issues spanning pregnancy, birth, childhood, and adolescence. It also partners with governments and other NGOs on the adoption of its programme to spread the Mentor Mother Model and its benefits. m2m has a track record of scaling its services and proven impact. In 2017, m2m and its partners enrolled 2.3 million new clients. m2m has virtually eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV among the enrolled clients it serves directly for the last four years, with an average transmission rate of just 1.6%, while 97% of children in its ECD programmes meet all of their development milestones at 12 months. For more, visit www.m2m.org.  

Data Scientist – Cape Town

Over the last two years, starting with structural changes in client management tools and the introduction of mHealth, m2m overhauled its entire routine M&E system that drives programme performance management. In order to drive optimal access to, and utilisation of m2m digital data among a broad range of internal stakeholders, m2m is looking to employ a full time Data Scientist. The purpose of this position is to support m2m’s Research and Strategic Information function, situated within the Department of Programmes and Technical Support, through managing data and facilitating data access across multiple data sources and platforms; and through supporting data analytics and modelling as well as reporting, for improved programme management and optimal client outcomes.
This position reports to the Research and Strategic Information Manager and is based at m2m Head Office in Cape Town. National / international travel may be required up to 10% of the time.

Key Performance Areas

• Utilise multiple m2m internal data sources and identify valuable external data sources to extract and collate data for optimal programme performance analytics.
• Undertake pre-processing of structured and unstructured data.
• Automate data access processes for internal Operations Research and Routine M&E purposes.
• Use critical data analytics skills, as well as an ability to communicate findings, to mine vast amounts of data for useful programme performance management insights.
• Support the development of / build predictive models and machine-learning algorithms.
• Combine models through ensemble modelling.
• In close collaboration with the broader RSI team – support the analysis of large amounts of information to discover trends and patterns; sift and analyse data from multiple angles, looking for trends that highlight programmatic problems or opportunities.
• In close collaboration with the broader RSI team and Senior Technical Advisors, propose solutions and strategies to programme enhancement challenges.
• Present routine programme performance monitoring information and operations research outputs using data visualization techniques, tailored for multiple internal and external stakeholder groups.
• Collaborate with Senior Technical Advisors and programme development / programme management teams to improve programme delivery for optimal client outcomes and impact.

Qualification and Experience

• A Master’s Degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science or other quantitative field is preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as a Data Specialist / Data Analyst / Data Scientist
• Experience in working in a Health and Development context, in resource constrained settings – with special reference to HIV, RMNCH and ECD.
• Proven experience in database querying, data mining, data analytics and data interpretation.
• Proven understanding of machine-learning, routine M&E and Operations Research.
• Experience in using R, SQL and Python; familiarity with Scala, Java or C++ is an asset.
• Experience in using STATA is a strong recommendation.
• Experience using business intelligence tools (e.g. Tableau) and data frameworks (e.g. Hadoop).

mothers2mothers is an equal opportunity employer. We particularly encourage applications from people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), people with disabilities, women and previously disadvantaged people.
Competitive salary packages will be negotiable in accordance with m2m’s remuneration policies.