Starting Date: ASAP/Mid-Month December 2024
Contract type: Full-time and open-ended
Salary: if hired in London – 57’400 GBP, if in Delhi – 3,042,400 INR, if in Lahore – 6’773’600 PKR, commensurate with relevant experience and skills
Location: London, Delhi, Lahore
Application closing date: 31.10.2024
About the Job
Do you enjoy turning data into insights? Are you purpose-led and ready to embark on a journey to shape the future of sustainable cotton? Join us at Better Cotton as MEL Data Insights and Visualisation Manager and lead initiatives in a global team responsible for delivering high impact data insights for the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative – we support more sustainable farming practices and farm livelihoods for more than 2 million farmers in the Better Cotton network more than 20 countries around the world.
Better Cotton is seeking a dynamic data analytics professional to join its Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team. Successful candidates will be skilled at analysing data on agricultural practices, field results and programmes, as well as adept at transforming analyses into clear visualisations with concise explanations. The MEL Data Insights and Visualization Manager will assist in compiling data from different sources and different teams, transforming, cleaning, validating, analysing data and promoting its insights though dynamic dashboards using Power BI and creating reports to disseminate learnings to our stakeholders (which range from farmers, programme partners close to the field to textile brands). The MEL Data Insights and Visualization Manager will report to Head of MEL inside the Standards and Assurance Team. There is not team reporting into this role at the moment, but we anticipate building up a team over time. You will play a key role in creating data feedback loops that will contribute to continuous improvement and influence programmatic change at the field-level and at the organization. You will influence our members by promoting our results and activities and those of our partners.
This challenging role offers excellent opportunities for personal and professional development, together with a competitive benefits package.
The Challenge
We are a large sustainability standard in the middle of big transformations (moving from a voluntary standard to a certification scheme, new legislations to adapt, increased consumer demands). Data plays a key role in informing our progress towards our targets.
As the MEL Data Insights and Visualisation Manager, you will be responsible for turning data into insights and providing Better Cotton staff and stakeholders with dynamic visualisation tools and reports. Data analysis requires a lot of context and for that understanding of sustainability standards, impact measurements and agriculture would be needed.
Areas that play to your strengths
We are seeking a motivated MEL Data Insights and Visualisation Manager to join our MEL Team. In this role, you will work both independently and with team members in the MEL secretariat and local country-team offices. Your responsibilities are to:
- Oversee, support and perform effective and accurate analysis of farm-level results data, reach data, practice adoption, programme activities… among other datasets.
- Create tools for analysis and reporting with Power BI and other tools adapted to range of stakeholders with different goals and backgrounds
- Ensure regularly scheduled reporting is completed accurately and to schedule, creating content and coordinating with other teams
- Actively promote existing data insights providing the needed context, tools and improvement possibilities inside the organisation that could support learning and accountability
- Coach and support Better Cotton’s country staff and partners on using interactive results dashboards.
- Support response to ad-hoc data analysis requests from staff and stakeholders
- Ensure other departments (e.g. IT, Communications, Implementation, Fundraising), have what they need for specific meetings, and for external parties (e.g. partners, members, researchers) as agreed with supervisor
- Work with ITD department into integrating more datasets into the organisation database
- Explore existing data from other departments that could support MEL strategy, understand how data is collected and propose changes if they could lead to improvements.
- Ensure visibility of activities, ideas and potential of MEL into the organisation.
- Manage some steps on data collection digitalisation process
- Collaborate for assessing farm results data quality, identify problematic areas, and contribute to data quality improvement plans
- Ensure cross-functional coordination around data analysis and data collection
- Support data digitalisation pilots and roll out by testing apps and ensuring the consistency for analysis, creating related dashboards, evaluating its alignment with MEL needs and suggesting improvements
- Perform other tasks as agreed with the supervisor that contribute to the mission and aims of Better Cotton.
- Consolidate all the learnings from evaluations, proposals and yearly reports from our Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) into analysis tools and reports in coordination with GIF team.
- Lead on some projects that would require coordinating remote teams or external consultant.
We are looking for someone who has
the following skills, knowledge, and experience:
Essential
- Minimum 8 years working experience in similar roles
- Degree in relevant domain like environmental science, social science, agriculture, agronomy, rural development, statistics, mathematics, physics.
- Strong experience designing and creating dashboards in Power BI from different data sources not fully structured which provide insights and can be used by wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Experience applying statistics to real-world data analysis and research
- Passion for bringing data to learnings and use
- Understanding the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders around cotton and sustainability standards
- Proactive problem solver and curious learner, able to influence others supported by strong analysis
- Experience assessing and improving data quality
- IT skills, in particular with Excel (PowerQuery, VBA macros), databases
- Pays attention to details, solves problems independently, and is persistent in accurately performing tasks
- Ability to prioritise and plan effectively, working in a structured manner and to deadlines
- Fluency in English, written and spoken
- Experience line managing others
- Demonstrated grasp of the key issues in sustainability and/or knowledge of sustainable agriculture especially in the smallholder farming context
- Experience creating reports and data visualizations for communication purposes
- Experience managing projects that require coordination between remote teams and large organizational skills.
Desirable
- Experience with digital data collection tools (e.g., Commcare, ODK)
- Background in global programme implementation, and agriculture projects
- Proven interest and/or experience in voluntary sustainability standards
- Ability to train and coach others on the creation and use of data visualisations in Power BI
- Experience facilitating learning in an international, multi-cultural setting
- Knowledge of French, Portuguese, Mandarin, Turkish, Hindi, or Urdu
What we offer
- Competitive salary
- Hybrid working – 2-3 days per week in the Better Cotton office (frequency depends on location).
- The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year.
- Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time.
- Continuous learning and development.
- Pension scheme.
- 25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 public holidays depending on national office and a further 3 discretionary days off over the year-end period.
- Enhanced parental benefits.
- A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued.
- The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.
Working arrangements
The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based either in London, Lahore or Delhi. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm. The position may occasionally require travel.
Our hiring process
Initial Screening:
If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial screening, which may involve a brief phone interview or video call. The purpose is to learn more about you, confirm basic qualifications, and discuss the role and organisation.
Interviews:
If you are confirmed after the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management.
Assessment and Testing:
Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position.
Reference Checks:
Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history.
Offer stage:
After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details.
About Better Cotton
Better Cotton is the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our 200+ colleagues of 37+ nationalities are united by a shared passion and commitment to achieving the Better Cotton mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners a quarter of the world’s cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry’s stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.
About our Values
The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:
- Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible)
- As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic)
- Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic)
- Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic)
- Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)
Being you @ Better Cotton
Better Cotton is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.
How to apply
Apply now
Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) in English by or before 31.10.2024 via this link: https://ats.rippling.com/en-GB/better-cotton-careers/jobs/ff3c01ec-c623-4ff8-9d3a-3b4763d71b21
In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.