Data and Impact Senior Associate

Data & Impact Senior Officer , Partnerships for Forests Job Title: Data & Impact Senior Officer Palladium grade: Senior Associate Location: London or Bristol , UK Reports to: Impact Data Lead , Partnerships for Forests Contract Type: Full-time fixed term contract, 10 0% Applications without a personalised CV or cover letter are unlikely to be successful. About Palladium Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,200 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. Palladium is part of GISI’s Consulting Group, which aims to create solutions for the world’s most complex challenges. With annual revenues of $14 billion, GISI’s approximately 15,000 employees are engaged in projects across 100 countries worldwide providing construction, program/project management, and engineering consulting services . Programme context The Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use Programme – Phase 2 ( Partnerships for Forests, P4F ) is the flagship programme in the Cli mate and Environment team at Palladium. P4F is split into three components, this position is primarily focused on Component 1 , with collaboration and coordination opportunities for working with Component 3. P4F is a grants and technical assistance facility that s upports businesses and investment models in which the private sector, public sector and communities can achieve improved returns from forests and sustainable land use whilst protecting existing forest, restoring degraded land and improving agricultural land management and production practices. All this work is focused across the tropical forests belt. P4F will run for 5 years from February 2025. Depending on performance and subject to funding, the programme may be extended for a further 5 years (up to 2035). The programme is funded by the UK government. Purpose of the position The Data & Impact Senior Officer will support in the delivery of P4F systems strategy, P MIS development, insight and analytics , security and compliance . They will work closely and collaboratively with the P4F teams and across Palladium to understand user needs and assist colleagues in the design and implementation of information systems, data and analytic s . A strong communicator, they will collaborate with colleagues to navigate change , and adopt and make better use of tools , while also clearly and coherently communicating findings and results . In all cases, the primary focus is on programmes and activities in the tropical forests and sustainable land use space , although there may also be opportunities for those more focused on temperate environments . Location The position is based in our London or Bristol office , and it is expected the person works from the office at least 3 days per week . Reporting and s upervision • The role reports to the Impact Data Lead , P4F , who is based in London . Primary Responsibilities • Support on d ata s ystems d evelopment and m anagement : • Contributing to the ongoing maintenance, customisation, improvement and development of our Project Management Information System ( P MIS ) to capture, analyse and report project and programmatic data, for use by the P4F team, grantees and clients , and to support the delivery of the strategic objectives of P4F . • Ensur e systems comply with all internal and external requirements and policies , improve access to information for teams and clients , and maintain system functionality and compliance. • Understand and embed Palladium IT policies and procedures and FCDO needs and requirements for audit and data protection purposes . • Ensure adherence to relevant data protection laws (GDPR & DPA) . • Design and manage the P4F tech stack, suggesting, researching and piloting new technologies and software. • Maintain SharePoint sites, databases, and dashboards. • Troubleshoot and enhance existing processes and automations. • Ensure regional data processes remain aligned and consistent. • Conduct regular compliance assessments of programme tools. • P rovide technical support for data quality . • Perform impact and operations a nalytics and visualisation for P4F . • Develop and maintain a strong understanding of P4F's end-to-end data lifecycle, from data generation and collection through to reporting and decision-making. Proactively identify opportunities to improve data flows, data quality, systems integration, reporting and analytics, leading the development of solutions that enhance programme performance and organisational learning. • Annual data analytics, performance and learning dashboards and reporting – prioritising insight from our programmatic and project data through the development of bespoke analytics tools, reports and dashboards. • Apply statistical and exploratory data analysis techniques to uncover trends and relationships and build predictive models and algorithms to forecast spending, outcomes, and performance. • Support on c apturing and sharing learning on project and portfolio impact, including learning about what works (and doesn’t ) , combined with a strong focus on quantitative and qualitative analysis and findings from P4F data. The combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches would provide a holistic overview of the programme impact. • W orking across different teams to implement and refine data management systems, conduct qualitative research, ensure data quality, and facilitate learning and adaptation based on data insights. • Research Analysis & Learning: Support the design and coordination of programme -wide qualitative and quantitative research approaches to capture insights from beneficiaries. Analyse data to identify trends and lessons learned, bringing together qualitative and quantitative information to generate insights. • Quantitative Research & Learning: Analyse programme data to identify trends and translate complex quantitative findings into clear, actionable insights for various stakeholders, and lead capacity-building efforts within the team on quantitative methods and data interpretation, enhancing P4F’s data-driven decision-making processes. Secondary responsibilities • Deliver internal workshops and “Lunch and Learn” sessions on analytics tools and techniques (e.g., Excel, Power BI, SQL, AI in analytics). • Coordinate a network of regional “digital champions” to support local adoption of digital tools. • Support the transition towards an AI-ready programme ; preparing and cleaning data for AI analysis , advising teams on possible efficiencies and suggesting strategic uptake of tools and techniques. • Support the sharing of systems, tools and processes for collecting and analysing data for measuring performance and impact indicators , results and achievements across wider nature and climate programmes . • Support regional teams in M onitoring, E valuation and L earning (MEL) activities that include designing and applying assessment tools, designing case studies, providing training, assisting with data analysis and presentation, developing action plans and other technical assistance as requested. • Support the programme's MEL Team in the management and development of geospatial databases, helping to integrate spatial data into programme systems, analytics and reporting. Assist with the processing, visualisation and interpretation of geospatial outputs, including shapefiles and other spatial datasets, to support programme monitoring, decision-making and learning. • Support the sharing of P4F MEL systems, tools and approaches for collecting and analysing data for measuring performance indicators and expected results and achievements across the wider n ature and climate programmes . • Visit selected projects in the field to assess, support, and quality assure their data plans and activities. This may involve periodic travel to our regional P4F offices to undertake activities as outlined above. • Support other nature and climate business development as needed within Palladium . This is subject to approval by P4F line manager considering programme capacity and commitments. • The role may also involve acting as a Project Officer (point-of-contact) for ongoing projects and/or investments. • Other duties as assigned. • National and international travel may be required at short notice . Skills And Experience We are seeking someone with a wide range of skills and experience . We recognise that it is unlikely that we will find someone with an equal level of skill s and experience in all desired areas . We therefore seek experience in as many of the following areas and, where experience is lacking, an appreciation of that and an interest and aptitude to either develop knowledge and skills accordingly or work with others across the team to ensure that we can b r ing the most appropriate skills to the team as needed. Essential • Logical and analytical problem-solver, showing initiative and being resourceful when faced with a problem , with proven decision-making skills . • Experience using quantitative data analysis and research , visualisation or reporting tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau, Excel, R, Python, SPSS or equivalent) to collect, organise, and analyse data and communicate insights. E xpertise in data models e.g. PowerQuery , PowerBI , advanced Excel analysis , or Microsoft Fabric . • Project management, especially involving private sector focused development programmes and clients . • Strong stakeholder engagement, collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships across teams, gather and respond to feedback, identify opportunities for improvement, and translate complex technical concepts into clear, practical solutions for non-technical audiences . • Commitment to positive impact , ideally with experience in environment , tropical forests, sustainable land use or agriculture systems development programmes . • Ability to manage multiple simultaneous tasks (ideally in all the areas of the job description) and/or complex projects/assignments as demonstrated by experience to date . • Fluency in English - excellent written and verbal communication skills . • Demonstrated commitment to encourage diversity, inclusion, and equity in teams and program me s . • Right to work in the United Kingdom without sponsorship . Desirable • Data system design and implementation . • Experience using no-code or low-code automation tools (Microsoft Power Automate, Zapier, Make) to develop workflows and automate routine tasks. • Experience working with APIs and connected systems to support data integration, reporting, or process automation. • Understanding of current relevant legislation and its application to the safe use of data, organisational data and information security standards, policies and procedures relevant to data management activities, principles of the data life cycle and the steps involved in carrying out routine data analysis tasks . • MEL experience including theor ies of change, results framework s , case-based reporting and data disaggregation . • Experience in an organisation or private company running FCDO-funded or other large international development programmes . • Proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Portuguese, Spanish or French . Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status . Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made during the recruitment process (due to disability, neurodiversity, or for any other circumstance), please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm ”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse . All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.