Data Management Coordinator at Zvitambo – Harare

Zvitambo is seeking an experienced and talented Data Coordinator to coordinate the LIFE-ED Data Core activities across five countries. This role requires a strong background in research data management, statistics/data science, combined with exemplary project management and communication skills. The role will serve as the public ‘face’ of the LIFE-ED Data Core, coordinating meetings, developing case report forms (CRFs), specifying data system requirements, and establishing data quality assurance SOPs. The coordinator will harmonize data approaches and interface with data scientists in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Peru, India, and Bangladesh to launch a complex 5-country study. This position demands broad experience in data collection and data management systems, strong team leadership skills, and a dynamic approach to motivating international teams, including the ability to lead multi-country calls to harmonize data decisions.

The Data Coordinator provides a crucial link between the Data Core and each LIFE-ED study team. The post holder will work closely with the Associate Director for Data, IT and Statistics to launch the project and will oversee a team of three programmers and two data officers. This position is based in Harare and may require international travel to coordinate meetings or support the deployment of data systems at other LIFE-ED sites.

Main Duties include:
Project Planning & Scheduling: Develop detailed project timelines, set milestones, and organize daily tasks for data systems design, development, deployment, and maintenance.
Data Tracking & Quality Control: Monitor incoming data workflows, check for data integrity and accuracy, and help maintain documentation or standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Cross-Functional Communication: Act as the central point of contact between data scientists, database administrators, and researchers, translating technical progress into updates.
Resource & Vendor Coordination: Ensure the data team has the necessary software, tools, and personnel, and coordinate with external vendors or data providers when required.
Progress Reporting & Risk Management: Track project metrics, log potential bottlenecks or compliance/security risks, and prepare status reports for LIFE-ED stakeholders.
Administrative Support: Schedule Data Core meetings, take meeting minutes, manage shared resources or databases, and track project expenses.
Data Governance and Policies: In collaboration with country data management teams, develop and enforce standards, procedures, and guidelines for how data is collected, stored, used, and shared across the LIFE-ED consortium.
Data Quality and Integrity: Implement validation rules, cleaning processes, and deduplication routines to fix errors and maintain reliable datasets.
System and Database Management: In collaboration with programmers, design, maintain, and optimize data storage platforms, including databases, data warehouses, and cloud-based repositories.
Security and Access Control: In collaboration with the IT team, establish user permissions, authentication protocols, and backup procedures to safeguard sensitive information.
Regulatory Compliance: In collaboration with DPO, ensure data practices adhere to relevant privacy laws and industry regulations (such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA).
Lifecycle Management: Oversee data from its initial creation or acquisition through active usage, archiving, and final deletion or destruction.
Collaboration and Support: Work closely with IT teams, data analysts, data scientists, and LIFE-ED teams to turn raw data into actionable dashboards, reports, and insights.

- Master’s Degree in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science or Mathematics.
- Professional Certifications in data management, data analytics, or cloud computing (e.g., AWS Certified Data Analytics, Azure Data Engineer).
- Project management certifications.
- At least 3 to 5+ years of hands-on experience in data management, data coordination, database administration, data warehousing, or data analytics.
- Advanced proficiency in SQL (essential), plus working knowledge of database systems like PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, or MongoDB.
- Familiarity with data manipulation and analysis languages like Python or R.
- Experience with Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) pipelines and cloud data platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure).
- Proficiency in visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
- Understanding of metadata management, master data management (MDM), data cleaning, and security/privacy protocols.
- Ability to plan, execute, and monitor data-driven projects across cross-functional teams.
- Strong ability to translate complex technical concepts and data findings into clear, non-technical insights for stakeholders and leadership.
- Aptitude for troubleshooting data discrepancies, system errors, and integrity gaps.
- Strong track record in research data management, with experience in multi-country projects being a distinct advantage.
- Deep understanding and hands-on experience of the research cycle - from design and preparation, to data cleaning and analysis.
- Highly proficient in Electronic data capture systems such as Redcap, ODK, or KoBo Toolbox.
- Proficient in productivity tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
- Demonstrated leadership abilities and experience in mentoring junior staff.
- Well versed in regulatory frameworks governing clinical research, such as Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
- Keen understanding of the research ecosystem in Zimbabwe.
- Desirable: Track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals or presentations at scientific conferences.