Analyst: Social Intelligence & Data Systems

Analyst: Social Intelligence & Data Systems

Contract: Full-time; 1 year fixed term, renewable

Remuneration: Competitive, based on experience and competence

Location: Cape Town or Johannesburg 

Reports to: Senior Consultant 

About us

Africa Practice is a mission-led strategic consulting firm advising investors and development partners across the continent. Our mission is to shape a prosperous Africa that inspires the world. For over 20 years, we have been partnering with global investors, policy-makers, development partners and other changemakers to drive transformation on the continent. 

Our insights and advocacy solutions are rooted in detailed systems and stakeholder understanding. We identify, generate, and analyse human-centred systems data to design impactful advocacy interventions. We deliver our world-class insights and advocacy solutions through our local presence.

We operate as one company, with a diverse team working on a hybrid basis in Abuja, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, and London. We are risk analysts, development economists, advocates, storytellers, data scientists, policy experts,  systems thinkers and creative minds. Over 80% of our staff are African and over 50% are women. We have been a signatory to the UN Global Compact since 2021 and we are actively working to achieve B-Corp status.

About the role

We are looking for a technically proficient Analyst to serve as the backbone of our social listening and data investigation capabilities. Unlike traditional consulting roles, this position is focused on the technical architecture of insights—managing data pipelines, building complex Boolean query architectures, and ensuring our data lakehouse is populated with high-quality social media data. You will bridge the gap between "raw data" and "political insight," ensuring our Senior Consultants have error-free, sophisticated dashboards to drive client strategy.

Responsibilities

Pipeline management: Support the build and maintenance of data pipelines drawing from social media data brokers into our data lakehouse.

System configuration: Set up and manage complex dashboards and queries on social listening platforms (e.g., Brandwatch, Meltwater, Pulsar).

Boolean architecture: Write, test, and refine advanced Boolean search strings to capture nuanced political and social discourse across African markets.

Data quality assurance: Conduct regular audits of data sets to identify and eliminate "noise," ensuring high-quality inputs for our senior consulting team.

Technical support: Assist the broader team with data extraction and basic visualisation for client reports.

What we are looking for: 

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Education: A degree in Data Science, Computational Social Science, or a related field (e.g., Statistics or Quantitative Political Science).

Experience: Minimum 1 year of relevant professional experience in a data-centric role.

Technical skills: Proficiency in SQL and Python. Familiarity with API integrations and social listening tools is a significant advantage.

Context: A strong interest in the African political and business environment.

Mindset: Highly methodical, detail-oriented, and comfortable working at the intersection of "human" data and technical systems.

Values: Curious, courageous, candid, committed, cross-border 

What we offer

We offer the successful candidate an opportunity to develop a rewarding career within a dynamic pan-African consultancy advising a prestigious portfolio of clients. This position offers:

Competitive remuneration

Immediate opportunities for growth

Collaboration with a diverse and experienced team of colleagues

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are much less likely to apply for a position unless they meet every single qualification. So this notwithstanding, if you are excited about this role, we would love to hear from you. At Africa Practice, we are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse and authentic workplace. You might just be the new team member we are looking for - for this or other roles. 

Do you want to contribute to an influential and prosperous Africa, inspiring the world? We’re looking for Africa’s changemakers – smart people with strong analytical, advocacy, digital and problem-solving skills who can reconcile diverse perspectives to deliver sustainable change. 

Please send in your application by clicking on the “apply” button. 

Do include a cover letter explaining why you think you are suited to this position and indicating your availability. Your documents must be entitled with “*your name* JD: Analyst, Social Intelligence & Data Systems”.

The vacancy is immediately open for suitable applications and will be closed as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. Early applications are advised.