Background

VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia and South America in close partnership with ministries of education and their institutions. We are looking for a Data Management Intern who will operate from our office in Lusaka. The Data Management Intern will support the design, development, management, and maintenance of data systems used for programme monitoring, reporting, research, and decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Data Systems and Database Management

• Design, build, and maintain relational databases to support programme data management and reporting needs.
• Develop and manage data structures, tables, relationships, queries, and documentation for efficient storage, retrieval, and analysis of data.
• Support database administration, including data backups, data security, user access controls, and routine database maintenance.
• Ensure databases are properly organized, cleaned, updated, and aligned with programme indicators and reporting requirements.
• Use SQL to extract, transform, validate, and summarize data from different data sources.

Digital Data Collection Tools

• Design, program, and manage electronic data collection tools using platforms such as KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, ODK, or similar systems.
• Develop forms with skip logic, validation rules, calculations, constraints, repeat groups, and quality checks.
• Support testing, deployment, troubleshooting, and updating of digital data collection tools.
• Train and support field teams, enumerators, and programme staff in the use of digital data collection applications.
• Monitor incoming data during fieldwork and provide real-time feedback on data quality issues

Data Cleaning and Quality Assurance

• Conduct routine data cleaning, validation, deduplication, consistency checks, and reconciliation across datasets.
• Develop automated data quality checks using Excel, Power Query, SQL, and other appropriate tools.
• Identify data gaps, errors, outliers, and inconsistencies, and work with programme teams to resolve them.
• Use advanced Excel functions, formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, macros, and other programming features to support preparation of clean datasets for analysis, reporting, evaluation, and donor submissions.
• Maintain data dictionaries, codebooks, metadata, and documentation of data processing procedures.

Dashboards and Data Visualization

• Support the MEAL team in the development, maintenance, and updating of interactive dashboards using Power BI and other visualization tools.
• Use Power Query and DAX to transform, model, and analyze data for dashboards and reports.
• Support programme teams to interpret and use dashboard outputs for decision-making.

Data Governance and Documentation

• Support implementation of data management standards, protocols, and quality assurance procedures.
• Ensure compliance with organizational data protection, confidentiality, and ethical data handling requirements.
• Maintain proper documentation for databases, data collection tools, datasets, dashboards, and reporting templates.
• Promote good data management practices across programme teams.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics/Statistics, Information Systems, or other relevant quantitative academic fields with extensive computing skills.
• Fluent in English.
• Strong knowledge of relational database design, development, and management.
• Proficiency in SQL for querying, extracting, transforming, and analyzing data.
• Strong skills in Power BI, including data modelling, dashboard development, visualization, and reporting.
• Strong knowledge of Power Query for data cleaning, transformation, and automation.
• Knowledge of digital data collection platforms such as KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, ODK, or similar, including the development of forms with skip logic, constraints, calculations, validation rules, and repeat groups.
• Ability to manage, merge, clean, analyze, and document large datasets.
• Knowledge of data quality assurance procedures, data protection, confidentiality, and responsible data use principles.
• Knowledge of DAX in Power BI/Power Pivot data modelling.
• Knowledge of coding language used in statistical/data analysis software (Python, R, Stata or SAS).
• Knowledge of cloud-based databases, data warehouses, or data platforms.
• Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Willingness to learn, support field teams, and troubleshoot data collection challenges.

Deliverables:

• Functional and well-maintained relational databases.
• High-quality digital data collection tools.
• Clean, validated, and well-documented datasets.
• Interactive Power BI dashboards and automated reports.
• Data quality assurance reports and issue logs.
• Updated data dictionaries, codebooks, and data management documentation.

The Data Management Intern is expected to work in collaboration with the MEAL and Research team and other relevant staff and should be collaborative, participative and hands-on for smooth office operations.

The Data Management Intern reports to the MEAL and Research Manager or designate and will work closely with the MEAL and Research team and other relevant staff, thus a part of the MEAL and Research team.

• Design, build, and maintain relational databases to support programme data management and reporting needs.
• Develop and manage data structures, tables, relationships, queries, and documentation for efficient storage, retrieval, and analysis of data.
• Support database administration, including data backups, data security, user access controls, and routine database maintenance.
• Ensure databases are properly organized, cleaned, updated, and aligned with programme indicators and reporting requirements.
• Use SQL to extract, transform, validate, and summarize data from different data sources.
• Design, program, and manage electronic data collection tools using platforms such as KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, ODK, or similar systems.
• Develop forms with skip logic, validation rules, calculations, constraints, repeat groups, and quality checks.
• Support testing, deployment, troubleshooting, and updating of digital data collection tools.
• Train and support field teams, enumerators, and programme staff in the use of digital data collection applications.
• Monitor incoming data during fieldwork and provide real-time feedback on data quality issues
• Conduct routine data cleaning, validation, deduplication, consistency checks, and reconciliation across datasets.
• Develop automated data quality checks using Excel, Power Query, SQL, and other appropriate tools.
• Identify data gaps, errors, outliers, and inconsistencies, and work with programme teams to resolve them.
• Use advanced Excel functions, formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, macros, and other programming features to support preparation of clean datasets for analysis, reporting, evaluation, and donor submissions.
• Maintain data dictionaries, codebooks, metadata, and documentation of data processing procedures.
• Support the MEAL team in the development, maintenance, and updating of interactive dashboards using Power BI and other visualization tools.
• Use Power Query and DAX to transform, model, and analyze data for dashboards and reports.
• Support programme teams to interpret and use dashboard outputs for decision-making.
• Support implementation of data management standards, protocols, and quality assurance procedures.
• Ensure compliance with organizational data protection, confidentiality, and ethical data handling requirements.
• Maintain proper documentation for databases, data collection tools, datasets, dashboards, and reporting templates.
• Promote good data management practices across programme teams.

• Strong knowledge of relational database design, development, and management.
• Proficiency in SQL for querying, extracting, transforming, and analyzing data.
• Strong skills in Power BI, including data modelling, dashboard development, visualization, and reporting.
• Strong knowledge of Power Query for data cleaning, transformation, and automation.
• Knowledge of digital data collection platforms such as KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, ODK, or similar, including the development of forms with skip logic, constraints, calculations, validation rules, and repeat groups.
• Ability to manage, merge, clean, analyze, and document large datasets.
• Knowledge of data quality assurance procedures, data protection, confidentiality, and responsible data use principles.
• Knowledge of DAX in Power BI/Power Pivot data modelling.
• Knowledge of coding language used in statistical/data analysis software (Python, R, Stata or SAS).
• Knowledge of cloud-based databases, data warehouses, or data platforms.
• Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Willingness to learn, support field teams, and troubleshoot data collection challenges.

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics/Statistics, Information Systems, or other relevant quantitative academic fields with extensive computing skills.
• Fluent in English.