About the Organisation
SmartStart is a successful national network of NGOs and partners that is enabling access to quality, affordable early learning for all children aged three to five. We aim to reach 1 million children annually by 2030 — focused on the two -thirds of children from the 40% of households receiving least income. We are achieving this by scaling a network of and building a platform for providers, achieving specific ecosystem transformations with governments and partners, and promoting early learning as a priority societal cause.
About the Job
This is a senior leadership position at the heart of how SmartStart understands, learns from, and acts on data across its national network. You will lead the monitoring, data, and insights function ; building the frameworks, systems, culture, and external partnerships needed to translate complex information into meaningful action, driving a culture of learning, and ensuring SmartStart's data systems are fit for societal scale. You will lead a team of seven and work closely with senior leadership, government partners, and the broader ECD ecosystem, ultimately ensuring that data drives better outcomes for children at scale.
Key Responsibilities
Monitoring, Feedback & Sense-Making
Lead coherent, role-appropriate target-setting processes across the network
Design and continuously improve performance indicators and dashboards tailored to different user contexts
Guide iterative sense-making - helping teams navigate, explain, and act on data as an ongoing organisational practice
Prepare core quarterly performance reports and an extended annual report suitable for funders and senior stakeholders
Champion reflective practice and guide teams in drawing actionable insights from performance data
Data Management & Governance
Co-lead the ongoing development of data governance frameworks and practices (in partnership with the IT Head)
Maintain a living map of key data sets, their sources, owners, and lineage
Drive continuous improvement in data ethics, POPIA compliance, accessibility, quality, integrity, and security
Introduce user-friendly tools, guides, and processes that support data owners and stewards across the network
Foster a data-engaged organisational culture that builds confidence and ownership at all levels
Strategic Data Systems & External Partnerships
Map and manage population data to inform multi-year planning, targeting, and scenario modelling
Lead the alignment of SmartStart's data systems with eCares and other relevant state and partner systems (DBE, Ilifa Labantwana, National Treasury)
Monitor and respond to emerging strategic information needs as they evolve across the ecosystem
Insights, Rapid Learning & Innovation
Design and lead rapid learning projects using short feedback loops, iterative experimentation, and short-term focused studies
Synthesise collective intelligence from across the network to surface patterns, opportunities, and risks
Commission and guide analyses of existing data as well as targeted fieldwork investigations
Champion reflexive, double-loop learning practices that interrogate assumptions, not just outcomes
Collaboration with Research, Reflection & Evaluation
Co-develop a relevant research and evaluation agenda for SmartStart
Conceptualise research questions, evaluation frameworks, and terms of reference for studies
Create and disseminate knowledge grounded in the lived expertise of SmartStart practitioners
Organisational Leadership & Development
Lead in alignment with SmartStart's purple practices
Co-realise SmartStart's strategy through coherent, adaptive management
Create conditions for diverse thinking and collaborative problem-solving across the network
Practice and exemplify systems thinking; seeing big-picture patterns, feedback loops, and cross-boundary dynamics
Model SmartStart's values: trustworthiness, curiosity, psychological safety, coaching leadership, and accountability
Commit to continuous self-development and the development of your team
Requirements
Qualifications and Experience
Master's degree or equivalent postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
Minimum 8 years of relevant, diverse professional experience in complex organisational or systemic contexts
Minimum 4 years in a senior role successfully leading data-related functions and managing data-related teams
Demonstrated experience in social impact organisations, programmes, or initiatives
Advantageous
Doctoral qualification (PhD) in a relevant field
Formal training or certification in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL/MERL)
Certification or demonstrated proficiency in data visualisation (e.g. Power BI, Tableau)
Project management qualification (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum)
Fluency in one or more South African languages in addition to English
Experience in early childhood development, education, or public health sectors
Experience with eCares or similar government data systems
Technical & Specialist Knowledge
Advanced comfort leading sophisticated, multi-layered work with data across its full lifecycle
People-centered and user-centered approaches to data design and delivery
Thoughtful familiarity with M&E/MEL/MERL frameworks and their practical application at scale
Ability to see patterns and build coherence across complex, ambiguous environments
Proficiency in Power BI and/or comparable data visualisation platforms (advantageous)
Familiarity with Microsoft Dynamics 365 or similar CRM platforms (advantageous)
Familiarity with A/B testing and iterative experimental design (advantageous)
Leadership & Interpersonal
Track record of building trusting, high-performing team relationships across organisational levels
Ability to communicate complex data narratives accessibly to diverse, non-technical audiences
Experience facilitating collective thinking and enabling productive collaboration
Capacity to co-build and communicate coherence in fast-moving, evolving contexts
Skilled at reprioritising and adapting in response to shifting organisational needs
Mindset & Values
Deep commitment to social justice and SmartStart's purpose
Demonstrable learning orientation: curiosity, openness to feedback, and a track record of doing differently
Comfort navigating ambiguity, complexity, and the tension between rhetoric and reality
Systems thinker: able to perceive wholes and parts, feedback loops, and cross-boundary dynamics
Skilled at distinguishing complicated problems (requiring analysis) from complex ones (requiring adaptive experimentation)
To apply
To apply, email your application by Monday 25th May 2026 to callum@actionappointments.co.za
