Information Specialist

Job Specification And Application Details

August 2014

Who are we?

Keystoneis a small, innovativeand growing international social enterprise that provides solutions to the measurement and effectiveness challenges faced by charities, businesses and government agencies. We believe that organisations realize their greatest potential when they listen and respond to those most affected by their activities. Our trademark methodology, Constituent Voice™,helps organisations to be inclusive and responsive in their engagement with constituents, systematic in their learning, and transparent in their public reporting.

Keystone is a changemaker: we are changing the way we change the world. Our many clients seek our help to introduce innovations in accountability and measurement systems for social impact. Our client list includesGlobal Environment Fund, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank Group, Oxfam International, Charity Navigator, Swiss Development Corporation, Ikea Foundation, Save the Children, Christian Aid, the Grassroots Business Fund, the Government of South Africa, and many others.

To learn more about us, visit our website:

Who are you?

To meet the mounting information analysis needs of our growing Constituent Voice™ practice, we are recruiting an information insight specialist. Much of our work involves collecting, analyzing and communicating feedback data from the constituents of our clients. We enable our clients to cultivate better relationships with their constituents, leading to better outcomes.

Constituent Voice™ is a young and emerging field and to succeed with Keystone you will need to combine a mastery of technical skills with creative problem solving. If the prospect of being an innovator in a growing new field at the convergence of participatory and quantitative methodologies excites you, then this could be the right role for you. To learn more about Constituent Voice™, you can find a technical note here.

Qualifications and experience:

  • Masteror PhD qualification in quantitative social research methods, applied statistics or similar.
  • Experience in designing, implementing and analysing consumer service-type surveys.
  • Expert user of data analysis software and applications (such as SPSS, R, Sphinx, etc.)
  • Extensive knowledge of current developments and applications for ICT-enabled data collection (online surveying tools, SMS surveying, etc.).
  • Experience in working with and managing large data sets.
  • Experience in building and managing databases using appropriate software.
  • Experience in producing data visualisations for different audiences.
  • Extensive knowledge of current developments and applications for innovative quantitative and qualitative data visualisation tools.
  • Experience in international development or the voluntary sector in general is desirable.
  • Knowledge of foreign languages relevant for the international development sector (such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic or Chinese) would be an advantage.

Personal attributes:

  • Creative problem solver – You relish the opportunity to bring data and evidence in creative ways to advance our thinking and most importantly organizational practice when addressing important societal problems.
  • Values-driven and committed –You are an individual to whom values are important and you will be excited to be part of a team that seeks to “change the way we whinge the world”.
  • Flexible – You are flexible both in terms of hours and working style in order to respond to immediate issues.
  • Disciplined – Your time is effectively and efficiently managed, whilst also managing the team’s (and others) expectations.
  • Self-Managing – You are a self-starter capable of setting priorities amidst competing demands on your time.
  • Tech savvy– We are a global virtual team, and rely increasingly on ICT to enable effective virtual working, i.e.,Internet telephony, web-logs, web-cams and for supporting the delivery of our services and products. Therefore, you are not only computer literate, but are usually the first among peers totest out the latest IT innovations.
  • Good communicator – You ably express Keystone mission and strategy explicitly and implicitly.

What does the role involve?

  1. Data organization and management
  • Managing all existing survey data from past and current Keystone projects.
  • Coordinate and lead the migration of all existing survey data to the Feedback Commons platform currently being developed by Keystone. The Feedback Commons description is available here.
  1. Survey building and implementation
  • Collaborate with other members of the team and liaise with partners and clients to produce new tailored and standardized surveys using the Constituent Voice™ methodology.
  • Propose and implement improvements in existing Keystone survey tools.
  • Research the most suitable IT applications for survey building and implementation and advise Keystone how best to use them.
  • Manage the different IT applications used by Keystone for survey building and implementation and advise/assist the other members of the team in their use.
  • Configure (or supervise the configuration) the different Keystone surveys on the appropriate applications and software.
  1. Data analysis
  • Work with the different members of the team to identify the analyses to be carried out on a case-by-case basis for Keystone’s survey work.
  • Carry out different types of data analysis as agreed with the other members of the team.
  • Build standard analysis templates and guidelines for doing data analysis.
  • Produce data tables for their inclusion to client and public reports.
  • Advise on the use of analysis software as appropriate.
  1. Data visualization
  • Produce creative data visualizations for their inclusion on Keystone’s websites, client reports and the Feedback Commons.
  • Follow current innovations for data visualization and adapt them to Keystone’s work.
  • Advise staff and clients on the use of data visualization software as appropriate.
  1. Training on Constituent Voice data collection and analysis
  • Together with other members of the team, produce training modules on Constituent Voice™ data collection and analysis, based on Keystone’s experience and methodology.
  • Deliver training to partners and clients as needed.
  1. Manage outsourcing of data collection and analysis as needed
  • When additional capacity data collection and analysis is required, with support from the Office Manager, select and manage temporary personnel and external consultants.
  1. Other
  • Be an active and willing participant in internal methodological discussions and contribute to the development of Constituent Voice™.

Where will you work and what will you earn?

You will be expected to work mainly from Keystone’s offices in London, though our global client base will take you on the road on a regular basis. The current Keystone team is based in multiple countries and Keystone may consider exceptional candidates based anywhere.

Remuneration is £30,000 to £60,000 depending on your experience and qualifications.

What is the application process?

For more information on this job please contact Amy Jasper on +44 (0) 20 7316 1844.

To apply, please send yourrésumé and short cover letter to Amy Jasper. You should clearly indicate when you would be able to take up the post (we would ideally like the person to start immediately). Please also indicate any constraints you have in working full time.

Closing date for applications is 20 August 2014.

At this point, the most promising candidates will be asked to provide written answers to a set of questions.

Interviews will begin with finalists from early September 2014.

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