Data Quality Analyst

University of Fort Hare; Remote; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in South Africa is seeking a Data Quality Analyst for a 6-month contract. This remote role involves reviewing and validating data, identifying anomalies, and ensuring high-quality datasets. The ideal candidate should have strong analytical skills, experience in data QA, and proficiency in Excel. Collaboration with product and engineering teams is essential, and a flexible work schedule is available. A competitive rate based on experience will be offered.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Competitive contractor rate

Qualifications

• Experience in data validation, data QA, anomaly detection or related operational roles.
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Ability to follow structured workflows and maintain documentation quality.

Responsibilities

• Review and validate asset location data against online sources.
• Troubleshoot anomalies and determine root causes of data irregularities.
• Suggest refinements to validation workflows and contribute to operational efficiency.

Skills

Data validation

Anomaly detection

Excel proficiency

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Tools

Excel

ChatGPT

GIS tools

Job description

As a Data Quality Analyst, you will play a critical role in our human-in-the-loop
validation pipeline. You will review pipeline outputs, investigate anomalies, and ensure
structured datasets meet our quality and accuracy standards. This role requires
exceptional attention to detail, strong analytical thinking and the ability to quickly
develop domain understanding. You will collaborate closely with the Product team,
helping refine workflows and support continuous improvement.

Data Validation & Quality Assurance

• Review and validate asset location data against online sources.
• Identify inaccuracies, inconsistencies and edge cases requiring deeper investigation. Conduct structured QA audits following established workflows and checklists.

Investigative Analysis

• Troubleshoot anomalies and determine root causes of data irregularities.
• Interpret ambiguous model outputs and apply sound judgment when verifying data.
• Provide clear, structured feedback to improve pipeline logic and validation processes.

Workflow Execution & Improvement

• Follow defined QA processes, including documentation, peer review and escalation paths.
• Suggest refinements to validation workflows and contribute to operational efficiency.
• Maintain comprehensive and clean issue tracking.

Tooling & Technical Competency

• Use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to support validation and cross-checking.
• Use Excel for data manipulation, including PivotTables and lookups (PowerQuery a plus).

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Communicate clearly with Product and Engineering teams about issues, risks and trends.
• Manage stakeholders across the business when delivering customer data. Participate in rapid feedback loops as the product’s logic and capabilities evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience in data validation, data QA, anomaly detection or related operational roles.
• Experience performing research tasks.
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Excel (PivotTables, lookups; PowerQuery beneficial).
• Familiarity with AI tools such as ChatGPT or similar.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Ability to follow structured workflows and maintain documentation quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience validating or reviewing data.
• Background in data operations involving complex or evolving datasets.
• Exposure to GIS tools (QGIS, ArcGIS) or willingness to learn.

Contract Details

• 6-month contract (full-time dedication required).
• Remote role with flexible working hours.
• Competitive contractor day rate based on experience and region.