Senior Data Analyst - Education Sector

Placements24; Paarl; Hybrid; ZAR 780,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Competitive salary and benefits

Professional development

Contributory pension fund

Job summary

Placements24 in Paarl, Western Cape, seeks a Senior Data Analyst to extract actionable insights from large educational datasets and inform program development and policy decisions.

The role covers the full data analysis lifecycle—from data collection and cleaning to advanced modeling and dashboard visualization. The position blends on-site collaboration with remote analysis, supporting education sector research and development.

Qualifications

• Advanced statistical analysis and modeling
• Experience with large educational datasets
• Strong data visualization skills
• Familiarity with privacy regulations

Responsibilities

• Collect, clean, and preprocess large educational datasets
• Perform advanced statistical analysis and modeling to identify trends
• Develop dashboards and reports for stakeholders
• Interpret findings and translate into actionable recommendations
• Collaborate with research teams to define data requirements
• Design and implement experiments (A/B tests) to evaluate interventions
• Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and privacy compliance
• Mentor junior analysts and promote analytics best practices

Skills

R programming

Python (Pandas)

Data visualization

Education

Master's/PhD in Statistics or Data Science

Tools

SQL

Tableau

Power BI

Matplotlib

Seaborn

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a prominent educational research and development organisation based in Paarl, Western Cape, is seeking a highly analytical and experienced Senior Data Analyst. This role is critical in extracting actionable insights from complex educational datasets to inform strategic decision-making, improve learning outcomes, and guide program development. You will be responsible for the entire data analysis lifecycle, from data collection and cleaning to advanced statistical modeling and the visualization of findings. The position operates on a hybrid model, requiring some on-site presence for collaborative meetings and team synergy, while offering remote flexibility for focused analytical work. This is a superb opportunity to apply your data expertise in a sector dedicated to educational advancement.

Key Responsibilities

• Collect, clean, and preprocess large datasets from various educational sources (e.g., student performance data, demographic information, survey results).
• Perform advanced statistical analysis and modeling to identify trends, patterns, and correlations related to educational phenomena.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports to visualize data insights for stakeholders, including educators, administrators, and policymakers.
• Interpret complex data findings and translate them into clear, concise, and actionable recommendations.
• Collaborate with research teams, program managers, and other stakeholders to define data requirements and analytical objectives.
• Design and implement A/B tests and other experimental designs to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions.
• Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and compliance with privacy regulations.
• Mentor junior data analysts and contribute to the development of data analytics best practices within the organisation.

Requirements

• Master's degree or PhD in Statistics, Data Science, Economics, Mathematics, Education, or a related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in data analysis, with a proven track record of working with large datasets and complex analytical challenges.
• Proficiency in statistical programming languages such as R, Python (with libraries like Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn).
• Strong experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Matplotlib, Seaborn).
• Solid understanding of database management systems (e.g., SQL).
• Familiarity with the education sector and educational data is highly advantageous.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain technical findings to non-technical audiences.

Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangement providing work-life balance.
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Opportunity to make a significant impact on educational research and policy.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Collaborative and intellectually stimulating work environment in Paarl, Western Cape.
• Contributory pension fund and medical scheme.