Data Strategy Consultant

Do you know exactly why data strategies that look brilliant on paper often fail during execution?
Have you spent the last two decades dismantling data silos and architecting high-performing, self-sustaining data operating models across diverse organisations?
If you value real-world execution over theoretical slide decks, we need your advisory expertise
About Tiko Tiko is an African nonprofit committed to strengthening the potential and resilience of adolescent girls across Africa.
We address the "Triple Threat" of unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, and sexual and gender-based violence by building local health ecosystems that provide stigma-free, no-cost, quality-assured services.
Our model brings together key local actors: community-based organizations (CBO) with peer mobilisers who act as health companions to girls;
public and private health clinics that deliver care;
and retail partners that redeem Tiko Miles -our behaviour-change incentive programme that rewards service uptake and feedback.
We invest in partners by strengthening CBO capacity, training frontline workers and providers, supporting clinic quality improvement, and compensating partners based on performance.
Our technology platform connects all actors by enabling referrals, verifying service delivery, facilitating payments, and generating real-time data.
Tiko operates in six countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Nigeria, with additional offices in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
For a clear overview of our work, we recommend watching this short video.
Globally, our team consists of +250 enthusiastic, international colleagues.
Whether you are working from our biggest office in Nairobi, the fast-growing office in South Africa, or from home, our people are young, and our culture is global and dynamic.
Our work environment is fast-paced, informal, and friendly.
We are open to remote work for this position and will happily accept applicants from anywhere in South Africa, Portugal, and Kenya.
Scope of Work Tiko is seeking an exceptionally seasoned external Data Strategy Consultant to evaluate and evolve our global data function.
The objective of this engagement is to thoroughly assess our current setup and provide an experience-driven roadmap to transition Tiko into a mature, data-driven operating model.
We need to ensure that our data teams, tooling, and day-to-day workflows directly meet business analytics needs while remaining strictly aligned with robust data architecture and privacy governance.
We offer complete flexibility regarding the delivery model, including: Short-term strategic advisory (4–8 weeks) Part-time ongoing strategic support Phased consultancy (Assessment ➔ Target Design ➔ Implementation Support) over a 6 to 12-month horizon.
Core Deliverables (Mandatory) Data Team Structure & Target Operating Model Current State Review: Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our existing team structures across both the Data Engineering and Data Analysis functions.
Optimal Structure Design: Provide clear, strategic recommendations for a target data team structure optimised for business needs, future scalability, and strict alignment with data governance and architecture requirements.
Cross-Functional Interaction Models: Explicitly define clear, frictionless interaction models dividing responsibilities between Data teams, Core Software Engineering teams, and Data Architecture.
Standards & Best Practices: Deliver concrete recommendations on ways of working, standards, documentation guidelines, and shared best practices for data engineers and data analysts—particularly focusing on friction points where they collaborate on shared deliverables.
Data Analyst Capability & Role Definition Skills Assessment: Conduct an honest audit of the current technical and analytical skill levels within the existing Data Analyst team.
Target Capability Blueprint: Define a modern target capability model tailored for Tiko, outlining explicit expectations for: SQL proficiency and data modelling techniques.
BI engineering, dashboard hygiene, and data visualisations.
Critical analytical thinking and proactive business insight generation.
Capability Uplift & Talent Plan: Recommend a practical, phased plan to bridge the skills gap, outlining specific training and development paths, alongside a future hiring strategy and the ideal seniority mix (Junior/Mid/Senior).
Value-Add Optimization: Identify specific, structural opportunities for analysts to deliver deeper insights and contribute more directly to high-level business decision-making.
Data Architecture & Governance Alignment Collaboration Audit: Review how data teams currently interact with the Data Architect and the Privacy & Security (PrivSec) Team.
Workflow Optimization: Recommend improved ways of working and operational loops to ensure seamle