Data Strategist

Job Summary

Reporting to an Associate Vice Chancellor, the position plays a significant role in institutionalizing a continuous improvement and performance-based culture at City Colleges of Chicago, and ensuring fact-based accountability at program, employee and system-levels. Provides strategic data analysis, monitoring strategic metrics, developing and facilitating the tracking of leading performance indicators, and supporting district and colleges in the strategic use of data.

Essential Duties

• Provide data and analytic support: Conduct strategic data analysis, identify insights and implications from institutional data and make strategic recommendations to executive and senior staff.
• Develop data displays that clearly communicate complex analyses to multiple audiences, including executive and senior staff.
• Facilitate performance metric monitoring: Monitor District and college strategic metrics through performance dialog forums. Work with staff at different levels of the organization to create metrics, set goals and conduct analyses; use operational data in real time to develop and execute action plans focused on improving institutional practices, policies, procedures and ultimately student success.
• Build structures, tools and routines to institutionalize a data-driven culture of student success.
• Work cross-functionally across the organization: Maintain cross-functional visibility across all departments to help push strategic initiatives forward and surface critical issues. Provide ongoing oversight and support to management and decision making to ensure that measures are being used to effectively manage operations and effect institutional change.
• Develop and refine institutional data capacity through data use: Support development of district/college-wide data collection, analysis and dissemination of policies and practices; train researchers and staff to make meaningful data connections.
• Develop and refine institutional data capacity through knowledge sharing: facilitate regular reviews with district/college team; synthesize and share key insights across projects.
• Develop and refine institutional data capacity through capacity building: Help staff use data in real-time, lead data capacity building trainings on data literacy. Support development tools, templates, and reports that address the needs of building data capacity across CCC.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, business, mathematics, economics public policy; or a related field of study.
• A Master’s degree is highly preferred.
• Three years of relevant research experience, with demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods and statistics.
• A combination of education and experience may be taken into consideration based on the applicant’s credentials.
• High level of proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience with statistical analysis software such as SAS highly desirable.
• Experience in quantitative statistical analysis highly desirable.
• Experience in the development of performance metrics and continuous improvement systems and tools desirable.
• Familiarity with Access and SQL data query skills a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of best practices in project management and strategic planning.
• Knowledge of research, assessment and planning activities in a higher education environment.
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Knowledge of critical issues in higher education and understanding of education performance data.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Data Strategist
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Strong data management skills.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate data and methodological details to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment.
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and handle multiple projects.
• Ability to combine complex datasets and to manipulate large datasets as part of data analysis.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to operate computers and related equipment and software.
• Worker Characteristics
• Leadership – Demonstrate willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Attention to Detail – Requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Initiative – Demonstrates willingness to take on responsibilities and job challenges.
• Dependability – Demonstrates reliability, responsibility, and dependability and fulfill obligations.
• Analytical Thinking – Analyzes information and use logic to address work issues.
• Technologically Informed – Capable user of technology who understands the role of technology in the institution and who will guide and support its efficient and effective use.