Data Analytics Officer

Characteristics of Work

Under the direction of the Vice President of Head Start and Early Childhood Programs, the Data Analytics Officer is responsible for planning, organizing, administering, monitoring, and evaluating all data on child and family systems in accordance with federal and Agency regulations and guidelines.

Essential Functions

• These essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following. The Agency may identify additional essential functions.

Planning and Developing

• Collect data and participate in writing and updating the Management Information Work Plan.
• Develops program schedules, record keeping, and reporting systems.
• Maintains child and family records and backup materials for the administrative services computer systems.
• Proactively prepares recommendations for new procedures and revisions of existing procedures to improve the timeliness and accuracy of computerized record-keeping systems and databases.
• Provide data development services based on the assessment of needs.
• Collaborates with the admin leadership team to define data analysis and reporting plan and deliverables, school-facing data support, and norms on data practices.
• Conducts descriptive analysis on outcomes from Hinds County-Project Head Start family and
• student data systems, student assessments, teacher evaluations, COPA, and other organizational data platforms.
• Develops predictive and statistical models with data to support the Children's Services, Family and Community Services, Facilities, and Center Operations teams in allocating resources efficiently and making informed programmatic decisions.
• Supports other administrative teams as needed to determine data visualization needs that align with Hinds County Project Head Start's overall priorities.
• Team player capable of working both collaboratively and independently.
• Flexible and strong ability to multitask and prioritize.

Communicating

• Solicits, reviews, negotiates, and secures contracts and other agreements as required to sustain or improve the quality of computerized record-keeping in accordance with the Agency’s Fiscal Policies and Procedures manual and administrative directives.
• Supports the integration of component services by providing relevant enrollment and other Head Start information as quickly as possible.
• Reports to the Vice President of Head Start & Early Head Start Programs at least monthly or more frequently, where lapses or reporting failures by other staff are noted and when such lapses/reporting failures jeopardize the Agency’s strict compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Exhibits excellent customer service, interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to build meaningful relationships quickly.
• Ability to convey information in a way that is strategic, honest, timely, and respectful.
• Strategic thinker: ability to think critically about issues and solutions.
• Serves on committees, boards, and other organizations that have a concern for and/or provide services to children and families, subject to the approval of the Vice President of Head Start and Early Head Start Programs.
• Collaborates with agencies and organizations that promote parents as primary educators, nurturers, and advocates.
• Prepares and presents monthly data reports on all Head Start data to the Policy Council on a monthly basis.
• Translates data into relevant insights and implications and supports stakeholders in interpreting findings. Tailor the complexity of the analysis appropriately to audiences with various data literacy level skills (center staff, Board members, funders, etc.).
• Regularly monitors key metrics and reports significant changes or trends to the Executive Leadership Team.
• Develops and maintains documentation of data analysis and synthesis methods and processes.
• Maintains an in-depth knowledge of all data sources and systems, being constantly aware of new updates and incorporating changes into analytical approaches and data visualizations.
• Builds and maintains positive relationships with stakeholders in order to encourage questions and surface opportunities to provide support.
• Seeks opportunities to increase stakeholder ability to use data. Help to plan for and lead the training of center and administrative staff on using data systems and interpreting data reports.
• Works with teammates to analyze current and future data needs of teams and departments.
• Manages stakeholder expectations around data availability for board and funding reports.

Training

• Participates in team planning sessions.
• Conducts training for staff and volunteers on multiple data systems.
• Attends Workshops, Policy Council meetings, conferences, and training sessions.
• Attends and participates in staff meetings and other program meetings at the discretion or concurrence of the Vice President of Head Start & Early Head Start Programs.
• Assists in assessing the computer training needs of staff with computer responsibilities and provides feedback on these assessments as quickly as possible.
• Collaborates with the Leadership Team on key metric identification and ensures adequate data collection and feasibility of analysis. Suggest new lines of analysis and work with colleagues to investigate them.
• Creates an ambitious yet feasible plan for ensuring that the organization's data infrastructure supports the tools needed to effectively monitor student, center, and organizational progress toward key goals and priorities identified by the Executive Leadership Team.

Monitoring

• Assesses the need for professional services, computers, and other supplies and equipment, requests them, and forwards this information as quickly as possible.
• Makes center visits to systematically assess the data-entry needs and issues of Family Opportunity Advisors and Family Opportunity Advisors Assistants during the school year.
• Strong project and product management skills.
• Robust quantitative and analytical skills, including experience working with large data sets to derive insights and data-driven decision-making.
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word); advanced skills with Excel.
• Enthusiasm for data, analytics, and data-driven decision-making.
• Knowledge of the education field, including familiarity with current student data systems, assessment platforms, and relevant data sets ( demographics, student achievement data, attendance/behavior, etc.).
• Proven ability to set and meet challenging and aspirational targets.
• Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail.

Record Keeping and Reporting

• Prepares and submits reports as required.
• Checks, verifies, and maintains confidential and other required records to ensure effective delivery of services.
• Flexible and strong ability to multitask and prioritize.
• Self-starter with demonstrated resourcefulness.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment when reporting information in alignment with the mission of Hinds County Human Resource Agency.

Supervising and Evaluating

• Provides input in developing a job description and performance evaluation plan for the Management Information Assistant.
• Supervises the input of data to ensure that data is entered in a manner that minimizes time and maximizes accuracy.

Additional Responsibilities

• Performs other duties and assignments as directed by the Vice President of Head Start and Early Childhood Development Programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Public Policy/Administration, Business Administration, or related fields. Demonstrated written and oral communication skills. Minimum 2+ years of experience, ideally in early learning or an education organization in the private or public sector. Minimum 2+ years of managerial experience, management of cross-functional teams or analytics teams (preferred). Experience in training and communicating data and analytics products to audiences of varying levels of expertise.

Special Qualifications

• Must pass Criminal Background and Child Abuse Central Registry Checks.
• Must meet State health requirements.

Physical Requirements

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, use their hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, and operate computers and various office machines. The employee primarily works indoors.

Supervisory Control

• The Data Analytics Officer is directly responsible to the Vice President of Head Start and Early Childhood Programs, who is responsible to the President and Chief Executive Officer. The Data Analytics Officer will be evaluated semi-annually by the Vice President of Head Start and Early Childhood Programs. The evaluation will be conducted through performance monitoring and progress reviews.