Associate Director of Accountability and Data Analytics

Major Duties and Responsibilities

•    Drives the design, and development of the higher education accountability system; defines and documents the metrics, business rules, and data logic that underpin it, and independently advances its capabilities to meet emerging agency and policy needs; performs complex data integration, analysis, reporting, and visualization in support of A Thriving Illinois
•    Performs sophisticated data integration, analysis, and interpretation across the research lifecycle; Extracts and transforms data from multiple sources using ETL processes while ensuring accuracy, completeness, and integrity; Safeguards data privacy and compliance standards; Identifies meaningful trends, patterns, and anomalies using statistical techniques and predictive modeling; Conducts ad hoc analyses to address emerging questions; Translates complex analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders through reports, visualizations, and presentations
•    Partners with cross-functional teams to establish and maintain data quality standards, ensure data integrity, implement best practices, and uphold compliance requirements across the organization; works with institution partners to design and develop metrics
•    Develops compelling dashboards, interactive data tools, and executive presentations that track key performance indicators and business metrics; Delivers actionable insights to leadership and stakeholders through clear, visually engaging reports that drive informed decision-making
•    Designs, implements, and maintains robust processes and procedures to safeguard data security and protect sensitive information across all systems and workflows
•    Identifies inefficiencies in current data processes and suggests improvements or automation to streamline workflows and enhance data accuracy and usability
•    Other duties as assigned, within scope of position

Position Requirements and Qualifications

Education: 
Required:
•    A minimum of a Master's degree* from an accredited institution in Data Science, Data Analytics, Social Science, Education, or a related field
*In lieu of a Master's degree, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a related field and five (5) or more years of professional experience in an institutional research capacity may be substituted.
Preferred:
- Additional, relevant graduate-level (or higher) certifications

Experience: 
Required:
•    5+ years of relevant professional experience
•    Experience in the design, development, and implementation of streamlined or automated reporting solutions
•    Demonstrated proficiency with SQL, including experience writing moderately complex queries against a data warehouse or relational database
•    Experience with one or more common statistical or analytical software packages (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, Stata)
•    Experience with data warehousing, data migration and/or data integration techniques
Preferred:
•    Experience in Higher Education
•    Experience developing reports and dashboards in a data visualization tool, with proficiency in Power BI

Knowledge Requirements

• Advanced knowledge in the manipulation of data to provide charts, graphs, and reports
• Advanced knowledge of data integrity methods and techniques

Required Skills and Traits

•    Ability to align data strategy with business objectives
•    Strong project management and organizational skills; Ability to meet deadlines and follow through on the completion of projects and initiatives
•    Technical aptitude with strong logical, problem solving and decision-making skills, strong analytical skills, and attention to detail; ability to process large datasets and extract meaningful insights.
•    Commitment to public service and passion for education and equity
•    Excellent interpersonal skills, with a strong focus on collaboration and teamwork; ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with all stakeholders
•    Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of constituents and stakeholders, such as other state agency staff, institutional faculty and staff, employers, and community-based partners
•    Excellent problem-solving and written and verbal communication skills
•    Ability to work independently managing projects, while ensuring alignment to and coordination with a larger vision and initiative

Organizational Relationship

• Position reports to the Director of Research, Analytics, & Data.
• There are no direct reports to this position.