Manager, Data Analytics

Manager, Data analytics

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third largest school district in the United States, serving over 360,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission we make three commitments to our students, their families and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability and integrity. Five core principles are embedded within these commitments - high quality, rigorous instruction, talented and empowered educators, safety and support, financial stability and collective impact.

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has set ambitious goals to ensure that every childin every school and every neighborhoodhas access to a world-class learning experience from birth, resulting in graduation from high school college- and career-ready. The Manager, Data Analytics is responsible for supporting the internal analytic and research support for Central Office including conducting rigorous research and analytic projects, serving as an expert of CPS data to business units, and supporting the analytic and data work happening by data analysts across Central Office. This position will manage a team of approximately 3 -5 analysts, but also help standardize data practices across other departments. This position will also work closely with the Data Solutions team to ensure that the way data is being used across the district is being supported by our ETL processes. Expertise in statistical modeling software (SAS preferred) and general knowledge of a wider range of data analytic tools is a key requirement of the role. Additionally, the Manager of Data Analytics must demonstrate a mastery of research methods, standard project life cycle, and relational database concepts.

The Manager, Data Analytics will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

1. Identify and operationalize critical research questions and design research projects that will yield actionable insights for departments within the district and the district as a whole to be conducted by the internal research team.
   
   
2. Collaboration with business users to analyze, define and document systems, data sources and business requirements for analytical needs related to department objectives.
   
   
3. Serve as district expert on research methodology (quantitative and/or qualitative) and establish and ensure adherence to a set of guiding principles for analytic practice by analysts across the district.
   
   
4. Educate internal staff on the use, limitations, and implications of research findings as well as the nature and structure of CPS data and how best to use data for their analytic needs.
   
   
5. Create tools and reports to effectively communicate data and research results to stakeholders of varying levels.
   
   
6. Manage district-wide survey efforts and collaborate with partnering internal and external groups.
   
   
7. Develop and recommend training classes and or programs for data team members, by extension data leads in network and central office departments.
   
   
8. Participation in the Data Governance Council.
   
   
9. Project Management duties including ideation, estimation, tracking and management of project deliverables.
   
   
10. Develop and provide recommendations on data job classification, descriptions and hiring process for district data analysts and department data leads as well as provide support to data analysts across central office to ensure quality data work is happening across departments.
    
    

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Manager, Data Analytics must possess the following qualifications:

• Solid oral and written communication, problem solving and project management skills
  
  
• Strong background in research and analytic projects to be able to inform proper design of projects and interpretation of results
  
  
• Tangible experience with multiple database types and familiarity with the establishment of data schemas and taxonomies
  
  
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
  
  
• Proactive, decisive, action-oriented individual
  
  

Qualifications :

• Requires a bachelor's degree, but master's degree or higher is strongly preferred
  
  

• 3 - 5 years of experience in research project design preferred
  
  
• Experience in K-12 data analytics preferred
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Experience with data analytic tools (SAS preferred)
  
  
• Strong SQL skills preferred
  
  
• Ability to advise stakeholders in a non-technical manner on online data collection and useful reporting tools, in order to support superior usability
  
  
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, mentoring and training direct reports
  
  
• Exceptional organizational, communication (oral and written), and problem-solving skills
  
  
• Experience balancing and leading the prioritization of new project efforts
  
  
• Strong attention to detail
  
  
• Ability to deliver reports in a fast-paced environment, respond immediately to multiple constituencies and meet established deadlines
  
  
• Ability to work in a team, with technical and non-technical personnel, and across departmental boundaries
  
  
• Ability to anticipate short term and long term demands of stakeholders
  
  
• Flexibility to meet changing departmental needs