Data Analyst II Or III
- Full-Time
- Ames, IA
- Iowa State University
- Posted 3 years ago – Accepting applications
Experience in data analytic training, data visualization, and technical writing
Professional experience directly related to data analysis, statistical analysis, and management of complex administrative data in health, education, or social science contextsJob Description:
Iowa State University Department of Human Development and Family Studies is hiring a senior-level professional expert in Data Analysis to advance the development of a statewide integrated data system to inform early childhood social policy. This Senior Data Analyst will work with diverse partners including university researchers (faculty, students, and staff) and state agency data specialists and program leaders. Led by Project Directors Heather Rouse and Cassandra Dorius, the collaborative team engages in partnership-based work with State of Iowa stakeholders in the Departments of Education, Public Health, Human Services, Human Rights, and Management to inform evidence-based policy and practice in the areas of early childhood, family poverty, child welfare, and school readiness (see www.i2d2.iastate.edu for project information and http://www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/ for more information about the HDFS department including faculty homepages). This specific team of investigators specializes in building and using large, state administrative datasets as well as national datasets to understand early risk and protective experiences in home and neighborhood contexts, child and family involvement with public service systems such as health or child welfare, and the relations between these experiences and wellbeing outcomes for young children and their families.
The Analyst will provide senior-level expertise including responsibility for developing and implementing tools and protocols to analyze complex administrative datasets to inform statewide policy and program evaluation efforts. The Analyst will provide data-driven advice for the advancement of the system and work within a data science team comprised of Faculty Directors, professional and scientific staff, and graduate and undergraduate students to advance fundamental data science concepts, practices and procedures to complete complex, non-standard and widely varied assignments. The Analyst must exhibit proficiency in use and training of data management and advanced statistical analysis techniques conducted in Stata or R, and familiarity with Excel.
The ideal candidate will have strong statistical skills, attention to detail, capacity to work independently with a high-level of accuracy, ability to manage multiple projects efficiently to meet deadlines and produce deliverables, coordinate with technical consultants and national experts in the field as needed, and work within all state and federal regulations surrounding confidentiality and privacy protection, including FERPA and HIPPA. Strong communication skills are necessary to be successful in this position, including the ability to train others in analytic tasks, supervise small teams of analysts and students, and explain complex programming syntax and logic and to clearly document highly technical processes and findings.
Data Management
Maintain primary responsibility for developing and implementing guidelines for extraction, analysis, transformation, loading, reporting, documenting and naming conventions of institutional data;
Perform cleaning of complex, person-centered data that is received in multiple files and formats, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the data, transforming data as necessary, and implementing rigorous data cleaning operations;
Create analyzable datasets that safeguard privacy and limit re-identification of presented results, using procedures such as masking and suppression;
Provide recommendations for system improvement across the range of data processes including acquisition, ingestion and storage, profiling, integration, documentation, analysis, and visualization.
Data Analysis
Apply advanced knowledge of statistical techniques to identify and reveal trends, patterns and relationships in data from multiple systems using STATA and/or R programming;
Lead and recommend appropriate analytic strategies to answer complex multi-system research questions designed to support state-level policy analysis and program evaluation;
Regularly exercise judgement and lead discussions to resolve problems and determine appropriate analytic approaches including a range of basic and advanced statistical techniques (e.g., descriptive frequencies, correlations, comparison tests, and regression models);
Develop analytic plans and execute protocols to use data visualization software (e.g., Rshiny dashboard, Leaflet, QGIS/ArcGIS, Tableau) to represent complex analytic results for diverse community, state, and academic audiences;
Provide training and supervision for team members to execute basic and advanced statistical analyses.
Writing, Reporting, and Communicating
Prepare technical documents that detail complex procedures and results from data management, profiling, and analysis;
Prepare visual and oral presentations of technical and analytical content for diverse audiences (inside and outside of academia), including policy briefs, presentations, and data visualization dashboards;
Write and edit relevant sections of analytic reports for funders, state stakeholders, and academic audiences. Communication will be non-routine and will require discretion and thoughtful effort regarding data and findings that may be sensitive in nature;
Train and assist internal (ISU) and external (state agencies, other universities) users, managers and technical staff regarding access, use, and storage of data within the I2D2 system to maximize data use and analytic effectiveness.
This position will be hired either as a II or III level.
Data Analyst II minimum requirement is a Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of related experience (PS808)
Data Analyst III minimum requirement is a Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience (PS810)
Appointment Type:Regular with Term Appointment (Fixed Term)Proposed End Date or Length of Term:January 31, 2022Number of Months Employed Per Year:Time Type:Full timePay Rate Type:SalaryPay Grade:PS808Application Instructions:To apply for this position, please complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:
1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter
If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.