Data Consultant 4 - Data Analysis and Support

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill Data Consultant 4 – Student Information – Data Foundations. This full-time permanent position is based in Olympia, Washington. During the initial six-month training period, employees are required to work in the office three (3) days per week. After successfully completing training, there may be an opportunity to transition to a flexible telework schedule. This role is not fully remote and requires a blend of in-office collaboration and off-site work, with telework consisting of both on-site and remote days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 7 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance, so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and Values 
Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.
 
Mission: Transform K–12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child

Equity
Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.
• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview

The position’s purpose is to support the business and technical processes used to update, maintain, enhance, and improve OSPI’s public-facing reporting, which includes the Report Card. The responsibilities of this position impact project timelines, data quality, and the ability of OSPI leaders to be responsive to school districts with data and information needed for decision-making. This position will use an array of technical skills as well as partnerships with non-technical OSPI program staff to use student data to create data products to meet the needs of the agency. This position will provide data support to assist in implementing SB 5243- Universal High School and Beyond Plan. This contributes to the mission of having a committed, unified, and customer-focused agency.

Key Responsibilities

Data Request Fulfillment 

Tasks include: 

• Maintain and modify, as necessary, existing code to analyze and report on all aspects of student data.
• Extract data from a variety of sources to develop accurate and meaningful reports for a variety of programs including data aggregation and disaggregation by student enrollment, demographics, and student outcomes.
• Ensure data is valid and, when appropriate, apply disclosure avoidance techniques

OSPI Program Data Collection Support 

Tasks include:

• Work closely with OSPI programs and the CEDARS support team to update and provide consistent guidance for CEDARS collection by program. 
• Update and maintain CEDARS and other reporting guidance resources. 
• Provide timely, accurate, and consistent customer service to school staff responsible for CEDARS data reporting. 

Assessment Support 

Tasks include:

• In cooperation with Assessment Development, Assessment Operations, and Data Foundations teams: 
• Participate in user assessment testing for assorted state assessment components.
• Provide timely, accurate, and consistent customer service to school staff responsible for local assessment planning and implementation.

Data Sharing

Tasks include:

• Communicate all aspects of data elements to data requestors and program teams clearly and concisely. Ensure that all data provided is as easy as possible to understand and visually appealing so that it is informative to all Washingtonians

Maintain Reports

Tasks Include:

• Maintain, analyze, and produce analysis, reports, data visualizations, and research briefs on all areas of student information that are priorities for OSPI, school districts, or the legislature.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in a program that requires data collection and analysis, such as a social or physical science and

• Three or more years of experience in data management, data analysis, and research/evaluation. Education and related professional work experience may be considered year-for-year.
• Skill in writing queries for data verification and quality assurance purposes and creation of analysis-ready data tables.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills with a range of audiences ranging from technical users of data to the public who may have limited understanding of the State Education Agency, education data, or the applicant’s respective field.
• Ability to effectively use common data analysis and visualization software
• The selected candidate must maintain residency in the state of Washington to be eligible for this position.
• Some in-state travel required and infrequent out-of-state travel optional

Desired Qualifications: 

• Master's degree in economics, statistics, education, or social sciences. 
• Knowledge of the public K–12 system data system.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of people in a multi-cultural­, diverse socio-economic setting. 
• Two or more years of experience with data analytics software (the department uses SQL, R and Tableau).
• Skill in visualizing data for diverse audiences
• Ability to effectively communicate technical information to non-technical personnel.
• Ability to write clear, concise, and useful technical documentation.
• Ability to work under pressure, organize, prioritize, and multi-task to meet established deadlines.
• Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality.
• Ability to participate as a team member.
• Experience creating data visualizations using Tableau or similar tools.

Compensation
The annual compensation for the position is $69,744 - $93,804 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on the work location of a successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a general service position. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word or PDF format:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement. 
• A current résumé, and; 
• A list of three or more professional references.   

NOTE: Your resume and letter of interest must be attached to your application. Please confirm they are attached before you submit.

Please address any questions to:

Sal Salazar, Human Resources

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast 
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200

360-725-6278: sal.salazar@k12.wa.us
 
Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6270 or (360) 725-6066, or e-mail hroffice@k12.wa.us.

New Jobs Alert Service

OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location. 

OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity. OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.”