Job Summary

The data assessment specialist will spearhead strategies to understand our audiences through effective and industry-standard methods of gathering, analyzing, and presenting data. Relying on their own expertise and soliciting feedback from others, they will identify the most appropriate methods to implement needs assessments for families, child care programs, and community partners with a vested interest in quality early care and education. The data assessment specialist will serve as the data steward, guiding staff on documentation best practices to ensure clean, clear data to inform internal needs and business decisions. Through clear and creative visualizations, they will tell stories with data to highlight past trends, identify future needs, and recommend future actions. The data/assessment specialist will serve as the data arm of the Communications team to support storytelling to the public, our partners, and our funders.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Collaborate with colleagues across Child Care Answers to provide support to all audiences as needed.
• Represent Child Care Answers and its services to external stakeholders in meetings, presentations, or other events.
• Contribute skills and abilities as requested that will continue to move the organization forward.
• Design methods to assess the needs of various consumer groups and develop plans with measurable outcomes to meet the identified needs.
• Utilize demographic and geographic data as well as State and Federal statistics to assess needs of targeted groups.
• Coordinate with the Child Care Resource and Referral Central Office (CCR&RCO) to develop qualitative and quantitative surveys that are reflective of the services offered by the local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency to all partners including stakeholders, families, programs, and employers. Collaborate with leadership to ensure distribution and completion.
• Provide annual report on the supply/demand and quality of early childhood care and education that includes a gap analysis.
• Compile monthly scorecards, dashboards, and any other required reports reflecting agency activities and survey results.
• Engage with other CCR&R agencies and early care and education partners on data best practices and implementation.
• Gather and maintain audience contact information to ensure appropriate level and frequency of communication as needed. Manage contact lists and track appropriately to ensure successful email campaigns.
• Ensure data integrity and train staff on best practices to ensure data is up-to-date and accurate.

Education, Experience, & Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the following:

• Education: Bachelor's degree required in Business Administration, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, or related field
• Experience: Minimum of two (2) years' experience working in project and data management
• Expert abilities with Microsoft 360 tools, including Excel and Word
• Familiarity with Microsoft PowerBI, Tableau, or other business analytics software
• Previous experience with survey tools such as SurveyMonkey or Typeform; ability to learn how to use work-related tools
• Experience creating queries and reports within database applications; must be comfortable working with multiple data systems
• Comfort and knowledge of building campaigns in email marketing tools; previous use of Mailchimp a plus
• Experience with visual presentation tools; familiarity with Canva a plus
• Experience with a variety of software and cloud-based applications, including virtual meeting applications such as Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
• Additional Requirements:
  • Valid driver's license
  • Proof of automobile insurance; must provide own transportation and proof of automobile insurance
  • Approximately 7-10 events per year on weekends and nights as determined by planned family and provider events and other all-staff required events.
  • Position is hybrid, with flexibility to work from home and onsite office requirements.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

The successful employee will demonstrate individual competency in the following areas:

• Written and Verbal Communication Skills: The data/assessment specialist will tell stories with numbers, so the candidate must possess superior communication skills. Whether through reports, presentations, or in-person, phone, or email discussion, they must be able to clearly articulate findings and opportunities. Speaking in front of the Child Care Answers team should be an area of comfort and confidence.
• Social Perceptiveness and Professionalism: They must be socially aware of the socio-economic, geographic, cultural, and intellectual differences as they navigate from one audience to another. both internally and externally. They demonstrate professionalism in appearance and actions; handle difficult or stressful situations in a calm and respectful manner; demonstrate fair treatment of others, and support a positive work environment. They maintain integrity when handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Innovative Thinking: They must be an innovative thinker, pushing the boundaries of creativity, thinking outside of the box, asking questions, and bringing ideas to life. These skills are essential for seeking out diverse perspectives and gaining fresh connections and networks.
• Interpersonal Skills and Influencing Skills: Interpersonal skills include things like compassion, positivity, and patience, all of which they must demonstrate daily. These skills are essential to building authentic relationships with potential audiences. They will use influencing skills to communicate vision or goals, align the efforts of others, and build commitment from people at all levels. They must be able to recognize emotions in themselves and others, in addition to being skilled at understanding how emotions work and managing emotional reactions effectively.
• Problem Solving / Decision Making: They will logically resolve most problem situations and develop alternative solutions when faced with obstacles, use innovative ideas to resolve problems and develop effective solutions, and take responsibility for actions. They must be organized to ensure they stay on track with team goals and objectives. They will be a self-starter, who is comfortable working autonomously and recognizes appropriate opportunities for team collaboration, leveraging excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.