Job Description

　　About the OCA

　　The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is an independent executive branch agency with oversight and ombudsperson responsibilities, established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2008. The OCA's mission is to ensure that children receive appropriate, timely and quality state services, with a particular focus on ensuring that the Commonwealth's most vulnerable and at-risk children can thrive. Through collaboration with public and private stakeholders, the OCA identifies gaps in state services and recommends improvements in policy, practice, regulation and/or law. The OCA also serves as a resource for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, services from the Commonwealth.

　　Office of the Child Advocate | Mass.gov

　　Commitment to Diversity

　　The OCA actively seeks to increase the diversity of its workforce and is interested in candidates whose experiences, skills, and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

　　Applicants are invited to include a statement within their cover letter describing how diversity, equity, and inclusion factor into the candidate's work and/or life experiences.

　　The OCA values diverse perspectives, including candidates with lived experience in the child protective and/or juvenile justice systems.

　　Purpose of the Job

　　The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is seeking to hire a mission-driven, highly analytical candidate for a Data Analyst position. The Data Analyst will be an integral part of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team and will be responsible for supporting data collection system design, quality control, data cleaning, and analysis.

　　The Data Analyst will be tasked with managing the data the OCA receives from child-serving State agencies and collecting data that contextualizes those datasets to help the Commonwealth make meaningful, data-driven public policy decisions. The Data Analyst will work collaboratively with staff in a variety of policy areas related to children and youth including, but not limited to, child welfare, juvenile justice, disability-related topics, behavioral health, and education.

　　The person who best fits this role will have impeccable attention to detail, experience with data collection, cleaning, and analysis, understanding of State systems and administration, and interest in ensuring the state's most vulnerable youth are protected from harm.

　　The Data Analyst position provides a unique opportunity to work as a collaborative member of a small team and play an important role in developing and shaping the improvement of services to children and families of the Commonwealth. The person who best fits this position is one who has an interest in ensuring the state's most vulnerable children and youth are protected from harm and who appreciates the role the state has in ensuring that all children and youth can thrive. This person is also organized, detail-oriented, self-driven, flexible, and able to adapt as work plans and goals shift based on a variety of factors.

　　Essential Functions and Responsibilities

　　• Collect, maintain, and synthesize data records.

　　• Perform data quality control, data cleaning, and documentation tasks.

　　• Create reports for internal and/or external audiences.

　　• Assist in the design and development of metrics, analyses, reports, data visualizations, and dashboards to support decision-making and operations.

　　• Structure large data sets to fund useable information.

　　• Work with a team of associates to process information.

　　• Review reports and other written products for accuracy, completeness, and quality of content.

　　• Respond to requests for information and project assignments from the Child Advocate and other senior management staff.

　　• Develop in-depth understanding of data related to Massachusetts child-serving agencies and programs.

　　• Other related duties as needed.

　　Qualifications

　　 Qualifications

　　• Knowledge of and experience using methods to prepare charts, graphs, and tables.

　　• Ability to identify and communicate opportunities for quality assurance and data accuracy.

　　• Comprehension of social science research methodology.

　　• Ability to organize and synthesize large datasets and to use data to identify patterns and problems and formulate solutions.

　　• Ability to learn quickly, take direction and work independently, and to use creative, collaborative, and consultative approaches to resolve issues.

　　• Strong intellectual curiosity and demonstrated drive to master new skills, systems, and subject matter.

　　• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (i.e., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other commonly used computer software applications.

　　• Excellent writing, interpersonal, and verbal communication skills.

　　• Ability to multi-task and prioritize workload with competing deadlines.

　　• Ability to exercise discretion in handling confidential information.

　　• Demonstrated interest in the role data and policy can play in improving children's lives.

　　 Preferred Qualifications

　　Knowledge of child welfare systems and data collection. Knowledge of Massachusetts state government including state agencies that provide services to children. Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of data, to draw conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations. Ability to analyze and communicate data findings to various audiences. Knowledge of, and proficiency in, analytics and data visualization software, including Tableau and/or related or similar software packages. Experience in or proficiency with database maintenance, preferably Salesforce. Proficiency in a statistical programming language (e.g., Python, R, SPSS, Stata).

　　 Minimum Entry Requirements

　　Applicants must have (A) a bachelor's degree in data analytics, public policy/administration, a social science, or related field of study from an accredited college or university; (B) at least three (3) years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, administrative, professional, or technical experience in work involving research, data analysis, compliance, records management, or program administration, or; (C) an equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitution below:

　　 Substitutions

　　A master's degree or higher in a related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

　　Application process

　　Please note that a cover letter and resume are required pieces of the application process.

　　Review of applications will start immediately and continue until the position is filled.

　　First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.

　　All information on candidates will be kept confidential.

　　Benefits

　　When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future. Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

　　OCA employees also participate in the Commonwealth's State Retirement Plan, which can become a defined benefit plan for those that both vest and subsequently retire from State service. Follow this link for additional retirement information: http://www.mass.gov/treasury/retirement/state-board-of-retire/ .