Sr. Data Associate

Description

WHO WE ARE

In 2020, 11.6 million children in the U.S.—16% of all children nationwide—lived in poverty, and those children were disproportionately children of color. Students living in poverty often have physical and mental health, social-emotional, cognitive, and identity development needs that schools are not equipped to support. Rooted in community for more than 45 years, Communities In Schools (CIS) strives to bring community resources inside public schools, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. CIS Co-Founder Bill Milliken said, “It’s relationships, not programs, that transform children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children.” 

Bill Milliken’s vision is alive through a strong network of trained CIS staff embedded in schools nationwide building support and relationships inside schools. Today, CIS serves over 3,500 schools, the overwhelming majority are Title I-eligible schools across two channels: (1) independent affiliates and (2) licensed partnerships. Grounded in the power of transformative relationships to unlock a young person’s potential, CIS has a national, research-based history of delivering local results that support improved student relationships with adults, better-quality relationships with peers, and increased engagement and sense of belonging. These outcomes lead to improved attendance, improved academic success, and improved on-time high school graduation rates. 

MISSION AND VALUES

Communities In Schools (CIS) is “all-in” for kids. It is our passion—it is our mission. At the National Office, CIS collaborates with local affiliate organizations to provide resources and create communities of caring adults who work hand-in-hand with educators to make sure young people have the tools they need to stay in school and achieve in life. We are the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, and we achieve our mission by hiring bright, creative, and innovative team members who demonstrate a passion for what they do. 

‘Within the national office, we foster a culture inspired by our mission, our values of integrity, accountability, equity, collaboration, and excellence, and a commitment to Equity, and Inclusion. Our culture is centered on three core tenants:  

• We acknowledge contributions and perspectives. 
• We collaborate across roles and departments. 
• We honor a whole-person approach and encourage balance. 

We aim to create a psychologically safe environment where relationships matter, and mutual respect is paramount.  

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Sr. Data Associate will be part of the team providing technical support to the CIS network in the adoption and ongoing use of the data management system (CISDM). The Sr. Data Associate will provide technical assistance to data system users, contribute to the development of training resources, be responsible for supporting the team in system testing, and conduct annual data verification and analysis.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: This position is a three-year, term-limited appointment with funding secured through September 30, 2028. Continued employment is contingent upon the incumbent’s ability to consistently meet or exceed established performance expectations throughout the duration of the grant. Subject to the availability of additional funding, the individual may be considered for continued employment beyond the conclusion of the initial grant period.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

End User Resources (30%):

• Develop training materials, user manuals and other digital resources that promote the use of CISDM (e.g., tip sheets, training presentations, “how-to” videos).
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to best support the network with webinars and virtual training.

Help Desk Support (25%):

• Provide professional end-user support for the Communities In Schools Data Management System (CISDM), which includes handling routine user and/or technical issues that can be fixed during a phone/video call or email communication.
• Provide clear documentation of issues escalated to the team analysts and track trends with respect to common issues/challenges and fixes.

Annual Data Collection (25%):

• Communicate with end-users during the completion of the annual data collection process.
• Verify data quality to ensure accurate analysis and reporting.

System Enhancement (15%):

• Provide user-informed quality assurance testing and documentation.
• Conduct front-end and minimal back-end testing of new and existing p