Senior Data System Specialist

At Kia, we’re creating award-winning products and redefining what value means in the automotive industry. It takes a special group of individuals to do what we do, and we do it together. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative. Our people thrive on thinking differently and challenging the status quo. We are creating something special here, a culture of learning and opportunity, where you can help Kia achieve big things and most importantly, feel passionate and connected to your work every day.

Kia provides team members with competitive benefits including premium paid medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) plan matching of 100% up to 6% of the salary deferral, and time off starting at 14 days per year. Kia also offers company lease and purchase programs, company-wide holiday shutdown, paid volunteer hours, and premium lifestyle amenities at our corporate campus in Irvine, California.

Status

Exempt

Summary

The Sr. Data System Specialist assists the Safety Analytics Manager in establishing and maintaining the processes and applications which collect and perform analysis of data and provide the Safety Office management with early identification of potential safety issues (PSIs). These processes, including the applications and systems supporting them, are collectively known as Kia’s Safety Data Analytics Infrastructure (SDAI). 

This position will support the identification, design, development, and testing of technology and software applications needed to perform these functions as technology changes and additional data sources become available. This position will also support the improvement of existing systems and analysis methods, as well as collaborate with IT affiliates and outside vendors as necessary to maintain and enhance NASO data systems. 

This individual will develop, test, and implement changes to the SDAI as defects and enhancement proposals are identified by the North America Safety Office (NASO) Team. This individual should have a strong programming background, and a critical thought process to troubleshoot issues and find solutions. This individual should be a self-starter, able to work independently with minimal direction and oversight, and deliver and communicate solutions which meet NASO’s business needs. 
 

Major Responsibilities

1st Priority - 35%

Identify, design, develop, and implement innovative solutions using closed and open-source software to optimize NASO’s Safety Data Analytics Infrastructure (including applications utilizing SAS, Python, Oracle, HTML, and JavaScript).  

2nd Priority - 35%

Establish and maintain processes and tools for Safety Office engineers to access, analyze, investigate, and report PSIs.

3rd Priority - 20%

Design, develop, and implement automated processes to support data Extract Transform Load (ETL) and data mart operations. Monitor all ETL processes to ensure system health. Collaborate with IT and outside entities as needed to obtain access to external data sources

4th Priority - 10%

Provide ad-hoc data analysis solutions to internal and external stakeholders to assist in monitoring field data, conducting investigations, and making informed business decisions. 

Education/Certification

• BS degree or equivalent work experience in Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science, or another quantitative field required. 

Overall Experience

• 4 years of experience supporting durable goods engineering, quality, safety, or statistical analysis. 
• 7 years of experience in manipulating data sets, data analysis, and application development.

Other Requirements:

• Schedule(s) may vary due to needs of the business including but not limited to working outside of normal business hours, travel, weekends and/or holidays.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Directly Related Experience

• Experience with Python, SQL, R, SAS or another programming language with focus on data analysis. Experience with SAS programming language is strongly desired. 
• Experience working with and creating relational databases, and highly integrated systems.
• Experience with Text Mining and building taxonomy models using SAS Contextual Analytics and open-source solutions
• Experience building visualizations and dashboards for stakeholders (e.g., using SAS Visual Analytics, Tableau, Power BI).
• Experience with HTML and JavaScript is a plus
• Experience supporting engineering, quality, safety, or statistical analysis. 
   

Skills

Ability to work and communicate clearly with members of various KUS/Kia NA departments.Experience querying databases and using statistical computer languages: SAS, Python, R, SQL, etc.Good analytical skills a