Position Summary: The Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE) supports operational and programmatic functions for early childhood education programs within New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), including elementary schools, Pre-K Centers, as well as contracted settings such as Community Based Organizations (CBO) and Family based Childcare Networks (FCCNs). DECE provides families with access to high quality early childhood options for children birth to five in rich, diverse settings, supporting children's growth and development. Working with families and programs, DECE ensures that children are engaged, nurtured, and fully supported.

The Data Specialist, under the supervision of the Teaching & Learning ( T&L) Manager, performs critical work in cleaning, organizing, and preparing data for analysis. This role involves extensive use of data tools to manipulate and manage data from various sources, ensuring data integrity and consistency for seamless integration and analysis. The Data Specialist will support the Data, Analytics, and Systems Team by transforming raw data into a structured, analysis ready format, handling manual data entry and conversion tasks. With strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and a fundamental understanding of data management principles, the Data Specialist plays a pivotal role in the groundwork that enables more advanced data analysis and supports the ongoing development and implementation of projects within the Division. Performs related work.

Reports to: Teaching & Learning Data Manager

Direct Reports: N/A

Key Relationships: DECE Senior Leadership, DECE Senior Directors, DECE Field Offices, Office of Student Enrollment, other central NYCPS offices, partner agencies, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Family Childcare Networks (FCCN).

Responsibilities

• Assists with the review of, and responses to, reports and inquiries submitted by NYCPS offices, partner agencies, CBOs and early childhood program site leaders.
• Performs analyses in service of community based organizations and special programming.
• Manages information across multiple NYCPS offices and gathers feedback from community partners.
• Researches tools for the formative and summative evaluation of professional development efforts of Early Childhood Education programs and assists with the management and administration of these tools in conjunction with other DECE staff.
• Supports the Teaching and Learning Data Manager with compiling clear, accurate and timely communications to all NYCPS early childhood settings (including CBOs and family childcare centers) related to developmental screening and authentic assessment topics.
• Maintains close relationships with various internal and external stakeholders at CBOs, Schools and Field Offices.
• Helps coordinate early childhood information across NYCPS offices to support community based organizations' capacity to serve students and families.
• Coordinates with various departments or team members to ensure accurate data collection and to receive feedback on data quality and process improvements.
• Synthesizes data from multiple sources into a unified data model, combining datasets from various systems and platforms to construct a comprehensive data model that supports robust analysis and decision making.
• Cleans and organizes data from various sources, with the primary task of ensuring data integrity and usability, which includes correcting errors, handling missing values, and standardizing formats for analysis.
• Extracts data from various NYCPS and external systems (e.g., ATS, PreKIDS/Vendor Portal, Teaching Strategies GOLD, etc.). Regularly utilizing these systems and platforms to gather the necessary data for processing and analysis, highlighting the analysts' role in interfacing with specialized software.
• Manages and manipulates data using tools such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Power BI and utilizing these tools for data sorting, filtering, and applying complex formulas.
• Documents data cleaning and process steps for various reports by keeping detailed records of the methodologies used in data preparation to ensure consistency, quality, and reproducibility in data handling and analysis.
• Participates in training and engaging in continuous education to stay up to date with the latest data management tools, techniques, and best practices.
• Assists in the analysis of data by providing support for analytical tasks and facilitating a smoother transition from data preparation to deeper data analysis and insight generation.
• Collaborates with the Data, Analytics and Systems Team to understand the Division's data needs and requirements, communicating effectively within the team and with external stakeholders to ensure that our data aligns with analytical goals and project requirements.
• Ensures the protection and confidentiality of all data by implementing best practices in data security to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with NYSPS data protection regulations.

Qualification Requirements:

Minimum

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two (2) years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or

High school graduation or equivalent and six (6) years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or

Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one (1) year of experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred

• MA, MBA, MSPPM, or MPA degree preferred.
• Knowledge of Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 applications.
• Knowledge of word processing software, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Familiarity with PowerQuery and data preprocessing.
• Knowledge of spreadsheets and databases.
• Strong analytical and data manipulation skills.
• Organizational skills and experience tracking large amounts of detailed information.
• Interest in early childhood centered work.
• Interest in education/public policy.
• Educational experience.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues at all levels of the organization.
• Capable and detail oriented multitasker who can prioritize and remain professional in demanding situations.
• Ability to learn quickly and succeed in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrated team player capable of resolving organizational roadblocks.
• Talent for listening, asking effective questions, and synthesizing information.
• Ability to work with a high degree of accuracy.

Salary : $82,000 - $90,200

(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not earn less than their current salary.)

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application.

NOTE: The filling of all positions is subject to budget availability and/or grant funding.

* New York City Residency is NOT Required *

We encourage all applicants from the New York City tri-state area to apply.