Director of Data AnalyticsStart Date: Immediate
Role Type: Full-Time
Location: Washington, DC
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $130,000 - $137,000
THE OPPORTUNITYDC Prep is looking for a hands-on data leader to keep our data systems, assessments, and compliance work running at a high level, and to help our leaders get even more out of the data we have. A new state assessment (CAPE 2.0) is resetting every school's baseline in DC, AI is changing how people interact with data, accountability frameworks continue to evolve, and you'll guide the network through these changes. You'll build on a strong foundation and lead a small team whose work matters every day for more than 2,100 Preppies.
What you'll own:- Reliable data and systems: Keep student data accurate, connected, and on time across PowerSchool, DeansList, and our assessment platforms, and lead the state reporting and compliance work the network depends on.
- Assessment and accountability: Co-manage our LEA assessment strategy, lead the move to CAPE 2.0, and help leaders understand what changing accountability rules mean for our schools and our network's ability to meet our ambitious goals.
- Insight for decisions: Be a thought partner to the Chief Program Officer, Academic Program Team, and Schools Team, helping shape the questions we ask and turning data into clear insights for our biggest decisions, from attendance and special populations to curriculum, assessment, and student outcomes.
- Working smarter: Use AI and automation in two ways: to take routine work off our plates, and to help school and program leaders see what's happening with students sooner and act on it. Student privacy comes first, and people stay in charge of decisions.
- Leading the team: Coach and grow a small Data Team, and roll up your sleeves alongside them.
Success looks like: accurate, on-time data and state submissions; a smooth CAPE 2.0 transition with no surprises; compliance work that runs with accuracy and confidence; leaders using a focused set of measures; and routine work getting faster each year. Alongside keeping our data systems running strong, you'll help leaders strengthen their ability to use data to choose high-impact actions:
- From reporting on what happened 12 to helping our Program and Schools team support leaders in deciding what to do next
- From many dashboards 12 to a clearer focus on the few measures that matter most
- From relying on the Data Team for every answer 12 to leaders who are more confident digging into their own data
- From manual, routine work 12 to more automated and AI-assisted workflows over time
THE DAY TO DAYThis role balances hands-on technical work with strategy and decision support. A large part of your time will go to keeping data systems, assessments, and compliance work accurate and on time, and because we are a small network, you'll do much of this work yourself while coaching and managing your team to execute. At the same time, you'll be a thought partner on our biggest decisions. As our systems get stronger and more automated, more of your time will shift to analysis and decision support. You'll be excited to upskill our team and grow what the Data Team can do, so that together we take on more over time. The Director of Data Analytics reports to the Chief Program Officer and is a member of the Home Office Program Team.
Systems and Automation- Own clean, connected data across our systems, including PowerSchool, DeansList, and assessment platforms.
- Build simple, trusted dashboards that directors, principals, and coaches can use in weekly meetings.
- Set clear data rules: shared definitions, access, quality checks, and FERPA and OSSE privacy practices.
- Manage data vendors and decide which tools are worth the cost based on real use.
Assessment, Accountability, and Compliance- Own DC Prep's assessment and accountability strategy across state assessments and OSSE and DC PCSB frameworks.
- Lead the network's move to CAPE 2.0 (Smarter Balanced), including readiness, training on key shifts, and helping leaders understand a new baseline. Measure student growth in ways leaders can trust, including through the shift to a new state test baseline.
- Track accountability framework changes, explain what they mean for our schools, and model the impact so leaders can plan ahead.
- Serve as LEA Assessment Coordinator for state tests, including DC CAPE, ACCESS for ELLs, and alternate assessments.
- Co-build the yearly assessment calendar and partner with the Academic Program Team to oversee network interims and early literacy and math assessments.
- Ensure every student receives the testing accommodations they are entitled to, in partnership with the Director of Special Populations.
- Get results and analysis to network and campus leaders with urgency.
- Ensure enrollment, attendance, report cards, and student records are accurate and on time.
- Support OSSE data validation for the enrollment audit and all state and DC PCSB data submissions.
Partnering with Program and Schools to Drive Student Outcomes- Partner with the Chief Program Officer, Senior Director of Program, Academic Program Directors, and Schools Team to use data in decisions about student growth and outcomes, tied to DC Prep's annual goals and five-year plan.
- Lead goal setting with the Program and Schools teams: help choose the small set of measures that best predict student success, set clear growth and outcome targets, and keep dashboards focused on them.
- Track student growth and progress toward goals throughout the year, so leaders always know where students stand and where to act.
- Co-lead data cycles with the Senior Director of Program, including campus quarterly stepbacks and Data Days, so each quarter ends with a prioritized plan of action grounded in data.
- Help answer the network's biggest questions, such as early warning signs, chronic absenteeism, outcomes for special populations, and program impact, and spot trends and risks early enough to act.
- Partner with the Program Team on program evaluation to determine whether practices covered in training are being implemented and producing the intended results.
- Help turn data into a clear next step for any audience, from executives and directors to principals, coaches, and teachers, and build leaders' confidence in examining their own data and acting on it.
- Help tell the story behind the numbers, connecting leaders and teachers to the "why" behind key initiatives, and prepare clear, accurate data for the Board, DC PCSB, and funders.
Team Leadership- Set the Data Team's work agenda with input from stakeholders across the network, and build project plans and timelines for major work.
- Set and hold clear quality standards so that everything the team produces is accurate, on time, and easy to use.
- Lead, coach, and grow team members through regular check-ins and feedback, so daily work runs well and the team builds its own technical, strategic, and AI skills.
- Document and codify processes to build redundancy, support succession planning and ensure the Data Team's long-term success.
- Build and run a clear process for data requests, so teams know how to ask, what to expect, and when. Set priorities across teams based on student impact, deadlines, and network goals, and communicate tradeoffs openly.
- Build a team culture of service, so the Data Team is a go-to partner for teams across the network: Operations, Student Recruitment, Development, Finance, Special Populations, Schools, Talent, and PrepNext. Make sure each team gets timely, accurate data and support for its work, from attendance and enrollment to grants, funding, compliance, and alumni outcomes.
AI for Efficiency and Impact- Find routine data work that AI and automation can take off people's plates, such as cleaning and checking data, building recurring reports, and drafting summaries. Pilot the most promising ideas, track the time they actually save, and scale what works.
- Partner with the Program and Schools teams to test where AI can help leaders act sooner, based on annual plan priorities. Possible future uses include:
- Giving school leaders easy access to their own data, so they can get answers without waiting on a data analyst or program director
- Spotting students who may be at risk earlier, so leaders can step in before problems grow
- Turning frequent feedback from families, students, and staff into clear themes leaders can act on
- Helping teachers and coaches use daily data, like exit tickets, to adjust instruction faster
- Keep people in charge: AI informs decisions about students but never makes them. Check AI outputs for accuracy and fairness, including for students with disabilities, English learners, and other student groups.
- Help shape guardrails for using AI with student data, in line with DC Prep's AI policy as it develops.
- Help colleagues build their AI skills and share what works.
QUALIFICATIONSSkills & Mindset- Deep commitment to DC Prep's vision, mission, and values, including a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Outcomes-driven strategic thinker: sees the big picture, knows which few numbers really matter, and measures success by whether leaders act differently and students do better.
- Translator and storyteller: can sit with a principal or a director, look at messy data together, and leave with one clear insight and one clear next step; explains complex data simply and honestly to any audience.
- Curious about AI and new tools: eager to learn and experiment with AI to work smarter, even if not yet an expert, while keeping student privacy and good judgment first.
- Service-oriented connector: builds strong relationships across teams, sets clear priorities across many requests, and influences without formal authority.
- Systems builder: likes clean, connected data and simple tools people actually use; documents systems so others can run them.
- Steady through change: approaches a new state assessment transition with confidence; stays calm under deadline pressure and gets high-stakes work right.
- Coach and team builder: invests in their team, gives and seeks feedback, and leads with an equity lens.
EXPERIENCERequired- Five or more years of experience in K-12 data, assessment, or analytics, including experience managing people or leading a function
- Strong hands-on skills in SQL and spreadsheets, and experience with a student information system
- A track record of accurate, on-time work under deadlines
- Ability to explain data clearly to non-technical audiences
- Curiosity about AI and a willingness to experiment with it, even if you're not yet an expert
- Bachelor's degree
Preferred- Experience with tools we use, including PowerSchool SIS, PowerSchool Registration, DeansList, Illuminate DnA, Smarter Balanced, mCLASS, NWEA, Achievement Network, Amplify, BigQuery, Python, and Google Data Studio. Experience with similar tools is welcome; we'll help you learn ours.
- Familiarity with academic growth measures, including how to compare results across years or when a test changes
- Experience leading a state assessment or accountability transition
- Experience with DC state reporting, OSSE, or DC PCSB accountability frameworks
- Experience using AI or automation to streamline data work or build tools leaders use
- Experience using data to shape priorities or change a program
- Experience with alumni or postsecondary data, or program evaluation
- Master's degree in a related field
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Based at the DC Prep Home Office, with regular time on campuses to observe da
