Salary: $78,504.00 - $105,612.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:Department: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Division: Student Engagement and Support
Opening Date: 08/28/2026
Closing Date: 9/13/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
DescriptionGENERAL SERVICE
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Lead Strategy & Improvement Analyst (Management Analyst 5)
$78,504 - $105,612 Salary
Closes September 13, 2026The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill the Lead Strategy & Improvement Analyst (Management Analyst 5). This full-time permanent position is based in Olympia, Washington and may be eligible for telework.
The position requires three days in the office during orientation (6-8 weeks), and one day per week thereafter.Position OverviewServing in the Student Engagement & Special Programs (SESP) Division, Operations & Strategy unit, the Lead Strategy & Improvement Analyst provides strategic data leadership and continuous improvement support to SESP Executive Leadership. This role centers equity in how data is interpreted and used, with the expectation that every student can learn, thrive, and succeed. The position helps assess implementation and impact of comprehensive, integrated student supports; leads division data governance, quality, documentation, and prioritization; and helps establish sustainable, authoritative data processes. The role builds program staff capacity to monitor progress, examine disproportionality, use data to guide responsive action, and transition recurring data work to designated owners through documented processes, training, quality checks, and ongoing support. The position works closely with SESP program teams, the division policy lead, Student Information, Data Governance, Federal Accountability, Educational Service Districts (ESDs), and district student safety and support staff.
Key Responsibilities- Partner with SESP Executive Leadership to establish and regularly review priorities for division data work, balancing statutory and reporting obligations, program needs, equity priorities, available capacity, and the division's highest-impact needs.
- Support effective, efficient, and equitable implementation and continuous improvement by defining data requirements, collecting and analyzing data, preparing charts, graphs, and reports, and partnering with the SESP project manager on project plans, timelines, status communication, and implementation practices.
- Lead or support recurring division data collections and surveys, including design, distribution, scoring, data cleaning and validation, analysis, documentation, and dissemination. Recurring work may include SEMBH data collections, the HIB Survey, safety and security staffing data, restraint and isolation data, and other assigned data collections and reporting processes.
- Establish and maintain clear data definitions, business rules, analytical methods, validation processes, documentation, timelines, and authoritative data sources; coordinate with program staff, Student Information, IT, Data Governance, and other partners to reduce duplication and manual processes and improve continuity and access.
- Use disaggregated data to identify disparities, examine systemic barriers, and support actions that improve outcomes for all students, especially those experiencing opportunity gaps.
- Build staff and partner capacity to use data through training, coaching, modeling, and technical assistance in problem identification, root cause analysis, action planning, evaluation, and reporting; transition recurring data responsibilities to designated program owners with quality assurance and an escalation path for additional technical support.
- Lead and support federal, state, statutory, and legislative reporting and data requirements related to school safety plans, emotional and behavioral distress response plans, threat assessment, restraint and isolation, student discipline, School Safety Center and Regional School Safety Center implementation, safety and security staffing, school Medicaid and related student wellbeing work.
Required Qualifications:- Bachelor's Degree related to data analysis, workflow engineering, process improvement or information systems and 5 or more years of experience in information technology and data systems related to public sector or school/district student support systems
- OR
- In lieu of a degree, nine years of experience in a related field can be substituted. Relevant experience may include information technology and data systems related to public sector or school/district student support systems or other data related systems.
- Experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.
- Experience presenting information to both technical and non-technical audiences; building capacity of audiences to engage in best practices relative to data use.
- Experience engaging adult learners in data-informed activities aligned with evidence-based practices.
- Data management experience/knowledge to include relational database structure, data types, validation of data, or logic-based data collection.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively across diverse backgrounds, perspectives, roles, and levels of technical expertise, and to create accessible and inclusive approaches to data use, training, and collaboration.
- In-state travel, minimal out of state travel
- Must reside of in the state of Washington as a condition of employment
Desired Qualifications: - Experience working with K-12 education data systems, including Washington K-12, OSPI, or comparable systems.
- Experience with data governance, data quality, documentation, business rules, and sustainable data processes.
- Experience cleaning, transforming, and analyzing complex data using Excel, Power Query, Tableau Prep, SQL, R, or similar tools; advanced Excel skills preferred.
- Experience analyzing disaggregated data and communicating trends, disparities, disproportionality, and actionable insights.
- Experience designing or improving surveys, data collections, reporting processes, dashboards, visualizations, or other data products.
- Experience translating policy, program, legislative, or business needs into practical data and reporting requirements and collaborating across technical and non-technical teams.
- Experience providing training or technical assistance that builds others' capacity to use and interpret data.
- Experience engaging with, learning from, or serving communities historically underserved by public systems, including through professional, volunteer, educational, community, or lived experience.
- Experience supporting student engagement, attendance, school safety, wellbeing, discipline, behavioral health, or integrated student supports.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust, adapt to change, support shared decisions, and steward public resources, sensitive information, and public trust.
CompensationThe annual compensation for the position is $78,504 - $105,612 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location o successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement, and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a general service position. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.
Application ProcessThose interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word or PDF format:
- A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;
- A current résumé, and;
- A list of three or more professional references.
NOTE: Your resume and letter of interest must be attached to your application. Please confirm they are attached before you submit.Please
address any questions to:
Sal Salazar, Human Resources
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200
360-725-6278:
[email protected] Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6270 or (360) 725-6066, or e-mail
[email protected].
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