Database and Systems Administrator

Database and Systems Administrator

In an ever-changing and evolving global and technology-driven landscape, the role data plays in education is paramount. The Database and Systems Administrator is a person who constantly redefines themselves and their position in order to fully support the district and school personnel in the use of student data and the student database system. This person monitors the student database, designs and maintains tables and reports for local, state, and federal use, and provides ongoing training and technical support to district and school personnel. This position will play a critical role in supporting the district's commitment to eliminate the racial, ethnic, and linguistic achievement and opportunity gaps among all students, provide equitable funding and resources among the district's diverse schools, and engage families with courtesy, dignity, respect, and cultural understanding.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage district data systems; establish and ensure accuracy and efficiency in data collection, maintenance, reporting, analysis, and interpretation
• Understand and facilitate data storage and retrieval methods and understand the current trends and directions of database management systems
• Establish procedures and protocols for the initial entry and ongoing maintenance of all student information
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date student data and oversee the transmission of this data to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as directed, as well as meet all Federal reporting requirements
• Facilitate data entry of student scores on all assessment programs included, but not limited to MCAS, ACCESS, and internal benchmark assessments into identified management systems
• Assist the administration and faculty, as needed, in the production and management of various reports of student achievement
• Work closely with departments to prepare for and roll out SIF integration
• Serve as district contact for all data management systems, and act as the contact and point person for logon and troubleshooting for staff with these data systems
• Collaborate with administrators to develop and expand the current data systems and write/revise, in collaboration with the data system vendors, new modules and systems for efficiency
• Provide training, as needed, for staff regarding use and functionality of data systems and provide feedback for reducing redundancy and ensuring efficiency
• Design and support reporting procedures for district and school users
• Support public agencies as requested by the Director of Research & Accountability
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned by the Director of Research & Accountability, Assistant Superintendent for Schools & Leadership, and/or Superintendent of Schools
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with a diverse population

General Duties:

• Exports data to be used with other databases or applications and software, including but not limited to lunch programs, library, school picture/id cards, student file network servers
• Prepares data needed prior to importing into other applications
• Controls user access to databases and sets permissions based upon role
• Designs and maintains database tables and reports.
• Trains and supports users throughout the school district
• Analyzes and tests new and modified software in relation to installation requirements
• Attends training and conferences as required to fully perform duties and stay up to date on the latest technological advances
• Acts as a point of contact for all staff and software developers
• Communicates technical guidance and instruction to end-users

Specific Duties:

• Provides district and school users with specific and ongoing information regarding database operations, including use, maintenance, data manipulation, data download, data viewing and analyzing, and report building.
• Adds database users to the system by:
• Setting up IDs and passwords for user logins
• Assigning security levels, privileges, and restrictions to users that control access to specific schools, school years, modules, and operations
• Obtains and distributes state identification numbers for all new students and staff
• Prepares informative reports and instructional materials for all staff using the student database
• Ensures district compliance with state and federal reporting requirements
• Researches and troubleshoots issues with the student database system, and makes support requests with the hosting company
• Supports district and school users (provides suggestions, answers questions, solves problems).
• Ensures that district and school users have appropriate database reference manuals
• Conducts database training for district and school users
• Researches user problem resolution through forums, help desk, tech support lines, new groups, website, etc.
• Designs and creates district and school-wide reports from database
• Works with other data personnel to standardize procedures and protocols across the district
• Recognizes and implements efficiencies within the database to support end users
• Manages and implements system data rollovers at appropriate times during the year
• Supports school administrators and school improvement teams in scheduling courses and obtaining and representing relevant data for school improvement plans
• Collaborates in the production of report cards, including design, training on data entry, communication of expectations, and troubleshooting issues
• Edits code in Aspen to address unique needs of the district

The above descriptions and requirements are intended to describe the general nature of the work required of the Database and Systems Administrator. The description and duties are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of the roles and responsibilities expected from the position. The role and set of responsibilities will change frequently over time. The ideal candidate should recognize this as the nature of the work, and always formulate a vision of where the district needs to go to use our data wisely and in the best interest of education.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree (preferred) from an accredited college or university
• Three to five years of relevant experience
• Working knowledge of Aspen, Microsoft Office, Google Suite
• Working knowledge of Connect Ed, Nutri-kids, Virtual Gateway, Versa Trans, and Teach Point
• Three to five years of experience in development, analysis and submission of DESE reports
• Strong analytical, quantitative and interpersonal skills
• Experience with staff development
• Working knowledge of XML, HTML, Java and SQL

Reports To: Director of Research and Accountability

Terms of Employment: Non-affiliated, 12-month position

Salary: $95,000 - $105,000 per year