Data Analyst I

Support research data collection and integrity for Project LIFT by gathering, auditing, analyzing, and reporting education research data under general supervision. Responsibilities Gather, audit, analyze, and report low- to moderate-complexity data under general supervision Maintain data integrity throughout collection, preparation, and reporting Complete ad-hoc analyses and reporting to support decision-making May design predictive modeling or other data mining capabilities Lead all research data collection activities at the University of Alabama and in the field Coordinate data collection and management activities across sites Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to measure project effectiveness and student reading outcomes Track intervention fidelity and implementation Support IRB approval and ensure adherence Assist with budgeting , reporting , and dissemination activities Requirements Bachelor’s degree or higher and some data analysis experience Valid U.S. driver’s license Must be at least 19 years of age at time of hire Must have an acceptable Motor Vehicle Report that complies with University policies Applicants under 21 will have some driving restrictions Excellent written and verbal communication , including clearly communicating data collection timelines, completion rates, and compliance requirements to school leaders, teachers, research partners, and federal sponsors Exceptional organizational and project management skills, including managing multiple deadlines and proactively identifying and resolving data quality issues Strong quantitative skills using SPSS, R, SAS , or equivalent statistical software for data preparation, cleaning, transformation, and quality review Proficiency with secure data environments , including VPN , two-factor authentication , encrypted storage platforms (UA Box, SharePoint, or equivalent), role-based access controls , and federal data security standards for student-level research data Proficiency with Qualtrics or a comparable enterprise survey/data collection platform, including programming complex surveys with skip logic, embedded data, response validation, and automated reporting Familiarity with the Alabama educational context, including the Alabama Literacy Act , Alabama Reading Initiative , or Alabama school district operations Familiarity with human subjects protection requirements, including

FERPA

, IRB protocols, informed consent procedures, CITI certification , and federal data security requirements for educational research; must be able to apply these requirements independently day-to-day Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of participant information in compliance with IRB , FERPA , and federal human subjects protection requirements; responsible data stewardship track record Ability to travel regularly to participating schools and districts across Alabama Technologies SPSS R SAS VPN Two-factor authentication UA Box SharePoint Qualtrics FERPA IRB CITI Project and Department Context Department: 212701 - Special Education Work is tied to Project LIFT (Literacy Improvement through Focused Tutoring), an $11.2 million , five-year Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Mid-Phase grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education Project LIFT scales Friends on the Block (FOTB) , an evidence-based early literacy intervention, to 75 primarily rural elementary schools across Alabama Supports K-12 struggling readers, including students with disabilities, across three implementation cohorts Includes a rigorous randomized controlled trial independently evaluated by Oregon Research Institute (ORI) Compensation and Schedule Salary range: $54,000 - $67,500 per year Pay range note: Minimum $54,000; Midpoint $67,500 (Salaried E8) Normal work schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm Location: Tuscaloosa, AL (hybrid) Additional Information Position is eligible for hybrid work subject to University policy Preferred Qualifications Master’s degree in education, psychology, data science, public health, statistics, information systems, or a closely related field and seven (7) years of relevant professional experience Experience as a lead or senior data coordinator on an IES-, EIR-, OSEP-, NIH-, or NSF-funded randomized controlled trial or large-scale implementation study in education or public health Leadership experience coordinating data collection and data management for a federally funded research study (IES, NIH, NSF, OSEP, EIR, or equivalent), including managing multi-site data collection, training and supervising data collection staff, and maintaining data integrity across multiple time points and conditions Experience managing IRB-regulated multi-site data collection, including maintenance of consent documentation, regulatory files, and amendment submissions across a multi-year federally funded study Experience with REDCap , SPSS , R , or SAS for data management and preparation, including merging datasets across sources and time points, applying variable transformations, and generating analysis-ready datasets Experience programming and managing Qualtrics research instruments for large-scale studies, including workflow automation, contact list management, and integration with secure data storage environments Expertise in research data management, including designing and maintaining data dictionaries, developing data quality assurance and cleaning protocols, managing large datasets, and preparing clean, documented datasets for analysis and sharing under data use agreements Experience with IES or U.S. Department of Education research requirements, including WWC design standards, ED 524B reporting, and federal data sharing and management plan compliance K-12 school or district experience (examples: teacher, assessment coordinator, data coach, special education administrator, interventionist, or district data manager) Experience with the science of reading, early literacy assessment (examples: WIAT-IV, DIBELS, CTOPP, CUBED), high-impact tutoring, or MTSS Experience working with students with disabilities, students in high-need rural schools, or populations receiving special education services CITI Program certification in Human Subjects Research (Social and Behavioral Sciences) or equivalent IRB certifications Background Investigation Final candidate(s) must pass a pre-employment background investigation Information from social media and other internet sources may be used as part of the investigation A prior conviction does not automatically disqualify a candidate Prior convictions or negative behavioral red flags receive individualized review before a hiring decision #J-18808-Ljbffr The University of Alabama