Data Analyst

The Safer Foundation is a social service provider to individuals with arrest and conviction records. Through a full range of services, including case management, educational instruction and advocacy, we focus on preparing individuals for the world of work by helping them find and keep productive and meaningful employment
General Summary:

This position is grant-funded. This position is subject to a background check.

Reporting to the AVP of Behavioral Health Services, this full-time position will support implementation and reporting for its Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC) program. The HC-MHC program expands access to low-barrier, integrated behavioral health services for justice-impacted adults returning to the community.

The Data Analyst will support program leadership, clinical staff, behavioral health navigators, and grant partners by developing practical data collection tools, maintaining accurate program records, preparing required reports, and helping translate program data into clear information for program management and funder reporting.

During early implementation, the program may rely on manual data collection processes while transitioning toward Electronic Health Record (EHR)-based reporting. This role is intended for a candidate who can work carefully with evolving data systems, organize information from multiple sources, and help build reliable reporting processes as the program matures.

This is a strong opportunity for an early-career data analyst, public health researcher, behavioral science graduate, health services researcher, or evaluation-focused professional interested in behavioral health, reentry, and healthcare access.
Performance Results Description

The Position is properly performed when all essential duties and responsibilities are executed by following the Safer Values.

Exceeding Expectations, Communication and Collaboration, Integrity and Evidence-Based Innovation.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Interface:

• Develop and maintain program data collection tools, tracking spreadsheets, data logs, and reporting templates.
• Collect, organize, clean, and validate client-level and service-level data from multiple sources.
• Support manual data gathering during early implementation while helping prepare for transition to EHR-based reporting.
• Maintain accurate documentation of data definitions, reporting fields, and data collection procedures.
• Work with program and clinical staff to ensure required information is collected consistently and accurately.
• Identify missing, incomplete, or inconsistent data and follow up with appropriate staff to resolve issues.
• Assist with the transition from manual tracking to EHR-based data capture and reporting.
• Work with behavioral health leadership and clinical staff to support accurate documentation workflows.
• Help test, review, and validate EHR reports against manual tracking records during implementation.
• Support data extraction, formatting, and submission processes as required by the grant.
• Help identify practical ways to reduce duplicate data entry and improve reporting consistency.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Stakeholder Outreach and Recruitment

• Work closely with behavioral health leadership, clinical supervisors, behavioral health navigators, program leadership, and grant partners.
• Participate in program meetings related to reporting, implementation, and data collection.
• Communicate data needs clearly to staff who may not have technical backgrounds.
• Provide practical support and guidance to staff responsible for entering or submitting program information.
• Maintain professionalism and confidentiality when working with sensitive client and program data.

Tracking, Documents and Reporting:

• Prepare recurring reports required for the HC-MHC grant, including monthly client-level and service delivery reporting.
• Support submission of required data by grant deadlines.
• Track program outputs, including enrollment, screenings, assessments, referrals, service delivery, follow-up contacts, and participation in behavioral health services.
• Assist in preparing summaries for internal leadership, funders, and partner meetings.
• Maintain organized records to support grant compliance, reporting, and documentation requirements.
• Analyze program data to identify trends in service utilization, referral patterns, client engagement, and service access.
• Prepare clear tables, charts, dashboards, and written summaries for program leadership and staff.
• Translate data into practical findings that can support program management and grant reporting.
• Support analysis of participant surveys, screenings, and service outcomes when available.
• Help synthesize quantitative and qualitative information into clear, usable reports.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to turn raw data into clear, useful information.
• Ability to work with imperfect or evolving data systems during early program implementation.
• Ability to build practical tracking tools when formal systems are still being developed.
• Strong organizational skills and comfort maintaining multiple data sources.
• Ability to communicate effectively with clinical, program, and administrative staff.
• Ability to protect confidentiality and handle sensitive client information appropriately.
• Comfort working in a developing program environment where processes may change over time.
• Commitment to health equity and culturally responsive services.
• Interest in supporting behavioral health access for justice-impacted individuals.
• Hands-on experience and self-sufficiency with Microsoft productivity tools, including Outlook (for email), Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and online collaboration tools (video conferencing, Zoom/Teams, messaging).
• EHR experience preferred.
• REDCap or similar data collection platform preferred.
• Power BI or Tableau preferred.
• Microsoft Forms or survey tools preferred.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to participate in meetings with program, clinical, and administrative staff.
• Ability to meet recurring reporting deadlines.
• Hybrid or on-site expectations to be determined by program leadership.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Behavioral Science, Healthcare Administration, Health Informatics, Statistics, Research Methods, or a related field.
• One to three years of experience with data collection, reporting, research support, program evaluation, healthcare analytics, behavioral health data, or nonprofit program data preferred.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to organize, clean, and manage data accurately.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to identify inconsistencies in data.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and work independently.
• Interest in behavioral health, healthcare access, public health, reentry, or human services.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree, graduate coursework, or current graduate study in Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, Health Services Research, Epidemiology, Behavioral Science, or a related field.
• Experience working with behavioral health, healthcare, Medicaid, social services, or justice-involved populations.
• Familiarity with Electronic Health Records or healthcare documentation systems.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, REDCap, Microsoft Forms, Qualtrics, or similar tools.
• Experience preparing reports for grants, government programs, or nonprofit leadership.
• Familiarity with mental health screening tools, service utilization data, or client outcome tracking.
• Experience working in a community-based nonprofit or healthcare setting.

Safer Pathways Center is committed to fair chance employment. A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. However, certain positions are subject to mandatory background screening and eligibility requirements established by state or federal law, which may limit eligibility for specific roles.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. Safer Foundation is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas, including H-1B, TN, E-3, or other employment-based visas.

Work Location & Residency Requirement : This is a hybrid position based out of our Chicago office, with a required in-office schedule. Employees in this role must live in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Michigan at the time of hire and keep their residency in one of these states throughout employment. Employees must also be able to report to the [office] location on all required in-office days. Safer Foundation is not set up to employ staff in other states, so we cannot consider candidates who live outside these four states.

Safer Foundation is a drug-free workplace.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action/Minorities/Females/Veterans

No Phone Calls Please

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.