Senior Data Management Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Description

The Senior Data Management Specialist will lead elements of data collection and management for all research, evaluation, and programmatic data at The Jed Foundation (JED). This role is responsible for survey builds across all research and evaluation-related data collections, including building and maintaining flexible libraries, translating finalized survey content into actualized data collection tools, managing and executing quality assurance processes, and addressing system bugs. The Senior Data Management Specialist will also generate data quality reports, develop other data quality assurance processes that support real-time data collection enhancements, and identify strategic opportunities to improve JED’s school program, community program, and research data quality across data collection systems. This role will collaborate with staff across the team to ensure that JED maintains robust, gold-standard data management documentation and procedures to support its programs and data dissemination. 

Key Responsibilities

• Data Collection: Operationalize data collection instruments for research and evaluation-related surveys into scalable, accurate, consistent, and user-friendly tools via our Qualtrics platform. 
  • Implement and maintain user access to support data privacy and minimum required access to protect data integrity in collaboration with technology and product teams.
  • Identify and implement solutions to translate hard copy surveys into Qualtrics software while preserving intended meaning, logic, and Institutional Review Board requirements.
  • Build and maintain flexible Qualtrics libraries that support consistency in data collection across survey instruments while building processes that manage version control.
  • Undertake robust quality assurance processes to ensure that surveys are accurately and consistently deployed to partners.
  • Proactively manage and resolve bugs within the Qualtrics system, including responding to inquiries from partners across JED to address any identified issues. 
  • Collaborate with colleagues on the communications and product teams to ensure that all Qualtrics survey tools are accessible and ADA-compliant for all users.
  • Develop and maintain documentation related to Qualtrics research and evaluation data infrastructure, including but not limited to library infrastructure, key decision-points, bugs that might affect data quality, and user access procedures. 
• Data Management: Conduct routine data management procedures to monitor the quality of JED’s data while identifying real-time and ongoing opportunities to improve data quality. 
  • Utilize Qualtrics and JED’s data warehouse infrastructure to develop routine reports for critical data elements and develop feedback loops with partners to improve data quality.
  • Lead the day-to-day development and execution of data management best practices (e.g., data user and management documentation, survey version crosswalks and codebooks). 
  • Collaborate with Research and Evaluation team members to ensure identified coding practices are operationalized within the data, with routine quality checks. 
  • Conduct regular data quality audits and recommend quality improvement processes.
  • Generate and execute regular data cleaning procedures in collaboration with the Senior Analytics Specialist.
  • Identify opportunities across data sets to streamline data collection, including by reducing redundancies across systems, in collaboration with partners across JED. 
• Compliance and Ethical Standards:
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant data protection regulations and ethical standards.
  • Develop and enforce policies to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information.
  • Stay updated on best practices in data collection and management.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Master’s degree in the quantitative behavioral sciences, statistics, public health, or a related field with substantial training and background in data collection and management. 
• Deep expertise in operationalizing scalable data collection tools in research and evaluation settings with experience in library management, user access navigation, and implementing quality assurance processes. Qualtrics experience is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience managing multi-method research and evaluation data, with the ability to manage multiple data collection enterprises simultaneously. 
• Strong background in developing and maintaining data management processes and user documentation in research and evaluation settings, including creating codebooks, survey cross-walks, and recommending and implementing coding processes. 
• Excellent quantitative data management skills, including experience developing data quality reports and quality improvement processes, cleaning data, and proficiency in statistical analysis software (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, Python) for data management. 
• Understanding of data protection regulations and ethical standards, including experience with ensuring data collection is Institutional Review Board compliant. 
• Experience or interest in learning about modern data warehouse infrastructure, such as Snowflake. 
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills; attention to detail is a must.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with program staff, partners, and other stakeholders. 

Salary Range (by Location):

• New York (Geo A): $105,000 - $135,000
• San Francisco (Geo SF): $110,000 - $142,000.00
• Remote/Other Metros (Geo B,C,D): $89,000 - $128,000