Lead Data Strategist

Description

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

Promise Partnership Utah is a cross-sector partnership that supports youth in their educational journey from cradle to career to ensure they can explore, dream, and take steps to realize their potential. Our approach involves being rooted in data and deeply collaborating with public and private sector partners to transform the education environment, so it produces more equitable outcomes and disparity gaps are eliminated. We operate on the deeply held belief that by working collectively we can have a greater impact on our youth than we could have alone. 

There is a dedicated team of individuals who support and convene Promise Partnership Utah, called the "backbone team." This team is housed at Utah's Promise, the support entity for the partnership. The Lead Data Strategist is part of this backbone team. 

Promise Partnership Utah’s backbone team, United Way of Salt Lake, and 211 Utah (Salt Lake City team) are part of the Utah’s Promise organization. Together, we are committed to 100% of kids and families thriving. Our workplace is fast-paced, friendly, adaptive, and grounded in our core values: relationships, continuous improvement, results, and equity. We offer competitive compensation including a comprehensive benefit package, generous paid time off, and flexible schedules. People with diverse backgrounds and abilities are encouraged to apply. 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Lead Data Strategist supports the Senior Director of Data Strategy in leading the Data & Results team and advancing a strong, aligned data infrastructure across Promise Partnership Utah. This role oversees the development and implementation of systems and processes for data collection, management, analysis, and visualization, ensuring data is accessible, high-quality, and actionable for both internal and external audiences. The Lead Data Strategist plays a key role in translating data into insights that inform strategy, support continuous improvement, and drive equitable outcomes.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Team Leadership: Foster a high-trust, collaborative environment that drives high-quality work. Lead data collection, organization, and reporting projects for both internal and external audiences. 
2. Internal Data Strategy and Consulting: Advise on measuring social impact through data collection, analysis, governance, and strategy building, and review. 
3. Data Management: Serve as the team's subject matter expert on available data for impact assessment. Develop new data measures and disaggregate data to enhance insights.  
4. Data Infrastructure & Privacy: Manage data collection, organization, and reporting in Salesforce. Ensure team members can access and input high-quality program data. Build and maintain data integrity and privacy. 
5. Analysis: Analyze data using Excel, R, or other tools to generate insights, create comparisons, and support data-driven decision-making. Integrate qualitative data (including insights from community members most impacted by our current systems) into reporting, data visualization, and decision-making processes. Incorporate an equity lens in data analysis and reporting to highlight systemic barriers related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. 
6. Visualization: Collaborate with partners and team members to enhance data accessibility for stakeholders. Develop and manage data dashboards using visualization software. Train team members on how to navigate dashboards independently. Drive strategic change and accountability through comprehensive dashboards and data visualizations. 
7. Reporting: Create standard and ad hoc reports to support impact reporting, proposals, and continuous improvement.  
8. Other duties as assigned, including potential supervision of interns or team members. 

Requirements

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

• Technical Skills. Ability to anticipate the impact of emerging technologies and adjust to adopt new technologies when necessary. Ability to build capacity among others to access, understand, describe, and use data and technology platforms. Technologies include but are not limited to: Salesforce, Tableau, Power BI, Domo, Asana, Excel, and other statistical packages (R, SQL). 
• Data Analysis Skills. Advanced ability to make meaning out of data by creating relevant comparisons and completing data analysis to demonstrate the impact of programs and strategies on target populations.  
• Strategic Mindset. Ability to anticipate future needs, guide stakeholders in leveraging data for decision-making, and connect insights across teams and initiatives. 
• Communication. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex qualitative and quantitative data insights into compelling, audience-appropriate narratives that drive action. 
• Continuous Improvement. Commitment to continuous learning and improvement, with the ability to identify challenges, adapt quickly, and test solutions effectively. 
• Adaptability. Ability to navigate uncertainty with curiosity and confidence, and to deploy new skills and approaches as conditions change or opportunities emerge.  
• Project Management. Ability to define a project’s scope, resource requirements, dependencies, steps, and timelines and to manage against these, while also attuning to relationship management needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in a relevant field.  
• 3-5 years data and research experience, including analysis, reporting, and visualization.  
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, or Domo) with a strong ability to create user-friendly visualizations is required. 
• Experience with relational databases, complex spreadsheets (Advanced Excel), and survey design, coding, and analysis. Salesforce experience preferred. 
• Ability to identify key quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure program and strategy impact. 
• Proven experience managing complex data projects across teams who may operate in silos.  
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly learn and adopt emerging technologies. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The team member is regularly required to communicate clearly, in oral and written formats, with others in person, over the phone and via other devices. The team member must be able to transcribe, take in new information, prepare and analyze data and figures, constantly operate a computer and other standard office machinery. The team member is required to regularly travel to offsite locations to set up presentations and displays in physical and electronic mediums. The team member must have the ability to lift, carry, push and/or pull objects weighing up to 50lbs.

The employee is required to work primarily in-person, in our UP offices during core business hours Monday – Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Fridays. Utah’s Promise is currently piloting a 36-hour work week with Friday afternoons off.

BENEFITS

The position is a full-time, exempt position with full benefits. $65,000-75,000. Salary commensurate with experience. UWSL/UP provides a wide range of benefits, including: