Director for Educator Data, Research and Strategy for District Planning, Support and Innovation (Director II)

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values: 
• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students. 
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum of the salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Division of Educator Data, Research, and Strategy (EDRS) provides analytical leadership and support for departments across the Office of Educator Systems and Support. EDRS supports the Department of District Planning and Supports and the Department of System Innovation in the collection, reporting, and analysis of data related to numerous initiatives and grant programs that support teachers and local education agencies (LEAs). The Department of District Planning and Supports oversees statewide initiatives supporting hundreds of districts and Regional Education Service Centers (ESCs) with school improvement, building instructional leadership capacity, and strategic planning and continuous improvement.

The Director in this role is responsible for the vision, priorities, and successful completion of the technical and analytical work completed by the EDRS-DPSI team. This experienced professional collaborates with client division directors to plan work and deliverables for the supported initiatives in departments. The director develops policies, procedures, and guidelines to support the collaboration with supported units and to provide direction for the analysts they supervise. This data leader conducts detailed analysis of and extensive research using participation and outcome data. This leader ensures the production of reports, dashboards, and other data products for presentation to internal and external stakeholders, along with other policymakers and the public. This professional oversees and ensures the monitoring and implementing of data quality procedures. This director manages others and develops their own programming using SAS, Stata, PowerBI, and other statistical programming tools to create statistical models and graphical analysis. The director guides the selection of data tools and standards, seeking to develop common data science approaches to analytics, documentation of work (e.g., standardizing data definition, data validation, and business rules), and project management (e.g., using Smartsheet) for the EDRS team. This leader ensures the highest level of development, implementation, and monitoring of specialized research and reporting projects pertaining to fiscal, administrative, or program functions of the TEA. 

This leader performs advanced managerial work overseeing analysts and other directors in the EDRS-DPSI unit and coordinating with senior leaders of client divisions to ensure collaboration and communication. Additionally, they serve as the technical lead for the team.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume and tailored cover letter are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Oversee Development of Data Products: uses project management applications such as Smartsheet to coordinate, prioritize, and manage initiatives within supported departments, including progress monitoring tools such as dashboards developed with DAX in Power BI, datasets and visualizations developed with original programs written in SAS, SQL, or other programming languages to fill information requests, state and federal reporting, and communicating with internal and external stakeholders
2. Oversee Research Projects: identifies, leads, plans, and conducts major research projects by writing or supporting original programs in SAS, SQL, or other programming languages as part of a complex and diversified research program with broad implications for agency programs and functions guided by executive leadership  
3. Internal and External Stakeholders: creates and maintains the necessary policies, procedures, and professional relationships necessary to effectively design and conduct the business of the unit, including interdivisional and external partnerships for research; develops and executes strategic client development and training practices 
4. Subject Matter Expertise: serves as subject matter expert for data, technologies, and programming (SAS, SQL, or other languages) techniques related to the supported departments including SCOMS, ISAM, and PADL, monitoring and communicating about shifts in underlying data structures, technical infrastructure, and business rules to internal and external customers, including policymakers and executive leadership  
5. Team Management and Supervision: executes hiring, supervision, evaluation, and compensation activities for EDRS-DPSI team; advises team in pursuit of increased skill development and career opportunities including focus on technical skill development with coding, project management, client relationships, and strategic support

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience: At least five [5] years of experience in data analytics and research and a minimum of (2) years supervisory experience.   
• Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience. 

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:
• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military
• Experience directing research to inform policymaking or program improvement efforts in an educational setting preferred
• Skill in using statistical software, including advanced SAS skills
• Knowledge of programming techniques and languages used in relational databases, including SQL
• Experience in developing tools in business intelligence software, including PowerBI
• Experience in identifying, designing, completing, and reporting research projects using large data sets
• Ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple work streams and projects with minimal supervision
• Knowledge of research methods, principals, and philosophies, and experience with implementing such methods, principals, and philosophies
• Experience with leading a team of researchers and technicians to collaborate in completing a research project
• Ability to set clear expectations and hold others accountable for performance
• A desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback and continuously improve 
• Ability to engage in a collaborative, results-oriented team environment 

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please add "capps.recruiting@cpa.texas.gov" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.