Data Visualization and Analytics Specialist

Data Visualization and Analytics Specialist

Position Details:

Position Type:

Full Time, Exempt

Grant Funded Position

Contract period: December 2025 – December 2027

Reports To:

Director, Data Science and Analytics

Work Location:

Silver Spring, MD (Hybrid)

Mobile First Work Policy: Fully remote

Level of Travel Required:

Occasional travel per department and organizational needs

Job Overview:

The Research and Assessment team at Achieving the Dream plays a critical role in advancing a culture of evidence and driving data-informed decision-making across the organization. The team tracks ATD's impact over time, evaluating the effectiveness of our existing services and providing results to inform decision making. The team also ensures that assessments being used by the program teams are aligned and implemented with fidelity. In some cases, the team also provides reports for Network colleges. The team supports ATD learning events and at times contributes to data coaching for colleges with specific needs. While each member of the research and assessment team has areas of the work they are primarily responsible for, this is a highly collaborative team. All team members are expected to contribute to the team reaching goals and making deadlines.

The Data Visualization and Analytics Specialist plays a critical role in transforming Achieving the Dream's (ATD) data systems into a modern, automated, and self-service analytics environment. This position will design, build, and maintain dynamic, interactive dashboards and reporting tools that make data more accessible and actionable for both internal teams and ATD Network colleges. This role will also help advance ATD's use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications, to enhance analytics, automate insights, and make data visualizations more dynamic and adaptive over time.

Reporting to the Director of Data Science and Analytics, this position will focus on automating manual data processes—currently managed through static flat files, PDFs, and Excel workbooks—into interactive visualizations and dashboards using tools such as Tableau or Power BI.

The role also supports the design and development of ATD's future data warehouse or data lakehouse, ensuring efficient data integration, automation, and scalability. Working closely with the IT department, this position will serve as a technical bridge between data infrastructure, applied research, and programmatic reporting needs across the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Data Visualization and Reporting:

• Design, build, and maintain interactive dashboards and reports in Tableau or Power BI, transforming static flat files and PDFs into dynamic, user-friendly tools.
• Convert and update existing reports and templates (e.g., Community Vibrancy workbook, Data Templates, Awards and Designations files, State of the Network Workbook, Annual reflection) into automated, interactive visualizations.
• Develop new visualization tools and dashboards to track institutional key performance indicators (KPIs) across ATD's network.
• Ensure all dashboards follow consistent design standards, accessibility principles, and data governance guidelines.
• Collaborate with the Research and Assessment team to identify opportunities for data storytelling and enhanced communication of results.
• Develop clear documentation ensuring data governance procedures are followed.
• Integrate AI-enabled features and advanced analytics techniques to evolve ATD's static data books and dashboards into dynamic, interactive decision-support tools.

Automation and Data Infrastructure:

• Automate existing manual reporting processes to improve efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Partner with the Director of Data Science and Analytics and the IT department to support the design and development of ATD's data warehouse, SQL data service, or data Lakehouse environment.
• Collaborate with ATD's IT team to build sustainable data infrastructure that supports long-term research, assessment, and advanced analytics needs, including automation, AI model integration, and scalable reporting systems.
• Streamline data ingestion, transformation, and integration pipelines across multiple sources (internal databases, survey tools, flat files, etc.).
• Implement automation scripts and ETL processes to reduce redundant workflows and accelerate reporting cycles.
• Promote a self-service analytics model, empowering staff and partner institutions to independently access and interact with curated data dashboards and reports.

Collaboration and Capacity Building

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Research, Programs, Network, and External Affairs) to identify visualization and reporting needs.
• Translate analytical and programmatic requirements into intuitive visual dashboards that inform decision-making.
• Provide training and documentation to help staff and institutional partners use dashboards effectively.
• Ensure alignment between data visualization efforts and ATD's broader research and data strategies.

Skills/Qualifications/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in data science, computer science, statistics, information systems, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• 3–5 years of experience in data visualization, analytics engineering, or business intelligence development.
• Knowledge of IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse reporting, Publicly Available Data such as ACS, PSEO, ALICE, etc.
• Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Tableau and/or Power BI.
• Strong programming and automation skills in SQL, Python, or R for data manipulation and integration.
• Experience with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning concepts, including predictive analytics, natural language processing, or automated insights tools, preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex data sets into clear, engaging, and actionable visual stories.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Experience with ETL pipelines, data modeling, and database design, with familiarity in modern data warehouse architectures (e.g., SQL Server, Snowflake, Databricks, or equivalent); experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud - strongly preferred.
• Commitment to equity-minded, ethical, and inclusive data practices.

Core Competencies:

Collaboration: Demonstrates respect, humility, and willingness to collaborate when seeking to understand others and making decisions.

Equity Mindset: Demonstrates capacity to recognize and address racialized structures, policies, and practices that produce and sustain racial inequities.

Learning Orientation: Embraces challenges, new ideas and different perspectives as an opportunity to learn; continually seeks out and applies new learning to activate change or improvements.

Systems Thinking: Defines the system and one's role in the system. Sees relationships and the dynamic elements of the holistic system and executes work accordingly. Influences the system and maps connections to ATD's external landscape.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Achieving the Dream is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse work environment.Employment policies and decisions are based upon merit, qualifications, performance, and business needs. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), gender identity or expression, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, legally- protected genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

For best consideration apply by 12/04/2025