Data Analyst

Duties Description

As part of the Research and Data Analysis team, the Data Analyst 2 position will perform data analysis and data management activities to advance BSARR's core mission reporting to the team lead. The BSARR is responsible for leading various agency-wide initiatives to improve health equity, service allocation and service access. BSARR is a fundamental part of our strategic goals of transforming our system through innovation and change.

The Division of Statewide Services has advanced agency-wide equity goals by creating standard service guidance based on valid and reliable assessment data. With these tools now available, BSARR will lead efforts that ensure that our system adheres to service authorization guidance and thus serves as OPWDD's first Utilization Management team. This position will support implementation of standard operating procedures, which will be the mechanism to stem over utilization and promote fairness in service access, goals that are especially important given the workforce crisis.

The Bureau's Research & Data Analysis Team will collaborate across OPWDD to inform data‑driven analysis, modeling, and analytics related to OPWDD service authorization and service utilization. Specifically, this role will support the Research and Data Analytics lead in reviewing OPWDD supports/services, analyzing data trends pertaining to service allocation and access, and informing decision making related to the care coordination processes for our OPWDD service system of nearly 140,000 individuals.

The position will provide oversight and monitoring of data quality improvement and focus on topics identified as priorities by OPWDD leadership. This information will be leveraged to help the agency identify areas where the service spectrum does not meet the needs of the people, where there may be access issues, and where there may be inequity issues.

• Gather and integrate data from multiple sources (OPWDD and Medicaid systems) to support BSARR reviews, planning, research, and operations.
• Clean, standardize, and merge large complex datasets for statistical analysis to identify service allocation gaps and equity concerns.
• Perform data quality checks, audits, and validations to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and integrity.
• Create and maintain data dictionaries, data flow diagrams, and data standards.
• Develop and maintain datasets, including data gathering, organization, and standardization, integrating data for reporting, research, and presentation purposes.
• Conduct descriptive and inferential analyses to evaluate service patterns and outcomes, and program effectiveness to ensure individuals receive services consistent with their needs and strengths.
• Design and develop dashboards, standard and ad‑hoc reports, and visualizations that identify trends, patterns, and insights to support OPWDD leadership in making informed decisions.
• Support preparation of high‑level reports, policy briefs, and infographics for OPWDD leadership use and public dissemination.
• Develop datasets and analytic tools that identify and track trends such as under‑utilization, over‑utilization, denials, and regional differences.
• Use data to monitor compliance with standards and identify quality risks.
• Utilize data analysis software and tools (e.g., SQL, SAS, SPSS, R, Python, Tableau) to support data analysis and reporting needs.
• Apply strong knowledge of relational databases, data modeling, and analytic best practices.

Telecommuting is permitted and details will be discussed at interview.

• Experience in creating reports and visualizations to interpret and communicate findings, such as identifying patterns, trends, and insights.
• Experience in developing predictive models to forecast research trends and outcomes.
• Expertise in creating and utilizing large complex data sets and data analysis tools within Tableau.
• Strong experience in data analysis and data validation using tools such as SAS, SPSS, SQL, Python, R or other statistical languages.
• Experience addressing programmatic improvements and developing corrective action plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

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