Lead Data Analyst

Job Title
Lead Data Analyst

Agency
Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Department
Dallas

Proposed Minimum Salary
Commensurate

Job Location
Dallas, Texas

Job Type
Staff

Job Description

About Texas A&M Agri Life

Texas A&M Agri Life is comprised of the following Texas A&M University System members:

• Texas A&M Agri Life Extension Service
• Texas A&M Agri Life Research
• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University
• Texas A&M Forest Service
• Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

As the nation's largest most comprehensive agriculture program, Texas A&M Agri Life brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With over 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M Agri Life is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service.

Click here to learn more about joining Agri Life!

Position Information

Job Summary:

The Lead Data Analyst, under general direction, serves as a technical lead on complex data projects. Provides technical oversight for the application of and compliance with technical standards. Completes reports and summaries for management and users including project status reports, problem reports, and progress summaries.

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for data analysis activities across a portfolio of public health and nutrition research projects, ensuring alignment with organizational and research goals.
• Supervise, mentor, and support data analysts and junior statisticians; delegate tasks, facilitate professional development, and provide technical guidance and quality assurance.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and continual optimization of data analysis workflows, ensuring best practices are established and maintained across projects.
• Review and document data structures to support both current and future research objectives at the program and institutional level.
• Lead the development and application of advanced statistical models and methodologies, including but not limited to: multilevel modeling, mixed models for clustered randomized trials, longitudinal data analysis, and other advanced statistical techniques for complex datasets.
• Oversee the design and execution of statistical analysis plans, including power and sample size calculations, for diverse study designs (e.g., randomized controlled trials, community-randomized trials, longitudinal cohorts) and ensure these meet funding requirements and research objectives.
• Supervise the establishment, maintenance, and improvement of data collection systems; direct data collection and quality assurance activities, including programming forms, monitoring data integrity, and developing data cleaning procedures.
• Coordinate acquisition, cleaning, merging, and management of data from multiple secondary sources (local, state, and national databases) and ensure robust data governance and compliance with relevant privacy and security policies.
• Develop quality control assessments to identify and resolve data issues, implement process improvements, and train team members on best practices in data management and cleaning.
• Oversee and ensure the quality of documentation for data workflows, cleaning, and analysis procedures, and ensure reproducibility and transparency across all stages of the analytic process.
• Prepare or review reports, manuscripts, presentations, and visualizations of analytic findings for internal and external use; ensure clarity, accuracy, and suitability for various audiences.
• Collaborate with principal investigators, multidisciplinary research teams, and external partners (including funding agencies and data stewards) to interpret findings, advise on data strategy, and translate results into actionable insights.
• Lead the development of statistical and analytic sections of grant proposals, supporting funding initiatives and program growth.
• Participate in strategic planning for the data analytics function and represent the data analysis team in broader organizational initiatives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, nutrition, statistics, clinical research) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 6 years of professional experience in data collection and analysis, including direct experience with statistical modeling and management of research datasets.
• Proficiency in statistical programming languages (e.g., R, SPSS, Stata, SAS), data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and database applications.
• Demonstrated experience leading the preparation of research manuscripts and securing grant funding.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to effectively communicate with faculty and staff.
• Detail oriented and ability to organize tasks and prioritize work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to multi-task…