Lead Data Analyst - Craft Education

Western Governors University•Nashville, TN

14d•$91,000 - $136,400•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Data Analyst for Craft Education extracts, processes, analyzes, and reports data to produce rigorous, actionable insights and research. The role builds and maintains strong relationships across IAR, Data Engineering, Product Management, Finance, EdTech, and faculty teams. It conducts ad hoc analyses, develops standard reports and data visualizations, and communicates insights through data storytelling that helps shorten time to action. The position is expected to work in Craft’s office in downtown Nashville. The analyst leads complex analytical work with a student- and equity-centered lens, translates user stories into technical requirements, identifies data sources, and partners on data pipelines, quality, visualization standards, and data management platforms. The role also supports project planning, strategic planning, operational excellence, responsible data practices, and the development of other team members. Occasional travel of up to 20% is required, including attendance at designated company summits, typically one to two per year. This is a full-time, regular position classified for 40 standard weekly hours. The position is eligible for bonuses and the benefits listed in the posting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of training, experience, credentials, or accomplishments demonstrating ability to perform the essential functions.
Seven years of related experience in Data Analysis, Business Intelligence, Data Science, Statistics, Decision Intelligence, Research, Learning Science, or Behavioral/Cognitive Psychology.
Advanced SQL proficiency, including queries and subqueries, creating and modifying views, joins, filtering, sorting, aggregation, window functions, common table expressions, and performance tuning.
High proficiency and experience with Tableau and Power BI for clear data presentation using charts, graphs, and maps.
Strong ability to interpret and design data models describing relationships between data and the real-world entities they represent; extensive experience with conceptual and logical modeling, dimensional models, star and snowflake schemas, and slowly changing dimensions.
Familiarity with project management methodologies and frameworks such as Waterfall, Agile, and SDLC.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel knowledge.
Proficiency with flowcharting and diagramming tools such as Miro, Visio, Lucidchart, or similar applications.
Familiarity with relevant organizational KPIs, their drivers, and active participation in defining and tracking them.
Sound judgment, systems thinking, and analytical skills to assess risks, perform root-cause analyses, make recommendations, and drive cross-functional decisions.
Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, reliability, self-direction, and bias for action, managing competing activities with minimal supervision.
Ability to travel occasionally, up to 20%, including designated company summits and other business-related travel as needed.

Responsibilities

Drive documentation of data, analytics, and research needs for highly complex projects, applying a student- and equity-centered lens and collaborating with peers, cross-functional partners, faculty staff, and leaders.
Lead the translation of user stories into technical requirements.
Establish trust and strong relationships with cross-functional partners and senior stakeholders.
Answer complex business questions requiring extensive knowledge of data assets across multiple domains and departments.
Identify suitable data sources and datasets to evaluate hypotheses and produce forecasts.
Collaborate with Data Engineering on complex ETL/ELT processes and data pipelines.
Identify, investigate, and solve complex data issues to improve data accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, and validity.
Collaborate with Data Engineering and other data and analytics partners to define standards and practices that improve data quality.
Combine data analysis, visualization, and narrative to communicate information compellingly and prompt deliberate action.
Participate in defining data visualization standards and best practices and promote their adoption.
Communicate effectively with peers, partners, and senior leaders in verbal and written formats, including email, presentations, meetings, and workshops.
Create and organize information about processes, projects, operations, data assets, and analytical and research insights in accessible ways that improve organizational knowledge and efficiency.
Write and interpret technical documentation, including entity-relationship and conceptual, logical, and physical data models.
Contribute to data management platforms such as data dictionaries and catalogs.
Support the development of other team members through constructive feedback and sharing technical and institutional knowledge.
Drive tasks, activities, and medium-scale projects autonomously and collaboratively; track progress, dependencies, and challenges; break complex goals into concrete tasks; and support project planning.
Develop skills and knowledge through ongoing learning, keep abreast of developments in the field, and help deploy innovative approaches.
Support leadership in strategic planning and contribute to departmental operational excellence.
Follow policies and methods for accessing, using, transforming, storing, and deleting data responsibly, securely, and compliantly.
Identify data security risks and take appropriate mitigation actions.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.