Strategic Leader of Data, Research, and Policy
Reporting to: VP of Innovations and Development

About Us:

Think Small, Minnesota’s leader in early learning, is dedicated to advancing early childhood care and education. We have worked for 50 years to support the full potential for every child and have committed to championing policies and practices of equity that empower a just, inclusive and equitable care and education system for children in their crucial early years. The quality of a child's early experiences greatly influences his or her success later in life and that there is much that can be done to improve the quality of early childhood settings to optimize a child's development.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly skilled Strategic Leader of Data, Research, and Policy to join our team. This individual will play a critical role in developing and implementing data processes and initiatives, conducting research, and reshaping policy to support our organization's mission and goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement agency-wide data processes and initiatives to meet organizational needs and program requirements.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships and collaborations to achieve business goals and enhance the impact of our programs.
• Conduct research to better understand market trends, customer needs, and policy implications.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of agency initiatives, recommend continuous improvement strategies, and build strong relationships.
• Lead the dissemination of data and research findings through public channels in partnership with the marketing team.
• Produce accurate and user-friendly reports, charts, and graphs that adhere to agency and contract guidelines.
• Clean, format, transform, load, and analyze large datasets according to reporting guidelines.
• Prepare and communicate reports and summaries to internal and external audiences.
• Coordinate with the data team to design, maintain, and enhance internal databases.
• Collaborate with IT to set up and test new software, databases, and data handling systems.
• Ensure the confidentiality of sensitive data at all times.
• Mentor and develop staff, oversee contracts, projects, and provide performance feedback.
• Maintain a workplace culture aligned with Think Small's mission and values.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with strong data analysis skills required; Master's degree preferred.
• 3 years' experience supervising data professionals and 7 years in business intelligence or data reporting.
• Experience developing data dashboards and writing clear, concise reports.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Policy experience and nonprofit experience preferred.
• Competency in required computer programs.

Benefits:

• Hybrid work schedule with a mix of on-site and remote days.
• Comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life, vision, pet, critical illness, and long-term care insurance.
• Medical and dependent care flex spending accounts, Health Savings Account (HSA), legal and ID protection plans.
• Pre-tax and ROTH 401k with employer match.
• Generous paid time off: 23 days of sick/vacation time earned the first year, eight scheduled holidays, and five floating holidays.
• Six weeks paid parental leave.

Join us in our mission to make a difference in the community through effective financial stewardship. If you have a passion for non-profit finance and a desire to drive organizational success, we encourage you to apply.

Think Small is an Equal Opportunity Employer.