Data and Research Analyst

Position Title: Data and Research Analyst

Department: Community Affairs

Join our Team! At IHDA we strive to create and maintain a work environment that promotes diversity, recognition and inclusion. IHDA is committed to hiring and investing in individuals of diverse talents and backgrounds to ensure a range of perspectives and experiences inform and guide our work of financing affordable housing in the state of Illinois.

Who we are: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is one of the Nation’s preeminent Housing Finance Agencies and one of the State’s ten largest financial institutions. Our mission is to finance the creation and preservation of affordable housing across the state. IHDA oversees more than 20 federal and state programs on behalf of the state of Illinois and serves as one of the state’s primary resources for housing policy and program administration. For over 50 years, IHDA has led the state in financing and supporting affordable housing.

Summary: The Community Affairs Department manages a portfolio of programs that help build financially stable households and communities. The team works with external partners including units of local governments, HUD-certified housing counseling agencies, land banks, community action agencies, and regional planning commissions. Staff also collaborate across IHDA to help design new program initiatives.

Provide support and expertise for both current and future Community Affairs Department programs. Key responsibilities include collecting, analyzing, and managing program data over time, and designing databases. Additional responsibilities include preparing program reports, collaborating with supervisors on department projects, researching best practices, and planning for future needs. Consistently provide program support with skill, initiative, reliability, and a proactive mindset.

Essential Functions:

• Provide well supported, quality focused, and data driven constructive feedback on procedural improvements, to increase the efficiency of department and program operations for both Community Affairs and its program partners. Ensure all recommendations comply strictly with established program policies and procedures.
• Work with program teams to establish clear ways to measure how programs are performing and their impact. Create plans and processes to help the department identify areas for improvement. This includes making dashboards, infographics, reports, and newsletter content. Take part in designing programs to ensure all necessary data is collected in the correct format for reports.
• Analyze programmatic data and records to generate charts, tables, graphs, maps, presentations, and other visualizations or analyses required by the department.
• Utilize programs within various Authority databases, including Power BI and Monday.com, to produce statistical reports and data analyses, both routine and ad hoc, for use by other IHDA departments.
• Serve as a liaison between Community Affairs and Information Technology (IT) for the department’s grant management system and other databases. Assist with research and provide recommendations regarding future software applications as needed.
• Provide ongoing technical assistance to the department for Monday.com. and other Authority’s system.
• Develop and revise procedures and processes in collaboration with staff as needed. Responsibilities include creating and maintaining how-to guides, process documentation, and tutorials, using established documentation templates and adhering to departmental style guides to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Remain informed about current research and developments in housing and community development. Ensure program teams are aware of relevant research and utilize this information to inform program and application design decisions.
• Conduct research and prepare analyses for special topic projects directed by supervisory staff.
• Additional duties as assigned.
  
  
  

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred, with a relevant major or at least four years of equivalent experience in urban planning, data analysis, public policy, or comparable training, education, and experience.
• Demonstrated exceptional research, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Advanced presentation capabilities are essential.
• Strong organizational skills, efficiency, self-motivation, attention to detail, and a proactive attitude toward learning expected.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat Pro required.
• Ability to work independently and meet time-sensitive project deadlines.
  
  
  

Physical Requirements: Alternating between sitting, standing, and walking. Ascending and descending stairs. Crouching and stooping. Pushing and pulling. Reaching overhead or below. Repetitive task movements (filing, keyboarding, copying). Lifting, carrying, and moving objects of up to 10 -15 pounds.

What we Offer:

• Paid time off, plus paid holidays
• Currently in a hybrid work arrangement, but candidates must reside in Illinois at time of hire
• Medical/dental/vision/life insurance plans
• Short/long term disability
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flex spending
• 401K plan – immediate vesting
• IHDA employees may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs
• Salary range: $60,088.93 - $75,111.16
  
  
  

Must be a resident of Illinois or willing to relocate. Flexible scheduling is available, upon completion of a six-month probationary period.

EOE