Job description

At Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), our mission is to improve the welfare of the county’s most vulnerable residents. We operate, influence, and fund over $1 billion in essential services for more than 200,000 clients each year, including services for mental health and substance use disorders, housing and homelessness prevention, and child and older adult protective services. Over the past 20 years, we have built a national reputation for being on the cutting edge of state and local governments delivering more effective and efficient public services. We believe there remain significant opportunities for data to improve our clients’ lives. The Senior analyst/Manager of the Area Agency on Aging’s (AAA) Business Operations is responsible for tackling technically demanding, high-ambiguity, and high-impact empirical analyses that yield material improvements in performance for publicly funded aging services and client outcomes. They collaborate with dedicated teams, external research partners, and other County departments, to ground operational complexities in real-world data, and identify and implement high-impact operational changes and new services to better meet the diverse needs of the community through careful analysis of DHS’s unique data assets. The position manages AAA’s business office and works with AAA business operations staff to connect financial strategy and daily program execution, focusing on budgeting, long-term forecasting, unit data systems management, and cross-functional enterprise governance. If hired for this position, you would be an employee of our partner agency, Community Family Advocates working onsite at Allegheny County DHS. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Provides strategic leadership for automating, optimizing, and reporting fiscal data processes, including long term financial forecasting, scenario modelling, and annual budget development in collaboration with Fiscal leadership. Manages the aging business operations, ensuring strong subject matter expertise in aging fiscal data, core business processes, data warehouse operations, and the integration of contract and provider-initiated changes into core systems. Oversee enterprise fiscal governance through quarterly program budget reviews, evaluation of fiscal and client impacts, monitoring of state and federal funds, and participation in financial update meetings. Drive cross-functional initiatives with DHS fiscal team, AAA business unit team, AAA leadership, and providers to provide clear and timely budgetary decisions. Thinks beyond individual analyses to automation and DHS-wide impact. You search for opportunities to scale impact and influence. Leads the most complex and difficult analytics tasks within the team and delivers results consistently. Shows an ability to shape and succeed with ambiguous problems. Identifies key opportunities to improve client outcomes and operations with data. You demonstrate curiosity and a resourcefulness of maximizing the value of the data assets in the department. Sets the standard for rigor and quality of analytics within the team. You are on the frontier of technical and research developments in your field and help to disseminate learnings broadly. Communicates ideas effectively to others within the organization, with partners, and public consumers of the team’s work. Inspires others with their ambition, intellectual curiosity, approach to problem solving, and focus on our clients. Actively mentors more junior members of the team, improving their skills, their knowledge, and their impact on DHS. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Sound understanding of organizational finance and budgeting. Proficient in a statistical programming language such as Python or R and familiarity with a programming language for querying structured data. Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills to both technical and non-technical audiences. Excellent organizational, problem solving and analytical skills. Embraces the DHS mission and guiding principles. Demonstrated interest in public service and research. Ability to sit for long periods (2 plus hours); traverse building carrying up to 10 pounds (files, books, etc.) Consistent access to reliable transportation with the ability to navigate in the community for work related assignments. Familiarity with policy issues and public data (preferred) Prior experience and training in research methods through work experience at a research institution, think tank, evaluation firm, or other research-oriented firm or government agency (preferred) Education/Experience Requirements: Master’s or PhD degree in a quantitative field, with 3 years of work experience in applied analytics preferred -OR- Any equivalent combination of education and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations Act 33, 34 and FBI clearances Why DHS? DHS is diverse, but we strive to be even more inclusive. This includes equity in hiring and advancement, as well as in unleashing the creativity and ideas of staff at every level of DHS. It has strong, assertive leaders. We do not hire yes-people. You can make a big impact here. We stand out as one of the best human services organizations in the country. But we need problem-solvers, innovators, and terrific leaders to make sure we are smart in how we use our funding so that we reach the people who most need our help to make their lives better. “DHS strives to be the kind of place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come to grow and do their best work.” -From the organization’s statement on Equity and Inclusion AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER -M/F/V/D

Requirements

Must-haves

If hired for this position, you would be an employee of our partner agency, Community Family Advocates working onsite at Allegheny County DHS.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee enterprise fiscal governance through quarterly program budget reviews, evaluation of fiscal and client impacts, monitoring of state and federal funds, and participation in financial update meetings.
Drive cross-functional initiatives with DHS fiscal team, AAA business unit team, AAA leadership, and providers to provide clear and timely budgetary decisions.
Thinks beyond individual analyses to automation and DHS-wide impact. You search for opportunities to scale impact and influence.
Leads the most complex and difficult analytics tasks within the team and delivers results consistently.
Shows an ability to shape and succeed with ambiguous problems.
Identifies key opportunities to improve client outcomes and operations with data. You demonstrate curiosity and a resourcefulness of maximizing the value of the data assets in the department.
Sets the standard for rigor and quality of analytics within the team. You are on the frontier of technical and research developments in your field and help to disseminate learnings broadly.
Communicates ideas effectively to others within the organization, with partners, and public consumers of the team’s work.
Inspires others with their ambition, intellectual curiosity, approach to problem solving, and focus on our clients.
Actively mentors more junior members of the team, improving their skills, their knowledge, and their impact on DHS.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Sound understanding of organizational finance and budgeting.
Proficient in a statistical programming language such as Python or R and familiarity with a programming language for querying structured data.
Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Excellent organizational, problem solving and analytical skills.
Embraces the DHS mission and guiding principles.
Demonstrated interest in public service and research.
Ability to sit for long periods (2 plus hours); traverse building carrying up to 10 pounds (files, books, etc.)
Consistent access to reliable transportation with the ability to navigate in the community for work related assignments.

Nice-to-haves

Familiarity with policy issues and public data (preferred)
Prior experience and training in research methods through work experience at a research institution, think tank, evaluation firm, or other research-oriented firm or government agency (preferred)
Master’s or PhD degree in a quantitative field, with 3 years of work experience in applied analytics preferred

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

python

Platform: bamboohr
Effort: medium