Data Analyst

Job Information

Overall Purpose

Reporting to the Manager of Business Performance, the Data Analyst is responsible for providing support and analytic advice to Senior Leadership including supporting projects that will enhance the use of data, involving complex analysis and research.  

• Supports the development of the organization’s data strategy, including the data collection and analysis framework.
• Proactively identify analytical opportunities and provide recommendations that improve all elements of the data analysis process and increase analytical capacity throughout the organization. 
• Leverage advanced analytical techniques to conduct business analysis and identify meaningful insights, interpreting data and turning it into knowledge that informs tactical and strategic business decisions including analysis of current projects, programs, and policies. 
• Provides analytical leadership and expertise.
• Maintains technical expertise through ongoing research of innovative practices and engaging with professional networks and professional associations. 

This work seeks to improve the outcomes of enhancing public trust, duty of care internally and externally and to further evolve aspects of Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) by adopting and including community co-design/co-production.
 

Major Responsibilities

Supports the development of the organization’s data strategy, including the data collection and analysis framework.

• Provides recommendations to develop or enhance systems of data collection.
• Provides statistical expertise, determining the validity of data, constructing meaningful indices, and determining the limitations of data.
• Establishes standards and guidelines for data collection, modeling, and analysis to ensure consistency and accuracy. 
• Facilitates meetings with internal and external clients to help define analytical opportunities, provide expertise in data collection methods, and make recommendations on solutions.

Proactively identify analytical opportunities and provide recommendations that improve all elements of the data analysis process and increase analytical capacity throughout the organization. 
 

Major Responsibilities (continued)

Leverage advanced analytical techniques to conduct business analysis and identify meaningful insights, interpreting data and turning it into knowledge that informs tactical and strategic business decisions including analysis of current projects, programs, and policies. 

• Identifies and documents analytics needs, records requirements, provides data insights to support narrative, and develops project plans that incorporate agile delivery practices.
• Leverages advanced analytical techniques to conduct analysis and produce reports for the provision of human rights and equity analyses for senior management and the community.
• Measures the effectiveness of initiatives and programs, identifies trends, emerging issues, and implications, and builds baselines against which future metrics can be measured.
• Applies a user-centred development approach to build reports and dashboards employing best-practices. 
• Presents reports, results of analyses, and recommends data collection and analytic strategies to help advance equity in the workplace and in the community through police policies, procedures, and practices. 
• Expand community access to open data to increase transparency, build trust, foster innovation, and enable co-design/ co-production of improved community safety and well-being outcomes. 
• Liaise with related statistical agencies to ensure adherence with data analysis standards and benchmark results.
   

Major Responsibilities (continued)

Provides analytical leadership:

• Establishes collaborative working relationships with stakeholders/partners (Incl. the community) and acts as a change agent helping to building a continuous improvement culture.
• Contributes as a subject matter expert on data analytics projects and represents the Unit / Police Service in this capacity on committees, task forces, working groups, meetings, as assigned. 
• Responds to routine and non-routine inquiries or requests for information from outside agencies and partners, municipalities, vendors and/or members of the public, escalating issues where appropriate. 
• Provides supervision, guidance, and mentoring to Analysts, researchers, and others in the organization on equity, inclusion, and human rights data collection and analysis.  
• Remains current with local, provincial, and national and international legislative changes or emerging good practices that impact or influence the provision of data equity or social identity data collection or analysis. 
• Research innovative practices relating to data collection, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
   

Statement of Required Qualifications

Education 

• Successful completion of a four (4) year degree in Applied Statistics, Data Science, Social Sciences, Criminology, or a related discipline with a focus on equity, human rights, or social justice.
• Experience and formal training combined may substitute for stipulated education requirements.

Experience
Minimum three (3) years' experience in data analysis, statistical and predictive modelling, applying a wide range of analytical techniques, exploratory data analysis or data mining processes including:

• Developing and implementing quantitative and qualitative research frameworks and methodologies for large-scale projects.
• Presenting data and data interpretations and insights to non-technical audiences in a clear and compelling way, using graphical representations and data visualizations.
• Developing KPIs and reports from concept, development, deployment, and reporting, to metric ownership.
• Operational research and program evaluations experience including statistical analysis which includes forecasting trends, identifying emerging issues, and applying critical thinking skills. 
• Project management experience which demonstrates the ability to foresee challenges, risks and opportunities concerning socio-demographic data collection in a policing context, lead and organize projects, troubleshoot, and solve problems creatively. 
• Experience with statistical and research software (ideally SPSS or R) and data visualization tools (PowerBI).

Language

• English – fluency in oral, reading, and writing.
   

Certifications and Licences

N / A

In service Training

The following mandatory training and education is provided to all civilian employees of the OPS:

• Occupational Health & Safety. 
• Respectful Workplace. 
• Harassment & Violence in the Workplace.
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI).
   

Job Knowledge

General knowledge of the Organization’s Mission, Vision and Values.
Strong knowledge of data and statistical methods, tools, and operationalizing analytic models.
Advanced knowledge, skills, and proficiency in

• Virtual platforms, MS Office Suite, and databases, including the use of virtual platforms for conducting meetings and/or presentations.
• Relational data models and creating complex queries to transform data using PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL, Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server BI, Python.

A demonstrated high level of initiative and the ability to be self-directed in applying problem solving and critical thinking, including a strong attention to detail.
Strong political acuity to make recommendations to senior leadership, build consensus amongst stakeholders and provide appropriate and recommendations to resolve conflict.
 

OPS Competencies

Hours of Work

Effort and Working Conditions

• Works independently and as a team, under the general direction of the Manager, Business Performance. 
• Work is performed in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Anti-Racism Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Employment Standards Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act, Police Services Act and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
• Subject to periods of prolonged sitting, visual and mental concentration when reading volumes of material, inputting data and when proofreading or preparing reports, presentation, or training materials; may be subjected to periods of intense concentration when analyzing metrics to make strategic recommendations.
• Utilizes advanced analytical skills to research, plan and resolve technological problems associated with capturing data, using integrated computerized databases and police systems.
• Organizes own assignments to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner, while performing daily activities.
• Closely collaborates business lines to coordinate and monitor the efficient capturing of data for research, analysis, surveys, academic partnerships, data governance and business intelligence.
   

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working on projects in a large health or public safety organization is preferred.
• Experience with law enforcement/policing/criminal justice system.
• Experience with geospatial analysis using the ArcGIS platform., including web-based development tools such as, ESRI ArcGIS Online, ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise.