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Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 44,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.  In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.  Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Internal Audit and Advisory (IAAS) provides assurance and advisory services through independent and objective reviews to continuously improve systems and processes across the district that better prepare every child for success in college, career, and civic life.

Job Summary: 

Reporting to the IT Audit Manager, the Data Strategist is responsible for developing, executing, and maintaining the data analytics frameworks and its activities in compliance with applicable audit standards, regulations, governmental requirements, and policies consistent with CPS’ strategic and operational objectives, mission and vision. The Data Strategist plays an integral role in partnering with audit staff in using data analytics to identify material risks and underlying process deficiencies. This coordination will require collaboration with all IAAS tracks, including but not limited to: School Audits, Core Functions/Operational Audits, and Enterprise Risk Management.  

The Data Strategist is responsible for a disciplined approach to decision-making that is risk-based, data-driven, and agile to shifting demands and expectations of CPS’ obligations, knowledge, skills, and experience necessary in the performance of internal audit services. 

The Data Strategist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

•  Develop, execute, and maintain IAAS data analytics framework and its activities.
• Proactively identify data analysis as well as maintain existing data analytics projects that can be used by the internal audit team in making strategic, informed decisions. Specifically, to support planning and scoping of audits and risk assessments as well as continuous auditing and monitoring.
• Demonstrate a practical understanding of data analysis concepts, basic programming techniques, and complex and diverse technology to deliver analysis and reports. Provide technical expertise on data extraction, data cleansing, data mining, and analysis.
• Build relationships with business partners across the organization for data gathering, data initiative, and data governance purposes to provide quality service to stakeholders, which includes obtaining and demonstrating a strong understanding of the business process and associated data.
• Perform data validation to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the data extracted and maintain the integrity of the extracted data.
• Develop new and conduct existing training on a regular basis to encourage and facilitate the widespread use of analytics within the internal audit team.
• Coordinate and communicate effectively with internal auditors, CPS management, and other key stakeholders, as necessary, to meet objectives, and with the support of the Internal Audit Leadership, engage in special projects, critical process reviews, and investigations as necessary.
• Serve as the resident expert and liaison to all others serving in data analytics (DA) functions. 
• Maintain knowledge of best practices by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, performing benchmarking, maintaining networks, and participating in professional organizations.

• Perform internal audits as part of a team. 

• Contribute on audit engagements to effectively plan and scope all audit and risk management engagements with data analytic considerations, providing data expertise and insights.
• Communicate effectively with various stakeholders to present data analytic results, observations and recommendations, as well as understand business processes, technology, and data to support audit scope and objectives.
• Design, test, and deliver useful data insights (i.e., trends, patterns, outliers) to support the development of the scope and objectives and to identify risk and control weaknesses.
• Perform information technology audits in evaluating information technology infrastructure, applications, data use and management, technology assets, policies, procedures, and operational processes against recognized standards, established policies and/or industry best practices.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Data Strategist must possess the following qualifications: 

Education Required: 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance/Business Administration, Computer Science, MIS, or other relevant field.
• Relevant certification is preferred (e.g., CPA, CFE, CIA, CISA, CISM, data analytics, or programming).

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience as a data analyst or data strategist
• A minimum of three (3) years of data analysis is required.
• Experience performing analysis on large data sets with emphasis on audit projects (including data extraction, data mining, test data creation, data validation, data manipulation, profiling, and visualization). 

• Experience using data sources, i.e. Oracle and MS SQL (or a comparable audit tool).

• Auditing experience is highly preferred.  
• Experience using Alteryx business intelligence tool is preferred. 
• Experience with one or more data visualization tools is preferred. 
• Experience in education and public sector is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to understand complex and diverse technology infrastructure as it relates to data flows and business processes.
• Strong analytic, data management skills, and problem-solving skills including the ability to combine complex datasets, identify and conduct appropriate analyses.
• A wide knowledge and understanding of data collection methodologies, analysis, principles, and techniques.
• Effective communication, leadership, and time management skills with the ability to act autonomously while being a team player. Ability to communicate data and methodological details clearly and accurately to non-technical audiences.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Able to act independently and be self-motivated. 
• Broad business acumen – ability to engage in a wide variety of business discussions and quickly learn new and/or complex concepts.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency- Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19- Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.