Data Analyst

SAFER Foundation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 56,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

SAFER Foundation seeks a Data Analyst to support the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC) implementation and grant reporting for justice-impacted adults reentering the community.

The role builds and maintains data collection workflows, ensures accurate program documentation, and helps prepare reporting as the program shifts from manual tracking to EHR-based data capture. Collaboration with program and clinical staff is essential to ensure complete and accurate data capture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant field.
• 1–3 years of experience in data collection, reporting, research support, or nonprofit program data preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and data tools; ability to create data collection tools and templates.
• Ability to translate data into actionable information for program leadership and grant reporting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and confidentiality handling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain program data collection tools and reporting templates.
• Collect, organize, clean, and validate client-level and service-level data from multiple sources.
• Assist with transition from manual tracking to EHR-based reporting.
• Collaborate with program and clinical staff to ensure data quality and consistency.
• Prepare recurring HC-MHC grant reports and support data extraction for grants.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Data collection & reporting

Attention to detail

Data visualization

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Behavioral Science, Healthcare Administration, Health Informatics, Statistics, Research Methods, or related field

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

REDCap

Microsoft Forms

Qualtrics

Job description

The Data Analyst role at SAFER Foundation supports the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC) implementation and grant reporting for justice-impacted adults returning to the community. The position builds and maintains practical data collection workflows, ensures accurate program documentation, and helps prepare reporting as the program transitions from manual tracking to EHR-based data capture.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain program data collection tools, including tracking spreadsheets, data logs, and reporting templates.
• Collect, organize, clean, and validate client-level and service-level data from multiple sources.
• Support manual data gathering during early implementation while preparing for transition to EHR-based reporting.
• Maintain documentation of data definitions, reporting fields, and data collection procedures.
• Partner with program and clinical staff to ensure required information is collected consistently and accurately.
• Identify missing, incomplete, or inconsistent data and follow up with appropriate staff to resolve issues.
• Assist with transition efforts from manual tracking to EHR-based data capture and reporting.
• Collaborate with behavioral health leadership and clinical staff to support accurate documentation workflows.
• Help test, review, and validate EHR reports against manual tracking records during implementation.
• Support grant-related data extraction, formatting, and submission processes as required.
• Identify practical approaches to reduce duplicate data entry and improve reporting consistency.
• Prepare recurring HC-MHC grant reports, including monthly client-level and service delivery reporting.
• Support submission of required data by grant deadlines.
• Track program outputs such as enrollment, screenings, assessments, referrals, service delivery, follow-up contacts, and participation in behavioral health services.
• Assist in preparing summaries for internal leadership, funders, and partner meetings.
• Maintain organized records to support grant compliance, reporting, and documentation requirements.
• Analyze program data to identify trends in service utilization, referral patterns, client engagement, and service access.
• Create clear tables, charts, dashboards, and written summaries for program leadership and staff.
• Translate data into actionable findings for program management and grant reporting.
• Support analysis of participant surveys, screenings, and service outcomes when available.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative information into usable reports.
• Participate in program meetings related to reporting, implementation, and data collection.
• Communicate data needs clearly to staff without technical backgrounds and provide practical support for data entry and submission.
• Maintain professionalism and confidentiality when handling sensitive client and program data.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to convert raw data into clear, useful information.
• Ability to work with imperfect or evolving data systems during early implementation.
• Ability to build practical tracking tools while formal systems are still being developed.
• Strong organizational skills and comfort maintaining multiple data sources.
• Effective communication with clinical, program, and administrative staff.
• Ability to protect confidentiality and handle sensitive client information appropriately.
• Comfort working in a developing program environment where processes may change over time.
• Commitment to health equity and culturally responsive services.
• Interest in supporting behavioral health access for justice-impacted individuals.
• Hands-on experience and self-sufficiency with Microsoft productivity tools, including Outlook (email), Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and online collaboration tools (video conferencing, Zoom/Teams, messaging).
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to participate in meetings with program, clinical, and administrative staff.
• Ability to meet recurring reporting deadlines.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Strong attention to detail, including the ability to identify inconsistencies in data.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and work independently.
• Interest in behavioral health, healthcare access, public health, reentry, or human services.
• Bachelor’s degree in one of: Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Behavioral Science, Healthcare Administration, Health Informatics, Statistics, Research Methods, or a related field.
• One to three years of experience with data collection, reporting, research support, program evaluation, healthcare analytics, behavioral health data, or nonprofit program data preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree, graduate coursework, or current graduate study in Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, Health Services Research, Epidemiology, Behavioral Science, or a related field.
• Experience working with behavioral health, healthcare, Medicaid, social services, or justice-involved populations.
• Familiarity with Electronic Health Records or healthcare documentation systems.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, REDCap, Microsoft Forms, Qualtrics, or similar tools.
• Experience preparing reports for grants, government programs, or nonprofit leadership.
• Familiarity with mental health screening tools, service utilization data, or client outcome tracking.
• Experience working in a community-based nonprofit or healthcare setting.

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Work Location and Schedule

• Location: Chicago, IL (onsite)
• Hybrid or on-site expectations: to be determined by program leadership

Compensation

USD 62,200 per year

Tools and Technologies

• Outlook
• Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel
• Video conferencing
• Zoom
• Teams
• EHR
• REDCap
• Power BI
• Tableau
• Microsoft Forms
• Survey tools
• Qualtrics

General Summary

• This position is grant-funded.
• This position is subject to a background check.
• Reporting to the AVP of Behavioral Health Services, this full-time role supports HC-MHC implementation and reporting.
• During early implementation, the program may rely on manual data collection processes while transitioning toward Electronic Health Record (EHR)-based reporting.