Senior Data Analyst

Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois is seeking a Senior Data Analyst to support organizational performance, accountability, and data‑informed decision‑making within the Department.

The role involves supervising Data Analysts, developing data extraction and validation processes, building dashboards, and providing technical guidance to ensure data quality and actionable insights for leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in criminology, public policy, or related social science field.
• 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience involving data analysis, performance measurement, research, program evaluation, business intelligence, statistical analysis, reporting, or closely related analytical work.
• At least 1 year of statistical programming using SPSS, R, or Python, preferably with criminal justice or civil law data.
• 1 year of experience supervising professional staff, leading analytical projects, serving as a technical lead, and providing training/coaching.
• Primary residence in Illinois within 90 days of hire.
• LEADS/CANTS background check and medical/drug screen as part of pre-employment requirements.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the daily work of Data Analysts, prioritizing tasks and providing guidance.
• Train, coach, and develop Data Analysts in data extraction, cleaning, analysis, and reporting.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, consistency, and appropriate methodology in analyses and reports.
• Lead data requests from Department leadership, judiciary, and external partners.
• Translate complex quantitative information into clear tables, charts, and dashboards.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Descriptive statistics

Data quality

Performance measurement

Program evaluation

Data visualization

Interpretation

Communication

Education

Master’s degree in criminology or related field

Tools

SQL

R

Python

SPSS

SAS

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Senior Data Analyst position supports organizational performance, accountability, and data-informed decision-making within the Department.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the daily work of Data Analysts, including assigning and prioritizing tasks, setting expectations and deadlines, reviewing deliverables, and providing ongoing guidance and feedback.
• Train, coach, and develop Data Analysts in data extraction, querying, data cleaning, merging and validation, statistical and quantitative analysis, report development, performance measurement, visualization, and interpretation.
• Review datasets, analyses, reports, dashboards, visualizations, and other work products for accuracy, completeness, consistency, appropriate methodology, and clear interpretation prior to dissemination.
• Establish consistent processes, documentation requirements, and quality standards for departmental data analysis and reporting.
• Build capacity so Data Analysts can independently manage increasingly complex assignments and communicate findings to leadership and stakeholders.
• Provide technical guidance and serve as a resource on appropriate data collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and use of data.
• Promote a culture of data integrity, accountability, continuous learning, and data-informed decision-making.
• Independently collect, extract, clean, organize, transform, merge, validate, and analyze data from department case management systems, relational databases, spreadsheets, reports, and other data sources.
• Independently lead routine, complex, ad hoc, and time-sensitive data requests from Department leadership, the judiciary, OCJ leadership, government partners, service providers, funders, and other authorized stakeholders.
• Select suitable data sources, measures, methodologies, and analytical approaches based on each request’s purpose and scope.
• Conduct descriptive, comparative, trend, outcome, caseload, workload, performance, and other analyses to identify trends, patterns, variations, disparities, anomalies, and areas needing further review.
• Develop recurring and ad hoc reports to support operational management, strategic planning, program evaluation, quality improvement, policy development, budgeting, grants, and executive decision-making.
• Translate complex quantitative information into clear tables, charts, visualizations, dashboards, summaries, presentations, and written narratives for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Interpret findings and develop clear conclusions, recommendations, and actionable information for Department leadership.
• Respond to expedited requests while maintaining accuracy, validation, confidentiality, documentation, and quality standards.
• Communicate data limitations, assumptions, definitions, methodologies, and other factors required for correct interpretation.
• Lead and support development and maintenance of performance measures, indicators, benchmarks, outcome measures, and reporting processes used to monitor operations, service delivery, organizational performance, and youth outcomes.
• Monitor organizational and program performance, identifying significant trends, changes, inconsistencies, or emerging issues requiring leadership attention.
• Partner with leadership and operational staff to define meaningful measures of performance, efficiency, quality, service delivery, and outcomes.
• Lead and support evaluation of departmental programs, initiatives, policies, evidence-based practices, and implementation efforts; assist with interpreting performance information and identifying improvement opportunities.
• Analyze program utilization, referrals, caseloads, supervision practices, services, interventions, and youth outcomes as appropriate.
• Provide data and analysis to support grant applications and reporting, budget development, audits, compliance reviews, strategic priorities, and other departmental requirements.
• Lead efforts to evaluate and improve accuracy, completeness, consistency, reliability, and usability of data maintained within department systems and other data sources.
• Conduct and oversee data-quality reviews, identifying missing, duplicate, inconsistent, inaccurate, or potentially unreliable information.
• Investigate data-quality concerns and work with operational staff, OCJ MIS, and other appropriate personnel to resolve discrepancies and system-related issues.
• Develop and implement standardized data definitions, documentation, validation processes, quality-control procedures, and reporting practices.
• Develop, maintain, and oversee data dictionaries, reporting documentation, methodologies, query documentation, and resources that support consistent interpretation and use.
• Recommend improvements to data collection, data entry, case management, validation, and reporting processes to strengthen reliability and usability.
• Collaborate with identified staff and operational leadership to analyze information tied to organizational performance and improvement priorities.
• Provide analytical support for quality improvement activities, strategic initiatives, evidence-based practice implementation, program development, and other priorities.
• Participate in cross-functional projects and workgroups requiring data analysis, performance measurement, research, or evaluation support.
• Identify data needed to determine whether initiatives are implemented as intended and achieving desired results.
• Support development of a data-informed organizational culture by helping staff and leaders understand, interpret, and appropriately use performance information.
• Prepare recommendations, executive summaries, reports, presentations, and briefing materials that translate complex information into actionable content for leadership decision-making.
• Collaborate with Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), OCJ MIS, Adult Probation, other OCJ departments, County agencies, and authorized external partners to support data collection, analysis, reporting, performance measurement, and system improvement.
• Lead and coordinate cross-system data requests and reconcile information across multiple databases and information systems.
• Work with internal and external partners to establish shared data definitions, reporting methodologies, quality standards, and consistent approaches to interpretation when appropriate.
• Participate in cross-departmental and interagency workgroups involving data, research, evaluation, performance measurement, and system improvement.
• Support authorized data-sharing activities and ensure appropriate confidentiality, security, data governance, and data-use requirements.
• Serve as a department data resource when collaborating with external researchers, universities, government agencies, providers, and other authorized organizations.
• Develop and maintain advanced spreadsheets, databases, queries, reporting tools, templates, dashboards, and other mechanisms to support analysis and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, consistency, and effectiveness of data collection, analysis, validation, visualization, and reporting.
• Lead or assist with implementation and effective use of new data visualization, reporting, analytical, and business intelligence tools as capabilities evolve.
• Work with OCJ MIS and other appropriate personnel to strengthen data systems and the department’s ability to obtain and analyze information.
• Maintain current knowledge of emerging practices and technologies in data analysis, performance measurement, data visualization, data governance, program evaluation, and public-sector performance management.
• Train and support Data Analysts and other departmental staff in effective use of analytical and reporting tools.
• Oversee preparation of accurate, timely, accessible, and appropriately validated information for the judiciary, department leadership, OCJ leadership, government partners, service providers, and other authorized stakeholders.
• Develop reports, presentations, dashboards, and visualizations that communicate complex information to audiences with varying technical knowledge.
• Present findings and respond to questions about methodology, findings, trends, limitations, and implications.
• Ensure external reporting accurately and appropriately reflects departmental operations, performance, priorities, and outcomes.
• Provide technical guidance to Data Analysts preparing information for executive, judicial, governmental, and external audiences.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in criminology, public policy, or other related social science field.
• 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience involving data analysis, performance measurement, research, program evaluation, business intelligence, statistical analysis, reporting, or closely related analytical work.
• At least 1 year of statistical programming experience using SPSS, R, or Python, preferably with criminal justice or civil law data.
• 1 year of experience supervising professional staff, leading analytical projects, serving as a technical lead, and providing formal training, coaching, or technical oversight to analytical or research professionals.
• An equivalent combination of relevant education, professional training, and experience may be considered.
• Primary residence in the State of Illinois within 90 days of the date of hire.
• Pass a pre-employment medical exam, drug screen, and background check (LEADS and CANTS).
• Negative result from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services child abuse registry.

Technologies

• Microsoft Excel
• SQL
• R
• Python
• SPSS
• SAS
• Power BI
• Tableau
• LEADS
• CANTS

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements

• Primarily a professional office environment with regular and prolonged use of computers and standard office equipment.
• Prolonged periods of computer-based data analysis, validation, review, and reporting.
• Frequent interaction and collaboration with Data Analysts, Department staff and leadership, OCJ MIS, JTDC, Adult Probation, judiciary personnel, and internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage multiple assignments, changing priorities, and urgent or time-sensitive data and reporting requests.
• Maintain sustained attention to detail when reviewing, cleaning, analyzing, and validating large or complex datasets and reviewing subordinate work.
• May require attendance at meetings or activities at various Department, County, court, or partner locations.
• May occasionally require work outside regular business hours for urgent operational, leadership, or court-related data needs.
• Handle and safeguard confidential and sensitive youth, court, employee, organizational, and operational information.

Additional Duties

• Maintain confidentiality and safeguard sensitive youth, family, employee, court, operational, and organizational information.
• Ensure compliance with requirements for confidential court and juvenile justice information, data privacy, security, and authorized data use.
• Participate in professional development and organizational learning related to data analytics, statistical methods, data visualization, performance measurement, supervision, juvenile justice, court administration, and emerging technology.
• Remain current on research, analytical methods, and best practices relevant to juvenile justice and court administration.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of quantitative analysis, descriptive statistics, data quality, performance measurement, program evaluation principles, and analytical methods.
• Advanced skill collecting, extracting, cleaning, transforming, merging, validating, analyzing, and interpreting complex data from multiple sources.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including organizing and analyzing large datasets, formulas, pivot tables, data validation, reconciliation, and visualization.
• Proficiency with statistical programming, database querying, or analytical tools such as SQL, R, Python, SPSS, SAS, or comparable platforms.
• Knowledge of relational databases and ability to write, review, and troubleshoot database queries.
• Experience with data visualization and business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or comparable platforms.
• Ability to identify patterns, inconsistencies, trends, disparities, anomalies, and limitations and translate findings into conclusions and recommendations.
• Ability to understand complex operational and organizational questions and independently determine appropriate data, measures, methodologies, and analytical approaches.
• Ability to communicate complex data through reports, tables, charts, dashboards, visualizations, presentations, and plain-language narratives.
• Ability to independently manage complex, high-priority, and time-sensitive data requests from extraction and cleaning through analysis, quality review, interpretation, and final presentation.
• Strong supervisory, coaching, training, and staff-development skills, including developing Data Analysts’ technical and analytical competencies.
• Ability to review analytical work and identify methodological, data-quality, calculation, interpretation, or presentation concerns.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, organizational, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and short deadlines without compromising data accuracy, quality, or confidentiality.
• Ability to collaborate across operational divisions, departments, agencies, information systems, and professional disciplines.
• Ability to prepare and present information to executive leadership, the judiciary, government partners, service providers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Knowledge of data privacy, confidentiality, data governance, and responsible handling of sensitive information.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and identify data findings, limitations, risks, or concerns requiring leadership attention.
• Knowledge of courts, juvenile justice, criminal justice, government, human services, or other complex public-sector systems is preferred.

Job Summary

• Leads and supports efforts to strengthen organizational performance, accountability, and data-informed decision-making.
• Independently leads complex, time-sensitive data requests and oversees end-to-end data collection, extraction, organization, cleaning, validation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting to identify trends, monitor performance, evaluate outcomes, and inform recommendations.
• Transforms complex data into actionable information through reports, data visualizations, performance measures, written analysis, and recommendations.
• Uses independent judgment to determine data sources, analytical approaches, methodologies, and reporting strategies while ensuring accuracy and integrity of information for leadership and authorized stakeholders.
• Supervises and develops Data Analysts, including assignment prioritization, deadline monitoring, product review, quality standards, and training/coaching in analysis, visualization, performance measurement, and interpretation.
• Collaborates with JTDC, OCJ MIS, Adult Probation, other OCJ departments, County agencies, and external partners to improve data quality, reconcile information across systems, establish performance measures, support evaluation, and strengthen use of data for continuous improvement.
• Supports ongoing development and improvement of data collection, reporting, quality assurance, and performance measurement processes as departmental capabilities evolve.

Location: Chicago, IL (onsite)
Salary: USD 109,309 per year
Experience: 3 years