Senior Data Strategist

Location: Strategy and Analytics
Classification: Professional/Technical
Reports To: Director, Data Strategy
Supervisory Responsibilities: No
Salary Grade: 430 – Professional/Technical Salary Schedule
Terms of Employment: 12-month (260 days)
FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Summary

The Senior Data Strategist provides advanced technical and strategic leadership that strengthens districtwide data systems and elevates the use of data in decision-making across Salem-Keizer Public Schools. The role accomplishes this by shaping data infrastructure, guiding complex analytical and system-level initiatives, and ensuring the district has reliable, equitable access to high-impact insights. The position partners with school and central office leaders to anticipate emerging needs, build long-term data capacity, and support strategic, student-centered improvement efforts.

Essential Performance Responsibilities

Incumbents may perform any combination of the essential performance responsibilities listed below.

1. Actively participates in team, school, and district initiatives by fostering collaboration, shared problem-solving, and a culture of mutual respect. Contributes ideas, supports colleagues, and advances common goals.
2. Demonstrates commitment to continuous learning by seeking feedback, pursuing professional development opportunities, and applying new knowledge and skills to improve performance and service.
3. Provides high-quality, values-aligned service to internal and external stakeholders by responding with accuracy, efficiency, and empathy. Maintains a positive, solutions-oriented approach in all interactions.
4. Identifies opportunities for improvement by contributing ideas that enhance efficiency, service, or outcomes within established procedures. Demonstrates openness to new ideas and approaches.
5. Leads high-impact, districtwide data initiatives involving complex analytical, engineering, or strategic components that advance district priorities.
6. Serves as a technical expert and thought partner to senior leaders, shaping data strategies, establishing project requirements, and ensuring alignment to system-level goals.
7. Anticipates emerging needs, opportunities, and risks by synthesizing trends across multiple data domains and translating insights into system-level guidance.
8. Designs, builds, and optimizes robust data pipelines and architectures; establishes governance and documentation standards; and ensures long-term system sustainability.
9. Conducts advanced analytical modeling—including regression, machine learning, causal inference, and cost-benefit analysis—and communicates findings in ways that influence executive-level decision-making.
10. Provides analytical review, quality assurance, coaching, and mentorship to junior team members and cross-functional partners, strengthening districtwide data capacity.
11. Leads and facilitates cross-functional teams to design sustainable systems, improve processes, and cultivate a culture of continuous organizational learning and reflective practice.
12. Fosters a culture of continuous organizational learning by modeling effective feedback and reflective practice.
13. Performs other duties related to the position, as assigned.

Knowledge

1. Organizational policies and procedures, role-specific guidelines, and the ability to learn and apply district standards.
2. System architectures, advanced data structures, governance frameworks, and long-term sustainability practices.
3. Programming languages and tools used to design, optimize, and maintain enterprise-level pipelines.
4. Advanced statistical principles, causal inference, cost-benefit modeling, and other complex quantitative methods.
5. Analytical frameworks and methods appropriate for system-level decision-making and strategic forecasting.
6. Organizational trends, risk indicators, and system-level patterns that support proactive, strategic decision-making.
7. Advanced communication strategies for advising senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
8. Product management and user-centered design for enterprise-scale data solutions.
9. Mentoring, coaching, and capacity-building strategies for developing others’ technical and analytic skills.
10. Continuous improvement methodologies that support long-term system strengthening.

Skills

1. Strong oral and written communication appropriate to the responsibilities of the role.
2. Using common technology tools appropriate to the role, including email, productivity applications, digital communication platforms, and district and role-specific systems with the ability to learn new tools as needed.
3. Designing and optimizing complex data pipelines and architectures.
4. Establishing governance and documentation standards for districtwide adoption.
5. Executing and overseeing advanced modeling and analytical frameworks.
6. Communicating sophisticated quantitative findings in ways that influence executive-level decisions.
7. Aligning cross-functional teams around shared data strategy, purpose, and practice.
8. Distilling complex technical concepts into actionable, system-level recommendations.
9. Coaching and mentoring team members and partners to build districtwide data capacity.
10. Leading complex, high-impact initiatives that shape district strategy and long-term data systems.

 

Abilities

1. Build and maintain positive, productive, and culturally responsive relationships with students, staff, families, and community partners.
2. Provide timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic service that reflects district core values.
3. Exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and navigate sensitive situations with professionalism, discretion, and integrity.
4. Work effectively under deadlines, interruptions, and changing or competing priorities.
5. Architect sustainable, scalable systems that meet evolving district needs.
6. Anticipate technical challenges and design solutions that improve system reliability and performance.
7. Derive strategic insights that guide executive decision-making and districtwide priorities.
8. Ensure analytical rigor, quality, and reliability across team deliverables.
9. Provide actionable guidance to senior leaders, technical teams, and program partners.
10. Identify districtwide opportunities, risks, and emerging needs using data.
11. Lead and influence across the organization, advancing data-informed practices at scale.
12. Foster a culture of continuous learning and reflective practice across teams and departments.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training, experience, and/or education may be considered in meeting these position requirements.

Education

1. Bachelor’s degree in data science, statistics, economics, business administration, public policy, or a related quantitative field.
2. Advanced degree preferred.

Experience

1. 5+ years of work experience using data to drive change and decision-making in a leadership/organizational role.
2. Experience in a K–12 or public sector setting preferred.
3. Experience leading data teams or managing strategic programs.

Licenses, Certifications, and Other Requirements

Possession of a valid US driver’s license and availability of private transportation (mileage reimbursement provided)

Working Conditions

Physical Demands

1. Constantly (more than 5.6 hours or 69% of the day): Hearing, Sitting, Finger Dexterity
2. Frequently (Between 2.6 hours and 5.5 hours or 33% to 68% of the day): Repetitive Motion
3. Occasionally (Up to 2.5 hours or 32% of the day): Standing, Walking, Multi-limb Coordination
4. Rarely: (Less than 1 hour or 12% of the day): Color Vision, Balancing, Carrying/Lifting, Climbing, Crawling, Crouching/Kneeling, Pulling/Pushing

Work Type/Physical Demands

Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Mental and Psychological Demands

Moderate demands: The position involves moderate cognitive demands within a generally structured work environment. The role may require occasional management of emotionally challenging interactions or customer concerns. Work is sometimes performed under tight or competing deadlines. Exposure to public feedback or criticism is limited. The position occasionally requires sustained focus on complex tasks or problem‑solving activities.

Working Environment

Everyday risk and discomfort level: The environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting rooms, classrooms, libraries, or commercial vehicles, e.g., use of safe work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

EEO Statement

Salem-Keizer Public School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity and other characteristics protected by law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties.

Representative Duties

This job description is intended to accurately reflect the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of the position. It is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position. The district reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary.

Revision Date(s):

06/16/2026 – Created