Data Analyst

Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Data Analyst

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

Department: Operations

FLSA Status: Exempt Non-Union

Location: On-Site/Hybrid – Minimum of three (3) days onsite

VISA: No Visa Sponsorship

SALARY: Range $90,500 - $110,000

POSITION SUMMARY

The Data Analyst translates operational, financial and program data into reliable insights that strengthen service delivery, organizational performance and person-centered outcomes at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services. As the organization modernizes its technology and operations, transitions to a new brand and name, and launches its strategic planning process, the analyst connects data with the realities of delivering integrated, community-based services. The role requires understanding complex services; funding and reimbursement models; tracing workflows across teams and systems; investigating inconsistent information; and recommending practical improvements to workflows, controls, automation and outcomes.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the fractional Chief Information Officer, CEO, Finance, Quality and Program leadership, the analyst develops reliable measures of access, service quality, compliance, productivity, revenue integrity and organizational performance. The role supports the 2030 strategic planning process, executive decision-making and Board oversight, particularly where systems do not readily integrate. The analyst provides analysis and recommendations, while designated operational, financial and technology leaders retain responsibility for decisions and implementation.

Job Responsibilities and Performance Standards

Program Evaluation and Strategic Analysis

• Support the design and implementation of evaluation frameworks to assess program efficiency, effectiveness, equity, service quality and person-centered outcomes.
• Partner with executive and program leaders to establish consistent key performance indicators (KPIs), baselines, targets and accountability measures aligned with the 2030 strategic plan.
• Conduct longitudinal, cross-program and comparative analyses to identify changes in demand, access, utilization, outcomes and organizational performance; translate findings into recommendations.
• Develop program scorecards for State Home Care, Community Choices, ECOP, SCO/One Care, Nutrition, AFC, Protective Services, housing and other services, sequencing delivery through the approved analytics workplan.
• Analyze referral-to-assessment-to-enrollment conversion, cycle times, withdrawals, service starts and census trends; distinguish service demand from process bottlenecks and data-quality problems.
• Evaluate caseload distribution, staffing capacity, visit completion, productivity and workflow constraints with the COO and program managers; recommend and measure improvements.
• Support environmental scanning, scenario analysis, growth planning and program redesign by connecting financial and operational trends to service delivery realities. 

Data Management, Visualization and Reporting

• Develop, maintain and validate accessible dashboards, scorecards and executive reports using Power BI or comparable tools, SQL and advanced Excel.
• Map end-to-end workflows and data lineage across operational, clinical, financial and reporting systems; identify manual handoffs, duplicative entry, gaps in controls and opportunities for automation.
• Clean, reconcile and validate information from disparate or poorly integrated systems, including WellSky and other agency platforms; document data definitions, assumptions, limitations and version history.
• Partner with the CIO on data dictionaries, integration requirements, reporting standards, migration readiness and sustainable reporting processes; escalating infrastructure and security decisions to the CIO.
• Support state system re-procurement, replacement or implementation initiatives by documenting operational reporting needs, validating data conversion and interfaces, testing outputs and identifying continuity risks.
• Create repeatable data quality checks and exception reports, investigate anomalies before distribution and coordinate correction with designated source-system owners.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, improve process controls and reduce manual reporting; evaluate whether changes deliver measurable benefits.

Revenue Integrity and Cross-Functional Workflow Analysis

• Partner with Finance, Operations and the CIO to trace data across service authorizations, encounters, vendor submissions, claims, denials, payments and operational reports, identifying mismatches and broken handoffs.
• Validate source-to-report consistency and develop exception analyses for missing, duplicate, rejected or inconsistent records; help teams isolate root causes and prioritize corrections.
• Design payer-, program- and service-level reporting on denials, unbilled activity, aging and recurring error patterns, clearly identifying data limitations and responsible owners.
• Recommend opportunities for system validation rules, workflow redesign, automation and stronger preventive controls; measure the effectiveness of implemented changes.
• Support cost-per-unit, utilization and program performance analysis with Finance using approved financial data, without assuming responsibility for accounting, billing or collections.

Compliance, Accreditation and Outcomes Support

• Support regulatory review and accreditation readiness through reliable datasets, evidence-based reports, compliance indicators and risk analysis for AGE, MassHealth, NCQA and other applicable bodies.
• Analyze required visits, assessments, documentation timeliness, record-review findings, incidents and corrective-action trends; distinguish confirmed findings from preliminary signals.
• Partner with Quality and program leaders to identify systemic issues, track remediation milestones and assess whether corrective actions improve performance.
• Support the development and maintenance of consumer experience, responsiveness and person-centered outcome measures, explaining the limitations of available data.

Executive Partnership and Organizational Capacity Building

• Prepare concise, decision-ready performance briefs for the CEO, COO, CIO, executive leadership and Board that explain trends, implications, root causes, recommended actions and follow-up owners.
• Collaborate across Operations, Finance, Clinical Integration, Quality and IT to translate complex business processes into practical data requirements and actionable improvements.
• Coach managers in interpreting performance measures, spotting exceptions and using data to improve service delivery; promote common definitions and consistent reporting practices.
• Maintain a transparent analytics request and prioritization process aligned with the COO/CIO-approved workplan; communicate progress, capacity constraints, dependencies and risks proactively.

Other Duties

• Perform other or related duties as assigned.

INITIAL PERFORMANCE PRIORITIES (FIRST 30–180 DAYS):

• First 30 days: inventory priority systems, reports, operational workflows, data owners and recurring discrepancies; propose a COO/CIO-approved analytics workplan.
• By 60–90 days: establish baseline reporting for the programs and measures prioritized in the approved workplan; document data definitions and limitations, validate source data, and identify initial trends, workflow gaps and improvement opportunities.
• By 90–180 days: implement an initial monthly enterprise performance scorecard covering agreed priority measures, with documented KPI definitions, repeatable validation controls and an issue/remediation tracking cadence; identify dependencies for expanding coverage and contribute data requirements and testing plans for technology modernization.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND CONDUCT:

• Critical thinking and curiosity ask how processes actually work, tests assumptions, investigates anomalies and challenges incomplete or inconsistent explanations.
• Problem-solving and agility adapt to changing priorities and imperfect systems; recommends practical, scalable solutions rather than simply identifying problems.
• Accountability and reliability: checks accuracy before publishing, meets deadlines, escalates material risks and closes the loop with stakeholders.
• Collaboration and communication builds trust across technical and nontechnical teams, explains findings clearly and respects operational ownership and decision rights.
• Mission and integrity demonstrate commitment to inclusive, person-centered community care, confidentiality and responsible use of sensitive information.
• In all interactions, aids in furthering SCES’s mission and commitment to an inclusive environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in data science, public policy, public health, statistics, computer science or a related field; master’s degree preferred.
• At least three years of experience in data analytics, evaluation or applied research in nonprofit, government or healthcare settings; five or more years preferred.
• Proficiency in SQL, advanced Excel and Power BI or a comparable visualization platform, such as Tableau; demonstrated ability to build, validate and maintain dashboards and reports.
• Working knowledge of relational databases, data models, data mining and segmentation techniques, with experience reconciling information across systems and documenting data definitions and quality controls.
• Experience with additional reporting packages, such as Business Objects, programming tools such as R or Python, or extract, transform and load (ETL) processes is preferred.
• Knowledge of applied statistics and experience using Excel or statistical tools to analyze datasets, explain trends and communicate analytical limitations.
• Experience with performance measurement frameworks, outcomes evaluation, and regulatory reporting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting findings to executive-level audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize deliverables in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with accreditation and compliance data requirements (e.g., NCQA, CMS, EOHHS) is a plus.
• Familiarity with Massachusetts aging services, MassHealth/Medicaid and community-based care is strongly preferred. 
• Must meet both CORI/SORI and public health screening requirements.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• Physical surroundings are comfortable with minimal exposure to injury or hazards.

SOCIAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

• Occasional stress due to periodic or cyclical workload pressures and deadlines. Some interruptions involved.

PHYSICAL EFFORT

• Frequently sits, stands, walks, bends, reaches, and stoops throughout the day.
• Frequently lifts, pulls, pushes, and carry up to 20 lbs.
• Periodic eye strain and light ear strain. 

Employee Name and Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________

Supervisor Name and Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ______________________