Director of Dashboards and Data Access

NOLA Public Schools Vision

The vision of the NOLA Public Schools is that every student receives a high-quality education that fosters their individual capabilities, while ensuring that they thrive, achieve physical and mental wellness, and are prepared for civic, social, and economic success. 

Position Summary

The Director of Dashboards and Data Access will develop data products for internal and external stakeholders. A successful candidate will be an organized self-starter who is passionate about public service and sharing data in a transparent and consumable way. This role requires advanced analytical skills and some back-end development knowledge in order to maintain the district’s data dashboard and suite of public-facing data files.

The position will be based at the OPSB Central Office at 2401 Westbend Parkway. Traveling to various schools in the city will be required on an infrequent basis. Some evening and weekend hours will be required.

Direct Reports:

This position does not have direct reports.

• Analytics & Tool Development
• Maintains the district’s data dashboard and related reference files;
• Develops data files through the cleaning, analysis, and joining of complex data sets;
• Serves as primary point of contact for requesting and maintaining data received through district teams, partner LEAs, and Louisiana Department of Education;
• Develops scripting in Python or R to extract and/or load data from relational databases such as Postgres,
• Develops SQL queries and writes API calls as needed;
• Performs or oversees enhancements and maintenance related to Javascript tools including the React-based site UI, Leaflet library, and Highcharts libraries;
• Prepare ad-hoc analyses and visualizations of system and school data as requested by internal and external stakeholders, including presentations for School Board members;
• Serve as a liaison for submitting and reviewing state data requests for custom files;
• Utilize open-source GIS software or scripting to develop maps and files as needed.

• Communication
• Communicate with external development team about system enhancements; and
• Create technical documentation for new and existing system functionality.

• Bachelor’s degree or minimum of 7 years of related experience required.

• Proficient in R, Python, or a related programming language, including libraries for data analysis;
• Proficient working with Javascript libraries;
• Experience with version control systems like Git and GitHub, CI/CD experience a plus;
• Interest in containerization and/or experience with Docker;
• Experience with Shiny, Highcharts, or other data visualization technologies;
• Some experience in web design and development, including basic knowledge HTML and CSS;
• Comfort with analyzing, managing, and processing large sets of data; working knowledge of data systems and their underlying data architecture;
• Experience with AWS (primarily in managing EC2 instances)

Salaries are determined by educational background and/or relevant years of experience.

Work Environment

Listed below are key points regarding environmental demands and the work environment of the job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.   

- Required to use motor coordination with finger dexterity (such as keyboarding, machine operation, etc.) part of the workday; 

- Required to exert physical effort in handling objects more than 30 pounds rarely; 

- Required to be exposed to physical occupational risks (such as cuts, burns, exposure to toxic chemicals) rarely; 

- Required to be exposed to physical environment which involves dirt, odors, noise, weather extremes or similar elements rarely; 

- Normal setting for this job is an office/school setting.     

Performance Evaluation

The employee will be evaluated based on the above position using either two methods: via COMPASS or a NOLA-PS evaluating instrument. If the employee holds an Educational Leadership certification, he/she will be evaluated via COMPASS to ensure renewal of certification.

EEOC Statement

NOLA Public Schools is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, genetic information, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, lawful alien status, national origin, age, marital status, and non-job related physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status.