Senior Data Strategist

First 5 LA is in its second year of implementing the First 5 LA Strategic Plan 2024-2029, marking a new era of impact-focused, equity-based, partnership-driven, and integrity-centered efforts to create a future where every child is born healthy and thrives in a nurturing, safe, and loving community. First 5 LA’s strategic plan reflects a profound commitment to ensuring that all children prenatal to age 5 and their families have their basic needs met, have nurturing relationships and environments, and a solid foundation for well-being, lifelong learning, and success. It also recognizes both the community’s tremendous assets and the structural inequities that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. The shift towards an equity-based approach focused on race, poverty and geography underscores the importance of community empowerment and cross-sector partnerships that grow social movements, catalyze public policies, and promote systemic reforms that prioritize high need children prenatal to 5 and their families.

Overview

Guided by our values of impact, equity, partnership, and integrity, First 5 LA works to address structural inequities and drive systemic change that prioritizes marginalized families. First 5 LA’s strategic plan reflects a profound commitment to ensuring that all children prenatal to age 5 and their families have their basic needs met, have nurturing relationships and environments, and a solid foundation for well-being, lifelong learning, and success.

The Senior Data Strategist is a direct report and key advisor to the Director of Impact & Accountability. The Senior Data Strategist is responsible for leading efforts to develop and implement First 5 LA’s approach to measuring progress on the strategic plan. The Senior Data Strategist will have experience with applied research and evaluation including systems change measurement and developing and tracking indicators to evaluate and improve performance. This individual will be able to operate independently in managing complex measurement and research projects, often in context where details are ambiguous, and will use adaptive and iterative approaches to bring clarity and guide decision-making. They will effectively prioritize and manage multiple streams of work and competing priorities, demonstrating initiative by advancing work with minimal direction, proactively communicating timelines and progress, and consistently meeting deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Organization-wide Data Agenda

• Works in partnership with the Director of Impact & Accountability to develop and refine an organization-wide data agenda and leads the conceptualization, procurement of resources, and management of measurement efforts.
• Leads efforts to measure the outcomes and progress of First 5 LA’s strategic plan.
• Leads efforts to determine the most appropriate approaches to address data priorities balancing rigor with feasibility in terms of organizational resources and the external context and can propose solutions and move work forward with limited direction when appropriate.
• Makes recommendations, builds consensus and communicates progress to First 5 LA leadership on indicators, data sources and technical approaches.
• Leads efforts to establish and maintain an organizational infrastructure that facilitates data governance in alignment with the Data Agenda.
• Promotes the accessibility and utilization of data and insights to drive outcomes through data visualizations and other tools and processes including a data dashboard.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with external stakeholders including data owners, data partners and systems partners with mutual data needs, interests and priorities.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with internal stakeholders including business process owners and implementers as well as data producers and data users.
• Works in collaboration with colleagues across the organization to promote Results-Based Accountability.
• Best Practices in Measurement, Evaluation and Research

• Advises and provides technical assistance, resources and tools on measurement, evaluation, research and data governance to colleagues across the organization.
• Promotes policies and practices that facilitate access to high quality data.
• Proactively communicates complex data and strategic considerations in clear, tailored ways, generating and justifying recommendations and translating findings into actionable insights for diverse audiences, including internal teams, community leaders, and systems partners, to support informed decision-making and learning.
• Collaborates with colleagues across the organization to amplify the influence and impact of data to promote a culture of strategic learning and knowledge sharing internally and externally.
• Works in collaboration with colleagues across the organization to explore and implement ideas for effectively communicating what we are learning internally and externally.
• Keeps abreast of advancements in measurement, research, and evaluation.

3. Leadership and Collaboration

• As a manager in the Center for Community Engagement & Policy, provides thought-partnership and support to the Director of Impact & Accountability.

• Provides leadership by fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, rigor, and action, whether through direct team management or by influencing cross-functional initiatives.
• Coaches and mentors diverse team members to results that focus on impact to family outcomes and advance the strategic plan.

• Assists in the development of the department annual budget and monitors expenditures against budget to remain a fiscally responsible organization and maximize the use of financial resources to support organizational goals.
• Models and leads strong collaboration with other departments across the organization.

4. Operates With a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lens

• Consistently considers the implications, actions, and decisions, centering the experiences and perspectives of team members with diverse identities as well as the communities we ultimately exist to support.

Qualifications

• Education: A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, health, education, or a related field is preferred. A master’s degree is a plus.

• Experience: Minimum of five years of experience in a role designing and implementing data, research, and evaluation projects using a variety of methodologies. Minimum of three years of staff supervision experience preferred. Embraces change as part of the organization’s evolution. Manages complexity and uncertainty and is nimble enough to shift direction as needed. Open to feedback and welcomes a variety of viewpoints. Encourages creativity and innovation aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities. Proven experience using data and metrics for evaluation, continuous improvement, and decision making.
• Collaboration and Relationship Building: Proven track record of collaboration with internal and external partners. Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across various departments and levels of the organization. Proven experience in creating a network of relationships within communities, government, and advocacy sectors in Los Angeles County and across the state.
• Leadership: High degree of integrity with proven ability to lead, inspire, mentor, and manage teams within a collaborative environment. Strong interpersonal skills with the capacity to build and nurture relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders.

• Strategic Thinking: Proven track record of strategic thinking, analyzing complex issues, and developing and implementing innovative solutions. Experience in shaping and executing strategic plans aligned with organizational goals. Proven ability to develop and execute strategic efforts with external partners that drive positive outcomes and systemic change.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated experience in advocacy, public speaking, and effectively communicating complex policy issues to diverse audiences. Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders, including Board of Commissioners.
• Commitment to Mission: Demonstrated experience with public family serving systems, understanding early childhood development, coupled with experience advancing equity and improving outcomes for children and families.
• Analytical Skills: Demonstrated experience using and leveraging data and research to drive decision-making and to measure the impact of initiatives and in using data to advance organizational goals and equitable outcomes.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with this position. This job description is general and may evolve over time. The job description is subject to periodic updating. At management’s discretion, the employee may be assigned different and/or additional duties or responsibilities.