Job Title:                   Director, Education Data & Information Systems
Team:                         Goal 5, Chiefs maximize the effectiveness of their state education agencies and advance transformative practice
Reports To:               Deputy Executive Director, Membership
FLSA Status:             Exempt          
Prepared Date:          June 13, 2017
                                                           
 
Organization
 
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. CCSSO seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
 
Summary
The Director for Education Data and Information Systems reports to the Deputy Executive Director for Membership.  As a part of Goal 5 (chiefs maximize the effectiveness of their state education agencies and advance transformative practice) of CCSSO’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, the director leads the strategic work around supporting states with the management and use of education data and information systems. This work aims to assist states in building the capacity to use data and technology to better inform decision making, support teaching and learning, and ensure agency transparency.  This role provides overall strategic direction, coordination and supervision for CCSSO’s Education Information Management Advisory Collaborative (EIMAC) and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Network, including identifying and providing support on key priority areas, such as data privacy, data standards, financial transparency, and education technology. In addition, the Director will serve as the strategy lead for supporting states in strategic use of federal, state, and district funding. The director is responsible for meeting state member needs and ensuring that the work continues to connect to and further the chiefs’ agenda for transforming the system of education to ensure each and every child graduates college- and career-ready.
 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Oversee at least one individual responsible for supporting coordination of the Education Information Management Advisory Collaborative (EIMAC) and delivering on state requests and grant requirements. As a supervisor, the Director will meet at least weekly with the team member to review progress on projects and tasks, as well as monthly to review professional goals and successes. The Director will seek to support the overall professional growth of any direct report.
• Provide strategic direction, coordination, and leadership for EIMAC and the CIO Network.
• Collaborate with SEA Chief Information Officers to identify opportunities for collective state action in the use of data to improve student achievement.
• Identify key objectives and metrics for tracking success on these objectives for each of the EIMAC workgroups and the efforts of the CIO Network.
• Serve as the CCSSO representative to the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) Stakeholder group and work collaboratively with CIOs to identify state education agency needs for adopting and implementing the CEDS.
• Work with key SEA staff, industry leaders, and national partners to address policy and political needs in the implementation of education data standards, privacy and data security policy, financial transparency, and education technology.
• Lead the fundraising process for data and information system projects by cultivating relationships with funders, developing funding proposals for new and existing work, ensuring grant deliverables are met, and developing compelling reports on the progress of grants.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with key national organizations involved in education data issues. Create and execute outreach to national education stakeholders and organizations to assist states as they develop best-practice collection and reporting capacities in districts and schools.
• Engage in cross-organizational data initiatives including and strategies included in CCSSO’s Strategic plan.
• Serve as an internal and external resource on national data initiatives; deliver conference presentations and respond to media inquiries as coordinated by the communications team.
• Prepare management plans, budgets, and performance reports.

• Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of seven (7) years’ experience or a master’s degree with a minimum of five (5) years’ work experience, preferably at a State Education Agency.
• Ten (10) plus years’ of work experience is required in lieu of education requirement.
• Supervisory experience a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep knowledge of K-12 education data/information initiatives and trends.
• Experience with state or other large-scale government IT systems.
• Ability to work in a team environment while demonstrating the ability to solve problems independently; comfort working in a constantly changing, highly dynamic environment.
• Sophisticated communicator with excellent written and oral communications and an ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences.
• Demonstrated success in networking to build creative and mutually beneficial relationships within the corporate, public, and nonprofit sectors.
• Strategic, analytical approach combined with a strong focus on relationships, professionalism, and humor.
• Strong organizational skills including outstanding attention to detail and a keen focus on follow-through.