Director of Data Strategy

ABOUT Basta

Since 2016, Basta has worked with thousands of first-generation college students of color to launch their careers and change the face of leadership in the workforce, resulting in the country's best job placement outcomes. Through personalized AI-powered career planning, best-in-class coaching, and networking with top 100 employers, New York-based job seekers in Basta’s Fellowship program find great jobs at nearly twice the rate of their peers. Our Powered By Basta program is scaling this impact through game-changing analytics and online support that supercharges colleges’ career success programs so students nationwide can accelerate their professional journey.

SCOPE AND PROBLEM

American undergrads are facing a job market beset by systemic underemployment. The problem is especially severe for the nearly 5 million first-generation college students: only 44% of first-gen students of color land a job that requires their degree, and only 20% earn a living wage within a year of graduation. 

These trailblazers have the smarts, skills, and experience to land a job that leverages their degree, pays well, and forges a path to a thriving career. Basta partners with colleges, nonprofits, and employers to build that bridge of opportunity.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR OF DATA STRATEGY

As the Director of Data Strategy, you will shape the next phase of Basta’s data strategy while also getting hands-on with data architecture, modeling, and key analysis. This role will partner with and support service delivery and business teams to identify and address high impact operational and strategic goals through the development and maintenance of data and technology infrastructure, products, tools and processes that enable robust, data-driven approaches to delivering, evaluating, and communicating progress toward our mission. You’ll use your expertise in data architecture & engineering to streamline and/or upgrade Basta’s core database to ensure reliable data pipelines to power everything from day-to-day work to long-term goal setting and monitoring. You’ll manage a small but growing team to increase staff access to easy-to-understand analytics and visualizations and build our capacity to effectively tell stories with data. Your work will help ensure that every team member across the organization has the infrastructure & support they need to use data effectively, and you’ll hold us accountable to do so. 

In this role you will: 

• Oversee Organizational Health and Goal Progress Monitoring: Refine and execute our annual OKR setting and monitoring process ensuring that everyone at Basta is aware of progress to goals and we remain agile in our approach to successfully meeting them. Design an organization health monitoring system and socialize with all relevant colleagues. 
• Own Basta’s Data Infrastructure: You will thoroughly audit Basta’s current use of an Airtable database for data collection, storage, and management. You’ll assess the extent to which the platform can support our ongoing needs, recommend short- and long-term options (continuing to develop Airtable, building a custom SQL database, etc.) and implement the chosen solution.
• Develop Basta’s Data Strategy: With a deep understanding of Basta’s organizational goals and current practices, you’ll define a strategy and create a roadmap for getting the most value out of Basta’s data for each of our major partner types, based both on Basta’s current needs and goals and our vision for the future. Your work will play a foundational role during Basta’s next stage of growth.
• Standardize & Refine Data Collection: Build streamlined data collection systems, create accessible documentation, and train Basta staff on how to use them. Experience with relational databases and data structures is important.
• Data Communication & Storytelling: Part of your job will be to make the data Basta has collected useful to internal Basta teams and partners, from both a progress monitoring and story-telling perspective. The majority of Basta staff and the partners we work with will be non-technical, so a deep understanding of how to summarize and communicate data in an impactful way is necessary.
• Identify new opportunities: You’ll bring a creative eye to identifying new opportunities for Basta to collect and use data in efficient and effective ways, in our direct service program and beyond. You’ll take continuous improvement to the next level by thinking beyond the scope of our current work and looking for untapped potential.

ABOUT OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

You could be our Director of Data Strategy if:

• You believe deeply in the inherent value and potential first-generation grads bring to the workplace and are excited to support them to achieve their career goals. 
• You are excited to help grow a startup, know how to embrace change, see ambiguity as an opportunity and enjoy being adaptable and flexible to meet emerging organizational needs.
• You have 8-10 years of directly relevant work experience developing and managing data strategies, data products, workflows, tools and processes and 2+ years of leadership/team management experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Experience in impact strategy, measurement, reporting, progress monitoring, decision support and data storytelling.
• Proven track record in leading successful collaborations across various internal and external stakeholder groups.
• You’re a doer and a problem-solver with an eye for continuous improvement - you’re known for getting stuff done while also constantly asking if there’s a better, faster or more effective way to do it. 
• You take complete ownership over your work, but you’re not afraid to ask for help when you need it. You’re also willing to jump in wherever you’re needed.  
• You’re comfortable working in a virtual environment using virtual communication/collaboration tools, including Google docs, Zoom, and Slack 

The Tangible Good 

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package* which includes medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, retirement matching, paid parental leave, and more. We also offer a generous paid time off policy, including 15 paid vacation days (20 paid vacation days after your first year), all federal holidays, summer Friday half-days and an end of year shutdown annually.  

*Basta reserves the right to change benefits at any time according to business need.  

**Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Basta is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. 

**Basta does not currently cover the cost of relocation. 

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package* which includes medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, retirement matching, paid parental leave, and more. We also offer a generous paid time off policy, including 15 paid vacation days (20 paid vacation days after your first year), all federal holidays, summer Friday half-days and an end of year shutdown annually.  

*Basta reserves the right to change benefits at any time according to business need.  

**Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Basta is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. 

**Basta does not currently cover the cost of relocation.