About Community Solutions

Community Solutions is a non-profit organization that works to achieve a lasting end to homelessness that leaves no one behind. We envision a more equitable future where homelessness is never inevitable or a way of life, for anyone. Since 2015, we have led Built for Zero, a movement of more than 100 cities and counties using data to radically change how they work and the impact they can achieve — and proving that it is possible to make homelessness rare and brief. Nearly half of these communities have reduced homelessness and 14 have ended veteran or chronic homelessness. To help communities equitably and sustainably end homelessness, we are also testing strategies that can address gaps in housing, disrupt inflow into homelessness, and produce more racially equitable housing and homelessness systems.

Position Overview

Community Solutions (CS) is seeking an experienced, self-motivated and organized individual to join the Built for Zero team as a Data Analyst. This position reports to the Strategy Lead, Community Products, responsible for using data and technology to deliver actionable insights to internal staff and communities in the Built for Zero movement alike. This position will be a core member of the Products team, which provides support to Built for Zero staff and communities in the BFZ network through data analysis and technology.

This position is primarily built around data analysis and data visualization by using business intelligence tools and/or basic programming environments, but there are opportunities to engage with other disciplines such as: web development, UX/UI design, and process automation, among others. The Data Products team aims to provide a collaborative, supportive environment that encourages learning through new approaches.

The candidate of our dreams is someone who is passionate about using technology to drive quality improvement. A dream candidate is also passionate about enabling users to accomplish new things with data. Our work spans everything from creating simple dashboards to designing software to solve complex and novel problems. A candidate with a love for learning, a desire for collaboration, and a clear voice for communication will succeed well here.

Defining Success for this Position:

• Built for Zero has a cohesive, high-functioning data ecosystem: our team and communities can easily access the data they need and are confident in data quality.
• Our tools are accessible and designed with the user in mind.
• Our systems are ready to go to scale. It’s crucial that we build with an eye towards supporting more communities and projects to collect, store, and visualize the data they need to inform their work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the design and continuous improvement of data systems that empower Community Solutions, communities, and partners to analyze data and track and improve performance including:
  • Continued design, implementation, and administration of data systems
  • Development and implementation of new data collection and validation processes
  • Automation of data analysis and integration
  • Improvements to data extraction/collection tools and systems that reduce the work communities have to do to access their data
  • Strengthening of integrations so that information automatically flows between these data systems
• Co-develop and share clear training materials and processes for communities, partners, and internal staff.
• Iterate on data infrastructure design and/or functionality, i.e. work to regularly revise data and performance management products based on the changing needs of end users.
• Design new tools, web apps, and visualizations that solve emergent measurement challenges.
• Provide strategic and implementation support for internal data challenges.

Key Knowledge and Skill Areas

• The ideal candidate will have demonstrated an ability to achieve results using at least two critical problem-solving competencies:
  • The use of data for process improvement
  • The ability to communicate insights into data using technology (SQL reports, Python scripts, PowerBI dashboards, etc)
• In addition to these critical competencies, the strongest candidates may also possess deep content knowledge in at least some of the following areas:

• Housing and homelessness policy
• Data Visualization
• Statistics
• UX/UI Design
• Software Development (in any capacity)
• System Administration
• Facilitating requirements gathering

Qualifications

• Strong critical thinking and the ability to engage with complex challenges and datasets is a requirement for this position; a college degree is not required to apply for this position.
• Enthusiasm for learning new software, systems, and processes.
• Experience with Salesforce or other client relationship management tools (CRMs).
• Spreadsheet pro with experience figuring out how to structure organized, easy-to-read data tables.
• Familiarity with at least one scripting/programming language or other data prep tool (Python, Javascript, R, SQL, SAS, etc).
• Experience with Tableau or other business intelligence tools is a plus.
• Familiarity with homeless services is a plus.
• At least three years of previous work experience.
• Passion for justice, equity, ending homelessness and the belief it is possible.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and demonstrate a willingness to shift easily between various responsibilities with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills, as evidenced by leading projects to successful and measurable completion.
• Non-traditional candidates welcome. Community Solutions strives for representation and authentic inclusion of applicants and employees who have direct, first-hand experience with poverty, homelessness, and their root causes (including racism, marginalization, discrimination, and all forms of inequity).

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Software/Apps Used

• Data storage and management
  • PostgreSQL
  • Salesforce
• Business intelligence tools
  • Metabase
  • Tableau Server
• Project management
  • Google Suite
  • Asana
  • Slack
• Data prep and visualization
  • Python, Javascript
  • Tableau Desktop / Prep
• Web development
  • HTML / CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Svelte
  • Observable Framework

Work Environment

This position can be located anywhere in the continental United States. The Built for Zero team has office space in Los Angeles, and New York City, but the position provides for the flexibility to work from a remote location without the standard support available at an office if such an arrangement meets the needs of Community Solutions.

Position and Salary

This position is grant-funded for two years with potential for renewal.

CS offers competitive salaries and benefits packages for every position. The salary range for this position is between $76,834-$89,406. The actual salary is commensurate with the candidate's experience and may go beyond the listed range.

Travel Requirements

Up to 5 days of travel per month may be required to attend semi-annual team retreats, community visits, and other on-site trainings or convenings.

Diversity and Inclusion

We strive for inclusivity and diversity by attracting extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We seek to employ an all-star team of people who vary by their race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, culture, religion, veteran status, physical and mental abilities. We promote equal opportunity in the recruitment, selection, training, compensation, promotion, and benefits of all employees.

COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate

COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all Community Solutions staff—full-time, part-time, and contracted. Vaccination documentation must be provided to Community Solutions. Vaccination information is completely confidential between the staff member and HR.