The Department of Public Defense (DPD) provides legal representation and client-centered services to the more than 15,000 clients DPD serves a year. The Department consists of approximately 400 employees and operates one of the largest public defense agencies in the western United States. DPD represents indigent clients in several practice areas, including felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile offenders, dependencies, involuntary commitment, civil commitment of sexually violent predators and contempt of court. The Department also works to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system, the collateral consequences of justice involvement and other structural and/or systemic issues that undermine the rights of the criminally accused.
The Department is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Public Defense Research and Data Analyst who will serve as the Department's principle data analyst who will play a leadership role in the development, analysis and evaluation of data so as to help shape the Department's strategic direction and inform policy development. The Research and Data Analyst will manage and analyze large data sets regarding indigent defense services, provide data and analysis in support of the Department's strategic and operational needs, and recommend data-informed policies or initiatives that could substantively improve the King County criminal justice system. Work includes creating and managing a performance measurement, evaluation and reporting system for the Department, as well as managing and implementing projects to improve Department outcomes. This position will respond to internal and external requests for data and will lead and contribute to team efforts within the department and across the county criminal justice system. This position also facilitates the development, implementation, integration and/or modification of the Department's case assignment and case management systems.
The analyst should be skilled in performing quantitative and qualitative analysis on justice-related data and clearly and succinctly communicating results to colleagues, stakeholders and other audiences. The ideal candidate will have previous public policy and planning experience; have the skills to gather information from an in-house case management database; know how to manipulate and analyze data to address a range of issues; and be able to work both collaboratively and independently, often under tight deadlines.
Competitive Candidates will have:
•Master's Degree in public administration, business administration, or social science with emphasis in quantitative and policy analysis, or closely related field AND 3 years' experience involving complex quantitative analysis and research techniques in criminal justice, health/human services or other social science field OR the equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the job.
•Proven analytical skills and demonstrated ability to work with large data sets.
•Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills. Proven ability to develop recommendations for senior management on policy options and program direction.
•Skills in problem-solving and policy analysis.
•Ability to work independently and to manage multiple competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
•Skills in working collaboratively as an effective team member.
•Demonstrated advanced computer skills in MS Office products including Excel to develop and maintain spreadsheets, charts, tables, graphs; MS Word; MS PowerPoint.
•Strong project and program management skills.
•Ability to be flexible and quickly change direction, as needed.
•Knowledge of King County government and/or experience with public sector performance measurement and program evaluation.
•Knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL).
•Passion for improving the lives of those involved in the criminal justice system.
Highly desirable candidates will also possess: •PhD Degree in public administration, business administration, or social science
•Demonstrated knowledge of the criminal justice system, ideally the King County criminal justice system.
•Demonstrated knowledge of equity and social justice issues, policies, and data.
•Demonstrated experience with data visualization, performance management, and visual management practices.
Who May Apply: This recruitment is open to all qualified candidates. Review of applications will occur on a rolling basis and first consideration will be given to those applications received by March 20, 2017.
Work Schedule: The normal work schedule is Monday through Friday. This position meets the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime.
Where to Apply: Interested individuals should submit an online King County application, resume and letter of interest detailing your experience and qualifications with reference to the specific duties and responsibilities of the position. You can find the online application at: http://www.kingcounty.gov/audience/employees/careers.aspx
Applicants may be required to demonstrate their qualifications at the time of the interview and/or skills assessment.
Electronic submission is preferred. For inquiries, please feel free to contact Irma Van Buskirk at [email protected] or 206-263-9002.
Please note: An offer of employment will be contingent on the ability to successfully pass a Washington State Patrol Background Check.
King County is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action employer and we encourage people of color, women, veterans and people with disabilities to apply.