Fire Department Senior Performance Analyst

(non-union position)



The City of Alexandria is in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 160,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place with approximately one-quarter of the City’s square miles designated as a national or local historic district. Several buildings in these districts are monuments to the past, while being actively used by residents for homes, businesses, and museums. If you’re interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we have an opportunity as a Senior Performance Analyst

An Overview
The Senior Performance Analyst will be responsible for the Fire Department and will work under the general supervision of the Assistant Fire Chief. The position is responsible for blending a variety of data sources to measure performance outcomes of operational changes. This work will involve gathering and exploring data, conducting research, identifying insights, developing practical and actionable recommendations, producing and delivering clear reports and presentations, as well as developing and monitoring internal and public dashboards.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate must possess strong analytical skills and be capable of planning and managing numerous processes and projects simultaneously. It is essential that the candidate will be able to manage and coordinate data collection, ensure the reliability of data collected, and create meaningful visualizations with business intelligence tools.Strong grasp of analytical concepts and statistical techniques (probability distributions, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, classification/clustering, predictive analytics).

Excellent problem-solving skills; apply a systematic and logical approach to identify meaningful information from large datasets.

Proficient in writing SQL queries and procedures to collect data from multiple data systems, including on-premises and cloud-based data sources.

Proficient in performing analytics and presenting results in geo-spatial formats, including use of speed of travel over distances, point-in-polygon look-ups, and heat maps,

Proficient in ad-hoc reporting and data pivoting with Microsoft Excel (including DAX functions in Microsoft Query & PowerPivot).

Familiarity with report writing and scheduling using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Experience working with performance measures and performance information.

Ability to work with sensitive and confidential data in a manner prescribed by state and local laws and department policies.

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and professionally with all levels of the organization, City staff, and outside vendors.

The Opportunity

Analysis: Research and analyze various organizational operations for efficient and effective services. Review historical data for trend analysis. Design mathematical/statistical models to guide decision-making. Conduct detailed research on industry best practices and identify areas for improvement. Design studies/experiments and develop methodologies for testing assumptions. Define and document generation and validation procedures to ensure data quality and repeatability.

Data/Records Management: Write complex SQL queries and scripts to gather, store,
manipulate, and retrieve information from relational databases. Blend disparate datasets (including spatial datasets) and stage data for efficient use. Identify and resolve issues with data quality. Maintain databases for tracking information and reporting purposes. Develop routines that can be automated and easily modified for reuse in other areas.

Report Generation: Design, develop, test, and implement dashboards, static and ad-hoc reporting to drive decision-making and improve situational awareness. Present relevant and actionable information in charts, graphs, tables, and other visualizations.

Communication: Meet with stakeholders to gather business needs. Ask targeted, probing questions to identify all relevant variables. Present results in clear, concise language that tailors information to the appropriate level of detail for the audience. Distill information into actionable insights..

About the Department
The Alexandria Fire Department provides fire, and emergency medical services with capabilities for responding to a wide range of occurrences, including fire protection to a 15 square mile city. We employ more than 300 professionals, which include firefighters, paramedics, fire prevention staff and administrative support. A network of ten stations protects 15 square miles. Among the department's specialized teams are the Northern Virginia Regional Hazardous Materials Team, Technical Rescue, Marine Operations, Special Operations Team and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Bachelor's degree in data science, statistics, computer science, public administration, public policy, or related field of study and five years relevant experience; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Five years of progressively responsible experience working with software programs to extract data (a Master’s degree can substitute for two years of experience)

Two years or more experience in programming for data collection, pattern analysis, analyzing metrics, statistical analysis, data mining, data normalizations (Python, R, XPath, & ETL frameworks)

Proficient creating visualizations and dashboards with Tableau and ArcGIS Pro

Familiarity with fire department performance measures, as well as datasets pertaining to emergency dispatch and records management (NFIRS 5.0, NEMSIS V3).

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment checks to include, but not limited to a criminal background screening.