Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide for the collection, manipulation, technical analysis and presentation of statistical data related to Student Assistance Programs in support of policy development and operations.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Providing statistical support for student assistance planning and policy development by extracting, organizing, analyzing and presenting data from production student support database files and other related sources.
2. Working closely with branch Senior Programmer / Analysts and with OSAP Team Lead, Modelling and Forecasting in development of new systems to ensure efficient access to data by policy staff.
3. Contributing to a team of programmers and testers in meeting data requirements from Program Unit, Student Support Branch, for cost analysis, forecasting and program simulation.
4. Producing annual OSAP statistical products, such as student loan default rates, that involve linkages between multiple data elements with a high degree of accuracy.
Assisting in functions of the Inspection and Compliance Unit through data support including technical support in preparing query routines to be used by the unit to support compliance activities.
5. Providing operational data and reports for use of Programs, Finance and Systems units of the Student Support Branch including updates to regular outputs and responses to ad hoc requests from Programs Unit, Student Support Branch.
6. Liaising with the federal government for data exchange and program changes.
7. Analysing requirements, design work flow processes, data collection processes and write program code using computer language to create data fields, data files and reports.
8. Assist Programs staff with isolating system production problems.
9. Automating data retrieval and reporting processes.
10. Creating, maintaining and enhancing data bases.
11. Working closely with systems staff to provide data marts and cubes for further analysis by end users.
12. Provide end user training related to use of data in self service cubes and marts, and on the use of query and data analysis tools.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of mathematics, research / statistical analysis methodologies and procedures, statistical theory and principles, to determine user's data requirements; assess options for meeting data needs; design data collection process; analyse data in relation to policy objective; interpret interrelationships and evaluate significance of findings. Job requires knowledge of the operation of computers, computer system file structure and operating systems, and computer software such as Excel, Access, IBM Showcase suite of tools (Warehouse Builder and Query), IBM iSeries Query, IBM Cognos, and DB2-400 for data collection and processing, selecting the most appropriate software application for need. Job requires knowledge of OS/400 command language and SQL language. Uses data warehousing concepts and methodologies to build multi-dimensional data cubes and data
marts. Job requires knowledge of programming concepts, testing, procedure writing, and object-oriented analysis. Job requires development of knowledge of Student Support Branch programs and policies to identify data requirements and information sources.

Skills :

Job requires oral communication skills to discuss or clarify technical information and nature of needs with branch and ministry clients when conducting statistical research for written reports. Job requires written communication and presentation skills to prepare statistical reports in support of branch policy development and student assistance planning. Job requires oral and written communication skills for providing user-friendly reports to management and for training staff on the use of end user analysis tools. Job requires interpersonal skills to explain and encourage cooperation with data gathering initiatives, work closely other branches and other jurisdictions. Job requires high level of accuracy and care in extracting and checking data. Job requires ability to multitask, meet deadlines, and a desire to provide excellence in customer service. Job requires ability to perform database design, data gathering, program coding and loading data.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires identifying sources of data to be collected, compiling information and assessing what is to be included or excluded, checks adequacy and accuracy with appropriate ministry and government officials. Job requires analytical judgement when researching and retrieving data from several sources and of varying complexity to prepare statistical reports in support of Branch policy and student assistance planning. Job requires judgement to assess accuracy of data and to select appropriate approach to the problem at hand. Job requires determining future data needs which will be required to evaluate needs of student assistance in the province. Job requires independent judgement in determining methods, data and systems to be used to prepare accurate statistical reports. Job requires determining suitable format for the production of materials used by management. Job requires determining future data needs to support budget forecasting and policy development. Job requires judgement when selecting subsets of data appropriate for data marts and cubes. Job requires working with established and accepted research and statistical analysis methodologies, techniques, ministry directives, policies and established guidelines relating to accessing, collection and processing of data. Job requires judgement in determining methods and systems to be used in identifying the data needed to produce statistics and analysis in support of policy development. Job requires working both in teams and independently and reviewing captured data/reports with supervisor. Job refers unusual situations encountered to supervisor. Job requires co-ordinating with other areas of the branch and ministry on data needs for technical analysis and the generation of timely reports. Job
requires planning and organizing own time and activities to meet deadlines for preparation of statistical reports.