The Business Analyst works under the general direction of the Assistant Chief. This is a civilian (non-sworn) position within the Fire-EMS Department. The Business Analyst is responsible for bridging the gap between information technology and the fire and emergency service’s lines of business using data analytics to assess processes, determine requirements, and deliver data-driven recommendations and reports to executives and stakeholders. The Business Analyst will have broad visibility on all areas of department operations with the goal of providing data analysis and interpretation to enhance organizational operations. General responsibilities include the development, implementation, and management of programs and systems that:

• Support high-performance strategies to meet the organizational needs.

• Promote organizational mission, vision, and values throughout the department.

• Facilitate the execution of the vision and direction of the Fire Chief and the best interests of theFire-EMS Department and the Columbus Consolidated Government (CCG).

The Business Analyst will work closely with all divisions on efforts to enhance operational efficiency by identifying, interpreting, and relating organizational data. As a data-driven organization, the Business Analyst will develop, monitor, and report on organizational metrics that support the mission of the Department. Employing research methods and statistical analysis, this position will develop reporting tools that will assist executive staff in crafting or enhancing department programs with an aim towards continuous improvement. This position will have primary responsibility for developing business intelligence that supports data-driven decision making for the various program areas of the department. In addition to the executive staff, the Business Analyst will work closely with the Department’s Accreditation Manager, supporting the organization’s designation as an accredited agency through the Center for Public Safety Accreditation (CPSE).The Business Analyst will work collaboratively across the divisions to develop, monitor, and visualize performance metrics that support program delivery. Leveraging available technology (i.e., Power BI, GIS products, etc.), the Business Analyst will develop visualization tools and reports for executive staff to aid in organizational management and forecasting. This position will be expected to gain a thorough understanding of Fire Department operations and work closely with executive leaders to synthesize data streams from a variety of internal and external sources. The Business Analyst will not only be expected to interact with all areas of the department to develop business intelligence, but also to share their findings in a variety of formats (i.e., written reports, data dashboards, in-person and virtual presentations).The Business Analyst has the following primary responsibilities:

• Data analysis & synthesis

• Problem identification and solution analysis

• Planning and organization

• Communication of findings

The following duties are some of the typical ones associated with the position of the Business Analyst:

• Attend internal/external meetings – Attend and participate in a variety of meetings (staff meetings, accreditation consortium meetings, CCG meetings, stakeholder meetings) representing the interests of the Fire Department.
• Routine interaction with other internal/external organizational members - Interact and work collaboratively with internal/external stakeholders to further the mission, vision, values, and initiatives of the department on a regular basis.
• Maintain and expand job knowledge, skills, and abilities – Consistently engage in proactive efforts to identify innovative and progressive ways to engage organizational challenges and opportunities.
• Prepare and deliver written reports, correspondence, and other materials – Craft and deliver letters, memos, reports, and other correspondence to members of the department’s executive team, the CCG, or the public. Review and evaluate reports for accuracy and completeness. Provide regular and consistent information to internal/external stakeholders pertaining to organizational initiatives.
• Develop business intelligence on departmental programs – Identify, visualize, and monitor performance metrics for the different divisions of the Fire Department.
• Accreditation management – Work closely with the organization’s Accreditation Manager, ensuring compliance with annual reporting requirements as well as re-accreditation efforts every five (5) years.
• Develop data reporting tools – Utilizes available technology to develop organizational dashboards to support program management, review, and modification. Ensures developed tools support executive staff efforts to maintain situational awareness of operational and organizational efforts in real-time.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Performance Standards:

Employees at all levels are expected to work together effectively to meet the needs of the community and the organization through work behaviors demonstrating the Department’s values. Employees are also expected to lead by example and demonstrate the highest level of ethics; carry out a continuous effort to improve operations, work processes, and work cooperatively and collaboratively to support a data-driven and customer-focused service.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in computer science, information systems, statistics, or a related field. Applicant must be either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien. Successful candidates must pass a drug screen and an extensive background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Previous knowledge of/exposure to the fire service, GIS (ESRI products) is beneficial to this position, but not required. Experience with fire service accreditation.

Job Performance Requirements:

1. General – For qualification as a business analyst, the candidate shall meet the educational requirements and the job performance requirements (JPRs) outlined in Sections 1 through 5.

1. General Prerequisite Knowledge – effectively communicate both verbally and in writing; meet facilitation requirements.
2. General Prerequisite Skills – develop and present data, given a target audience, so that appropriate charts, graphs, projections, and reports are available and accurate; understand, interpret, and format spreadsheets.

2. Project/Program Management – manage time; facilitate teams and meetings to effectively lead a project or program to a successful conclusion; evaluate progress of the project or program; effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders; and report on an as-needed basis the progress being made with the project or program.

2.1 Develop a schedule of project tasks and activities, given project goals, priorities, and objectives to meet the established goal(s), so that deadlines and outcomes are met.

1. Requisite Knowledge – time management techniques, software, and systems
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to estimate workload distribution and timeframes; evaluate risk and anticipate delays; evaluate progress and adapt/adjust to align with available resources; and manage changes to the project scope, project schedule, and project costs using appropriate verification techniques.

2.2 Provide team leadership and facilitation, given a group of team members/staff, so that coordination of meetings and project/program tasks is monitored, supported, documented, and evaluated against the department’s project goals.

1. Requisite Knowledge – tracking tools, spreadsheets, and process maps; verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and relationship management strategies; feedback processes and tools to evaluate team performance.
2. Requisite Skills – The ability to develop spreadsheets, diagrams, and process maps to document needs; develop comprehensive project plans to be shared with clients or other staff members; delegate project tasks based on team strengths, skills, and experience levels; motivate colleagues (peers, subordinates, partners); regularly communicate results and the required corrective actions with project team, stakeholders, and management, delegating responsibilities to the appropriate parties.

2.3 Perform ongoing evaluation of the project plans, given status updates and project metrics in an effort to adjust milestones, tasks, and responsibilities as needed to meet project goal(s).

1. Requisite Knowledge – communication techniques, meeting facilitation, and basic survey skills.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to collect verbal and written input from stakeholders to facilitate the development of effective objectives, project requirements, and intended outcomes; measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques.

2.4 Coordinate relevant internal and external reviews, given a project plan(s), so that the department can identify and address project risks.

1. Requisite Knowledge – basic legal terminology and ability to research and identify applicable federal, state, local, and departmental standards and legislation that could impact a project.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to communicate with legal resources and relevant entities to evaluate potential risks and requirements related to project documents, contracts, goals, and outcomes.

2.5 Create reports and documentation of varied design and visualization, given project/program metrics, goals, and method of distribution, so that information is effectively shared with a specific audience.

1. Requisite Knowledge – data visualization and report presentation best practices.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to summarize data and information into a variety of formats for publishing and/or presentation.

2.6 Assess project/program performance, given service level agreements and requirements, so that project tasks meet organizational goals and objectives.

1. Requisite Knowledge – common budgetary objectives/measures and financial analysis techniques.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to review project budgets and plan needs to maintain project efforts within an established budget and/or approved schedule; report performance objectives to the executive staff and/or project proposal owner; manage stakeholder priorities in a deadline-oriented environment.

2.7 Evaluate project/program progress, given a fire department strategic plan, so that timelines are met in accordance with the department’s strategic vision.

1. Requisite Knowledge – project management, improvement models, and business strategy processes.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to work with groups and individuals to establish performance indicators or metrics aligned with adopted goals and objectives; the ability to qualify/quantify and document success rates and/or progress metrics.

2.8 Complete a root cause analysis, given a set of commonly accepted practices, so that issues identified through the department’s quality assurance or quality improvement process are corrected.

1. Requisite Knowledge – problem identification, process improvement models.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to identify measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance relative to the goals of the system; the ability to compile and analyze reports and statistical data to support recommendations for process improvement implementations.

2.9 Identify outliers, given a set of fire department data, so that data quality benchmarks for the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) are achieved.

1. Requisite Knowledge – statistical analysis methods, data normalization, and data structure; understanding of data constraints and data quality assurance/quality improvement processes.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to identify gaps in data collection processes and to understand and interpret data limitations and contextual dependencies in relational data systems.

2.10 Propose control methods, given a list of fire department data quality issues, so that department performance improvement initiatives are realized.

1. Requisite Knowledge – data quality evaluation and data quality management; business intelligence platforms and systems.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to identify and create policies and procedures and data quality guidelines; the ability to evaluate data needs and appropriate datasets within the business or organizational context.

2.11 Select an appropriate research design methodology, given an assignment, so that issues relevant to the department can be investigated appropriately.

1. Requisite Knowledge - qualitative and quantitative research; descriptive, applied, and problem-oriented research methods.
2. Requisite Skills – strong analytical and organizational skills; the ability to design, evaluate, modify, and report results of programs and experiments based on hypotheses, goals, outcomes, controls, and variables; the ability to use scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

2.12 Given a list of fire department programs, design a survey so that stakeholder input can be obtained.

1. Requisite Knowledge – reading and writing skills, listening, and communicating effectively in multiple mediums.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to analyze and interpret the meaning of survey data, determine survey objectives, or suggest or test question wording.

2.13 Organize a group meeting, given a list of attendees, so that a task can be accomplished or information can be identified.

1. Requisite Knowledge – process improvement methodologies.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to lead and facilitate the development and implementation of significant and focused process improvements across the organization.

3. Compliance Management – conduct research, interpret terms and conditions for achieving compliance; manage external relationships with accredited entities and/or third parties; compile requisite documentation to demonstrate compliance with established objectives outlined in 3.1 through 3.5 below.

3.1 Manage third-party relationships, given community expectations, service-level agreements, historical precedents, AHJ polices and procedures, and accepted best practices, so that the current and anticipated needs of the community are met and compliance with established parameters is verified.

1. Requisite Knowledge – policies and procedures; community expectations; historical performance; goals and objectives; automatic/mutual aid parameters and performance.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to perform analysis, monitor performance, evaluate performance against stated goals and objectives, make public presentations, problem solve, and make recommendations.

3.2 Appraise standards established by third parties on behalf of the AHJ, given reviews of published requirements and observations of historical precedents, so that the current and anticipated needs of the community are met and compliance with established parameters is verified.

1. Requisite Knowledge – policies and procedures; gap analysis.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to make public presentations, interpret competencies and standards, problem solve, and analyze data.

3.3 Assess status in meeting applicable conditions, rules, regulations, and/or standards, given published requirements, historical precedents, quantitative and qualitative performance data, and observations of the AHJ’s activities, so that gaps are identified and remedied, performance levels are communicated, current and anticipated needs of the community are met, and compliance with established parameters is verified.

1. Requisite Knowledge – rules, regulations, ordinances, policies, procedures, and community expectations.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to perform analysis, monitor performance, evaluate performance against stated goals and objectives, make public presentations, problem solve, and make recommendations.

3.4 Create financial reports on collections, levies, grants, fees, and/or billing projections, given program data, so that the department can monitor and project revenue.

1. Requisite Knowledge – rules, regulations, ordinances, policies, procedures, community expectations, generally accepted accounting procedures (GAAP), contract analysis, and compliance.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to perform financial analysis, monitor performance, and evaluate performance against stated outcomes and deliverables.

4. Strategic Management - Facilitate the development and implementation of a community-driven strategic plan oriented towards emergency services and public safety; identify community needs, determine prioritization of projects and programs, analyze strategies to achieve organizational goals and objectives, and evaluate progress in accordance with established objectives outlined in 4.1 through 4.7 below.

4.1 Compile stakeholder input from internal and external sources, given quantitative and qualitative data from surveys, focus groups, direct correspondence, and other sources, so that the AHJ’s strategic vision, mission, plans, goals, objectives, and actions, as well as its values, reflect the needs of the community.Requisite Knowledge – fire department response operations, policies, and legal requirements; political, economic, and physical characteristics of the jurisdiction or service area.Requisite Skills – the ability to persuade stakeholders, identify necessary resources, and explain the policy development process; the ability to use critical thinking and facilitating skills to accomplish gap analysis and risk assessments.

4.2 Identify gaps in addressing community public safety risk and meeting community needs, given information provided by third parties, field observations by the AHJ, quantitative and qualitative performance data, subject matter expert opinions, industry best practices, and comparative examples, so that the AHJ recognizes strengths and deficiencies when establishing a strategic plan with associated goals and objectives to address community needs.

1. Requisite Knowledge – gap analysis methods and processes; fire department response operations, policies, and legal requirements
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data; incorporate needs and requirements of diverse community groups and members; track and evaluate progress of risk reductions and operational programs/processes as they relate to ongoing risk assessment and community needs or gaps; use critical thinking and facilitating skills to accomplish gap analysis and risk assessments.

4.3 Develop corrective actions in long-term planning, given a list of gap analysis findings, so that expectations match department service levels.

1. Requisite Knowledge – gap analysis methods and processes; fire department response operations, policies, and legal requirements.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to interpret/consider political and economic influences on strategic priorities, interpret quantitative and qualitative data, calculate budget impact, evaluate consequences of different options, apply cost-benefit analysis, evaluate effectiveness, efficiency, and resiliency of operations and programs.

4.4 Support the establishment of processes and compliance procedures, given a strategic direction and conceptual goals and objectives, so the department can develop, document, and track strategic plans.

1. Requisite Knowledge – planning and goal progress tracking systems and processes.
2. Requisite Skills – project management skills; tracking and monitoring of projects and strategic planning using a variety of tools and methods.

4.5 Develop organizational goals, given a list of strategic initiatives, in alignment with best practices, to develop goals that can be translated into objectives that can be assigned as critical tasks.

1. Requisite Knowledge – common methods to design effective goals and objectives.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to persuade stakeholders, identify necessary resources, and explain the development process.

4.6 Analyze performance relative to benchmarks, given a list of planning team members, to compose a tracking schedule and compliance methodology for implementing and facilitating progress of the strategic plan, so that tasks are completed within an acceptable timeline and within estimated funding parameters.

1. Requisite Knowledge – compliance methods and performance tracking procedures; budgeting and finance practices; the ability to assess and validate statistical information and data related to program areas.
2. Requisite Skills - the ability to prioritize and adjust goals and deadlines based on the environment and resources available.

4.7 Develop, evaluate, and disseminate cost-benefit analysis material, given departmental response data, capital asset information, service area demographics, and other financial data, so that the budget impact of decisions can be evaluated.

1. Requisite Knowledge – basic accounting and financial systems, procurement processes and legal requirements, contract management.
2. Requisite Skills – management of funding from external sources; crisis management procedures that coordinate authorization levels and appropriate control measures; the ability to document financial expenditures incurred as a result of an incident and for compiling claims for future cost recovery; the ability to identify and access alternative funding sources; the ability to manage budgeted and specially appropriated funds.

5. Policy Analysis – Apply best practices of data-driven research and analysis to evaluate potential and/or actual impact on departmental policies and practices. Develop data-supported recommendations to support policy changes and evaluation of alternative options to existing or proposed policy changes.

5.1 Recognize and evaluate policies that impact the delivery of fire department services to the community and evaluate those impacts so that decision making is supported and recommendations to strategic and operational oversight are provided.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations and applicable legal requirements.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to observe and recognize problems.

5.2 Coordinate the interpretation of legal and regulatory requirements, given by the authorizing agency, so that the fire department ensures policy alignment and compliance.

1. Requisite Knowledge – applicable legal requirements and policy development process.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to interpret legal requirements and explain the policy development process.

5.3 Identify, collect, and compile research and information in support of developing policy proposals, given adequate direction, clearly defined parameters, and the end-state desired, so that management has the necessary information to evaluate options.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations; types and sources of publications.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to identify reliable information, devise means to collect data, interpret quantitative and qualitative data, and analyze experiences of other fire departments.

5.4 Develop recommendations to create, revise, or eliminate policies, given an identified gap, shortfall, or need, so that the effectiveness, efficiency, and resiliency of the department are enhanced.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations and applicable legal requirements.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative data, calculate budget impact, evaluate consequences of different options, and apply cost-benefit analysis.

5.5 Coordinate, facilitate, and advise implementation strategies for policies, given the desired outcome, timeline, policy specifics, and potential obstacles, so that each policy is successfully deployed.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations and legal requirements.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to persuade stakeholders, identify necessary resources, and explain the policy development process.

5.6 Develop and build stakeholder support for policy change, given the desired outcome, timeline, policy specifics, and potential obstacles, so that each policy is successfully deployed.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations and legal requirements
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to exercise strong interpersonal skills, problem solve, and apply cost-benefit analysis.

5.7 Evaluate the impact of a department’s policies based on outcomes, including its secondary and tertiary effects, given the desired outcome, so that each policy’s effectiveness can be measured.

1. Requisite Knowledge – fire department operations and applicable legal requirements.
2. Requisite Skills – the ability to compile stakeholder feedback, interpret quantitative and qualitative data, apply cost-benefit analysis, and project future trends.