Data Quality Specialist

Role Responsibilities

We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic individual to join our team as a Data Quality Specialist. This role is central to developing and coordinating business strategies and processes aimed at improving the quality of provincial health information and clinical data resources. The position requires expertise in data quality management, clinical vocabularies, and project leadership to create and enhance datasets utilized by data scientists and analysts for decision-making purposes. The successful candidate will have advanced technical skills and strong documentation skills which will enable them to prepare quality data for analytical purposes while also creating clear documentation to track the data preparation process. This role requires someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can efficiently manage multiple data prep projects, ensuring they are completed on time and to a high standard.
 

The job responsibilities include:
Develop and Coordinate Business Strategies to Improve Data Quality:

• Develop strategic approaches to enhance data quality for data generated by Alberta Health and external sources.
• Provide research and analytical support for information management projects.
• Advise on clinical vocabularies and terminologies and offer best practice guidance to ministry and Alberta Health services colleagues.
• Support the development of reporting requirements for new applications, incorporating approved standards and processes.
• Identify and resolve data quality issues, providing recommendations for corrective actions and tracking their impact.
• Prepare briefing notes, correspondence, and recommendations on data management issues.

Lead High Complexity Projects for Prep and Data Enhancement:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their analytical needs and create datasets that enable decision-making.
• Develop methodologies for transforming data to meet analysts’ requirements and ensure data quality.
• Efficiently use analytic tools to collect, develop, compare, and automate data creation for secondary use.
• Engage with the technical vendor team for long-term solutions to data transformation and enhancement.
• Ensure compliance with data governance and security policies.
• Participate in records management processes, including retention and archival as per department policies.
• Create high quality documentation to record the Data Prep process and usage considerations for data sets.

Provide Subject Matter Expertise for Corporate Applications:

• Serve as the subject matter expert for acute care data within the ministry.
• Respond to internal and external inquiries related to this dataset, including those from CIHI and AHS.
• Monitor upstream system changes, assess their impact, and coordinate with teams to plan and implement necessary changes.
• Project manage work with vendors to ensure timely and proper execution of enhancements and fixes.
• Collaborate with Privacy teams to maintain up-to-date Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) documentation.

Support Information Management and IT Committees:

• Represent the Ministry’s position on various committees as needed and provide valuable feedback.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.
 

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

Systems Thinking:

• Develop strategic plans that integrate broader trends and anticipate their impact on the current situation.
• Consider political, social, and economic risks when making recommendations or decisions.
• Align actions and strategies with organizational goals and vision.
• Address behaviors that challenge progress, creating an environment conducive to growth and continuous improvement.

Build Collaborative Environments:

• Create and sustain an open communication environment, fostering sharing of expertise across teams.
• Initiate strategic communication systems to ensure transparency and alignment.
• Proactively identify and address potential conflict areas, ensuring positive team dynamics.
• Inspire and lead cross-functional teams by promoting a shared vision, engaging them with a compelling and bold narrative.

Creative Problem Solving:

• Create an environment where innovative problem solving thrives.
• Challenge conventional thinking by asking the right questions and generating new ways of approaching problems.
• Remove barriers to creativity and innovation, encouraging a culture of continuous exploration and improvement.
• Guide teams to leverage creative strategies for solving complex challenges.

Agility:

• Proactively identify opportunities for process improvement and lead change initiatives.
• Adapt to shifting priorities, guiding the organization through change with clarity and confidence.
• Support teams in managing change while remaining objective under pressure, ensuring team morale and effectiveness.
• Explain the impact of change to team members and integrate it seamlessly into existing workflows.
• Stay flexible in adjusting plans and strategies in response to new information or changing conditions.

Qualifications

University graduation in computer science or a related discipline plus four years related experience; or equivalent as described.

Equivalency: A related discipline plus four years related experience; or equivalent as described. A related two-year diploma in computer technology or a related discipline from a recognized postsecondary institution and six years related experience; or a related one-year certificate from a recognized post-secondary institution and seven years related experience.

The following experience is required: 

• Solid foundation in data management, data analysis, grouping methodologies, diagnosis and intervention coding and clinical vocabularies.
• Functional skills with analytic tools used for data cleansing and curating.

The following experience is considered as assets:

• Experience in performing Data cleansing and Data Prep.

The following experience will be given preference:

• Experience with preparing Data and Information Products using Health data.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification.

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Full-time position working 36.25 hours per week.
 

Candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary. This competition may be used to fill future roles at the same or lower classifications.

The final candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment checks (Reference check/Criminal record and/or academic).

A cover letter outlining how your experience relates to the qualifications outlined in this job ad is required. 

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Also, please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part-time, or full-time. For example, January 15, 2006 - June 25, 2009: Assistant (PT three 8 hrs. shifts/week).

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.