Minnesota - System Administrator (Regional)

Job Title: System Administrator (Regional) Reports to: HMIS Manager

Salary range: $52,000-58,000 Job Class: HMIS Administration (commensurate with experience)

Status: Full Time, Exempt Location: Minnesota

POSITION SUMMARY

The Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) is nonprofit organization and a national leader in the administration of Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). ICA has administered Minnesota’s HMIS since 2016. Minnesota’s HMIS is a web-based database used by over 280 organizations across the state, such as emergency shelters and housing providers, to collect data on households experiencing or at risk of homelessness. HMIS is used to report to funders, evaluate and inform community- and state-wide responses to homelessness, connect people experiencing homelessness with housing and services, and support research and advocacy efforts.

System Administrators support the organizations, programs, and users that use the database provided by our software vendor, with the goal of helping them enter high quality data that can be used for the variety of purposes described above. System Administrators on our team typically have a specialty area, such as delivering training or providing user support.

The ideal candidate for the System Administrator position is a detail-oriented, self-guided professional with experience using and helping others use technology. You love investigating and solving logical problems, thrive on helping others do their job, and understand how data can serve efforts to end homelessness. You take pride in getting things done right and are comfortable managing competing priorities. You do not need to be a programmer or an IT expert to be successful in this role – most of our System Administrators are former HMIS users, have a background in teaching/training, and/or have held technical support-related roles in past jobs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

System Administration

• Act as a liaison between ICA, partner agencies, state and local funders, regional planning groups (Continuums of Care), and others to facilitate effective collaboration around HMIS projects

• Develop and maintain knowledge of homeless assistance programs and related initiatives

• Provide technical support and training to ensure the success of projects

• Set up organizations, programs, and users to use the database, ensuring they can enter the data they need to report to funders and/or refer households to shelter, housing, and services

Training and Development

• Provide a warm introduction and orientation to Minnesota’s HMIS for all new projects in assigned Continuum of Care and clarify expectations of participation to ensure quality data and compliance.

• Promote Minnesota’s data quality process, providing support to projects that do not yet participate in the process or are struggling with data quality.

• Meet with projects on-the-ground to understand and identify barriers to successful data entry; create recommendations to improve data collection practices and data entry.

Data monitoring, analysis and interpretation

• Proactively monitor how projects are represented in HMIS providers, including inventory, grant sources and accuracy of projects in region, identifying trends and areas for improvement.

• Provide regular updates and reports to Continuum of Care leadership and decision makers using HMIS data.

• Foster a data driven culture by promoting the usability of data locally and highlighting trends and issues with the quality of the data.

• Support efforts to evaluate program performance and planning.

Federal reporting

• Coordinate between the Institute for Community Alliances and regional Continuum of Care during federal reporting season where HMIS data is pulled and aggregated.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Demonstrated Skills

• Attention to detail and accuracy

• Understanding of how to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

• Effectively present information and respond to questions from partner agencies, end users, governmental entities, and community stakeholders

• Provide technical support to individuals with varying levels of technical knowledge

• Regular, ongoing collaboration in project teams, including with remote staff

• Ability to work effectively and professionally with people from diverse backgrounds

• Ability to learn quickly, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, anticipate and meet established deadlines, and regularly produce high quality work product

Required Background/Knowledge

• Knowledge of basic office equipment and technology; excellent computer skills

• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.)

• Proficient use of inter- and intra-office communication tools such as email, video conferencing, teleconferencing, Zoom, and similar tools

Preferred Background/Knowledge

• Experience using or helping others use databases, especially ClientTrack or other HMIS software

• Project management

• Cooperatively or independently create training and procedural manuals or guidelines

• Understand the evolving role of data and its importance to efforts to end social problems

Experience and Education

• Minimum of two years paid experience in a position with a high degree of responsibility

• One or both of the following:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university

  • One to three years of related experience, such as homeless management information system (HMIS) use, database-related experience, providing technical support/troubleshooting to users or customers, training, or providing homeless services.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Standing – Approximately less than 1/3 of on-the-job time

• Walking – Approximately less than 1/3 of on-the-job time

• Sitting – Approximately greater than 2/3 of on-the-job time

• Reaching with hands and arms – Approximately between 1/3 and 2/3 of on-the-job time

• Stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling – Approximately less than 1/3 of on-the-job time

• Talking or hearing – Approximately greater than 2/3 of on-the-job time

• Weight lifted/force exerted – An average of approximately up to 10 pounds, non-continuously

• Physical requirements listed are primarily applied to ability to lift and move paper supply, files, etc.

• Vision – Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less)

• Driving – Approximately less than 1/3 of on-the-job time

Travel/Work Schedule

Travel-related accommodations may be made to support individuals for whom travel is not feasible, for instance due to disability status or childcare limitations.

• Occasional out-of-state travel for professional conferences/training (generally less than one week for each occurrence)

• Occasional local or in-state travel for community meetings or onsite implementation support

• Schedule may fluctuate based on workload

Expense Reimbursement

• Direct and necessary purchases related to required job-related activities are typically made by the company. However, such expenses are eligible for reimbursement if the employee makes a purchase using their own funds. The employee is responsible for the timely request and submission of complete and accurate reimbursement documentation and form(s).

HOW TO APPLY

Submit a resume and a cover letter to Amy Olsen-Highness, HMIS Manager, at https://icalliances.org/all- openings. In your cover letter, please tell us why you are interested in this position and how your skills and experience will help you be successful in this position and contribute to ICA's efforts to help communities use data to prevent and end homelessness. You must submit both a resume and cover letter to be considered for the position.