Data Solutions Architect Specializing in data systems, decision clarity & definition alignment

Hi, I'm
Barbara.
Data Systems & Solutions.

"I help mission-driven organizations align their decisions, definitions, and data ecosystem."

I'm drawn to patterns, clean system design, and building data tools that help people make better decisions with confidence. I don't start with dashboards — I start with the decisions those dashboards need to support.

View My Work ↓ About Me
Barbara Virsik
Chicago, IL
01 — About

My Journey to Data

I'm drawn to patterns, clean system design, and building data tools that help people make better decisions with clarity and confidence.

My relationship with math and data started early. On weekends, my dad would sit down with me and have me derive formulas and concepts from scratch — something I wasn't always thrilled about at the time. Looking back, I'm incredibly grateful for those foundational moments. They shaped how I think: not just learning what works, but understanding why and how it works at a fundamental level.

This curiosity led me to study Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, where I leaned deeper into first principles thinking and problem solving. During that time, I discovered data science as a natural intersection of my strengths: technical rigor, business intuition, and translating complexity into meaningful, actionable stories. What started as internships quickly became a clear direction.

The Alps

In my most recent role, I gravitated toward data architecture and systems thinking — designing semantic models and building end-to-end data solutions across Sales, Marketing, and CX. I helped stand up the Marketing Analytics function from 0 to 1, creating foundational tools and dashboards that informed marketing strategy and campaign planning.

At my core, I turn patterns into insight and chaos into clarity — whether through deep-dive analysis, scalable data models, or tools that help teams confidently act on their data.

Outside of work, I'm naturally drawn to understanding how things work and how patterns emerge across even the most unexpected domains. I also love exploring well-crafted stories through books and movies — my favorite genre is "based on real life events."

Barbara
02 — My Why

Most data problems aren't actually data problems —
they're definition and assumption problems.

The biggest gaps rarely come from missing dashboards, but from misaligned understanding of what metrics actually mean and how data is captured in practice. I focus on getting to the root of those gaps by working from the lowest level of data and directly with the people closest to it. That's where the real friction — and the real opportunity — usually lies.

My approach

I don't start with dashboards, I start with decisions. My work focuses on bridging the gap between how businesses think their data works and how it actually behaves in practice. By going to the lowest grain of the data and working closely with stakeholders and system users, I uncover misaligned definitions, hidden assumptions, and structural gaps — the kinds of issues that quietly cause data projects to fail adoption or lead to decisions based on skewed reporting.

🎯
Project Goal
What decision does this serve?
↓
📋
Metric Specs & Requirements
Definitions, grain, assumptions
↓
💬
Stakeholder Feedback
Align before building
↓
🔨
Build
With clarity, not assumptions
↓
🎤
Demo
Show, test, refine together
↓
🔄
Rollout & Iteration
Built to last and evolve

My top 3 observations — and how I solve them

01 / Definition Gap

Misaligned Metric Definitions

"I thought sales by order date meant when customers clicked 'order', not when it shipped from the warehouse."

"Our win rate is quotes won divided by quotes open… or is it quotes won vs. total quotes received?"

These misunderstandings are incredibly common and often go unnoticed until trust in the data starts to break down.

I always start by understanding the purpose of the metric. From there, I work backwards to define it clearly, align on assumptions, and document it with concrete examples that stakeholders can actually reference.

02 / Purpose Gap

Unclear Project Purpose

"We need campaign metrics to see how our marketing campaigns did."

At first glance, this sounds straightforward — but without a clear goal, the project quickly becomes unfocused. Without a clear purpose, a data project turns into a merry-go-round.

I start by asking: what are you trying to do with this data? What decision are you trying to make? What initially sounds like engagement metrics might come down to something specific — like tracking promo code sales or campaign-driven revenue.

03 / Scope Creep

Conflicting Perspectives

"Let's track Wait Time differently — let's exclude IVR and focus on queue averages instead…"

When stakeholders with different responsibilities get involved, projects quickly become overloaded with competing definitions. You end up trying to make one dashboard answer fundamentally different questions.

You can't make one steak rare, well-done, and vegan at the same time. I protect clarity: one data view, one clear goal. Separate, well-defined views for separate stakeholder needs.

03 — What drives me

Energizers & Drainers

⚡ What energizes me

🎯

Accountability & Ownership

Taking full ownership of outcomes, starting from a clear purpose rather than a checklist of requests. I do my best work when I'm trusted to see something through end to end.

🏗️

Long-term Thinking

I genuinely enjoy building scalable, thoughtful solutions that support future needs. Quick ad-hoc fixes or short-term workarounds tend to drain my energy.

🧭

Mission-Driven Clarity

I do my best work when I understand the clear mission and purpose of a company. Knowing the broader direction of the organization drives the most effective prioritization for teams and individuals. The "why" of the org cannot be an afterthought.

📖

Storytelling

Crafting compelling narratives that take others on a journey — helping them understand what the data is really saying and why it matters. Data without a story is just numbers.

🪫 What drains me

🌀

Constant Shifting Priorities Without Context

When direction changes rapidly and nobody explains why, it becomes impossible to prioritize thoughtfully. Context is everything — without it, effort gets scattered and nothing gets done well.

❓

Unclear Ownership or Decision Rights

Work stalls when nobody is sure who has the authority to decide. I thrive with clear accountability structures where ownership is explicit and respected.

📦

Building Outputs Without Defined Decisions

Outputs need to serve a clear decision. When deliverables exist for their own sake — dashboards nobody consults, reports nobody reads — it's a signal that purpose was never defined upstream.

🙈

Environments That Hide Mistakes

When teams can't openly discuss what went wrong, they can't fix what matters. The most important decisions often come out of honest conversations about failure. Cultures that suppress those conversations prevent real growth.

04 — Work

Selected Projects

Case Study · Apr 2026

The Job Market
Paradox

The Job Market Paradox
Data Deep Dive

Why Applying Has Never Been Easier — And Getting Hired Has Never Been Harder

A data-driven case study exploring how digitization, ATS systems, and rising application volume have reshaped modern hiring dynamics in the U.S. labor market. Uses JOLTS data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics alongside LinkedIn membership as a proxy for the shift to digital recruiting.

JOLTS / BLS DataTrend AnalysisLabor MarketData StorytellingSystems Thinking
Read the full case study →
🏗️

Coming soon

📊

Coming soon

05 — Writing

Blog

Featured · Apr 2026

The Job Market Paradox

How digitization created a world where applying has never been easier, yet getting hired has never been harder — explored through BLS data, LinkedIn growth, and the rise of ATS.

Read the case study →
Coming soon

Why Your Metric Definition Is Probably Wrong

The quiet assumption that breaks dashboards and trust simultaneously.

Coming soon

Building Marketing Analytics From 0 to 1

What I learned standing up a function from scratch — and what I'd do differently.

06 — Recommendations

Books & Films I Love

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Barbara's picks
coming soon

07 — Let's connect

Want to work
together? Let's talk.

I'm open to data consulting, full-time roles, and interesting collaborations. It starts with a conversation.

Send an Email LinkedIn ↗
© 2026 Barbara Virsik Built with clarity and intentionality. Back to top ↑