Research and Data Analyst

  • Full-time

Company Description

With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all of our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

Agency Description

GovLabPHL (“the Lab”), is a community of City employees and academic researchers led by the Mayor’s Policy Office dedicated to creating opportunities to learn and practice evidence-based methods. We collaboratively explore ways in which government can best serve residents by supporting City agencies looking to address challenges through the practical use of data and research. GovLabPHL is a local, national and international leader in this space.

The mission of GovLabPHL is to shift the culture in government towards evidence-based policy and data-driven decision making. 

GovLabPHL creates pathways for learning about solutions using data and research, and we create pathways for putting evidence-based methods into practice. 

The goal of the Lab is to improve the outcomes of taxpayer-funded programs.  When programs are data-driven, we improve our capacity to serve residents effectively and efficiently. 

GovLabPHL initiatives fall into 3 categories:

  • Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative – designing, managing, and publishing pilot / project-based randomized controlled trials and evaluations
  • The PHL government book club - which hosts quarterly events for City employees based on books it recommends
  • GovLabPHL events and communications - development and implementation of an annual conference and other events and working closely with our digital manager to communicate the work to the public effectively

Underlying all of the work at GovLabPHL are our beliefs:

  • That everything that we do should contribute to helping improve government services and resident outcomes and experience
  • That our process of engaging stakeholders and conducting research is key to ensuring respect and transparency throughout a research experience
  • That this work empowers City stakeholders by giving them the tools and knowledge necessary to look at challenges through an evidence-based lens
  • That there is value in collaborative teamwork and its role in gaining insights and achieving a goal


GovLabPHL resides in the Mayor’s Office of Policy, Legislation, and Intergovernmental Affairs.  This Office ensures the policy and legislative priorities of the Mayor are organized, well-researched, and implemented through legislative or administrative action. The Office strives to integrate evaluation, including randomized field assessments, into government action so that testing, iterating, and improving becomes standard practice. In addition, the Office works with the Mayor and City Council to set legislative and policy priorities and works to implement best practices in partnership with key program stakeholders, and with experts both internal and external to government.  

Job Description

We are looking for a civically-minded leader with a passion for data-driven decision making and improving City government through rigorous research and data analysis. This individual will provide expertise and support as a key contributor of strategy development for the team and the City at large and will be responsible for continuing and expanding the culture of collaboration, partnership and delivery of high-quality support throughout the City.

Essential functions

In this role, you will:

  • Write reproducible scripts and workflows to collect, clean, and analyze data in order to answer key policy questions.
  • Help design, implement and analyze evaluations. Use various research designs, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental analyses, and others as appropriate. 
  • Ensure that work product adheres to methodological and open science best practices.
  • Visualize data, write descriptions and summaries of projects, and create presentations of results. 
  • Clearly communicate key insights to diverse audiences, including scientific experts, government practitioners, and public stakeholders.
  • Help to disseminate scientific lessons, tools, and best practices across City government.
  • Communicate with agency partners and key stakeholders, both internal and external to government.
  • Review literature to creatively inform City policies and program designs.
  • Proactively provide ideas and critical feedback—as well as being open to such constructive dialogue—as part of constantly improving the Mayor’s Policy Office and its collective work output.

Qualifications

Qualifications (education and experience)

  • Subject matter expertise in at least one field of relevance to local government, such as psychology, sociology, economics, public policy, urban design, criminal justice, or other related fields.
  • Training in statistical research methods at the graduate level, or demonstrated equivalent training via work experience
  • Experience with experimental design, including issues of sampling, randomization, and statistical inference.
  • Additional proficiency in qualitative research and quasi-experimental designs preferred.
  • Experience with at least one statistical programming language, such as R (strongly preferred), Python, Stata, or related tools. Experience with version control systems such as Git is preferred, but not required.
  • Education: At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, preferably in psychology, sociology, political science, statistics, economics, mathematics, or another social science field.
  • Experience: Three years of highly-relevant experience which includes working with complex datasets, conducting research and/or evaluation projects, and collaborating with team members and partners.

Competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities

  • Excellent communicator: Ability to explain technical concepts to general audiences, explain the logic behind research decisions, craft compelling narratives about research design, write and speak clearly, and cultivate effective communication among team members.
  • Relationship-builder: Ability to work with a variety of people and personalities, listen and ask questions to identify new research opportunities, and cultivate strong relationships to ensure seamless collaboration and continued project support.
  • Curious: Ability to practice active listening, ask questions to get at the root of a problem, be open to receiving/giving constructive feedback, and have a sincere interest in learning new skills or growing old ones.
  • Compassionate: Ability to turn research insights into actionable solutions that address people’s real needs ethically and with integrity.
  • Rigorous: Driven by thoughtful, quality, and detail-oriented processes, project output, and client/team interactions.
  • Organized: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, estimate timelines, rework a project approach based on unforeseen challenges, work well under pressure, and set/meet reasonable deadlines.
  • Action-oriented: Ability to see opportunities, navigate barriers, be self-directed, and problem-solve solutions that enhance the City’s deliverables, processes, and practices.
  • Broad-spectrum: Knows enough about the basics of social sciences and research processes to effectively collaborate across disciplines. 
  • Resilient: Ability to have a sense of humor, learn from mistakes, and/or return to work after experiencing a setback.
  • Amplifier: Ability to amplify others’ strengths and successes and operate beyond ego and self-interest.

Additional Information

Please include:

  • A one-page cover letter explaining why you’re passionate about the work of the Mayor’s Office.
  • Resume or curriculum vitae
  • If you have a research portfolio, please include it.
     

What We Offer:

  • We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
  • 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
  • Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
  • A wellness program that offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
  • Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
  • Generous retirement savings options

Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx

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