Research Analyst
bcWORKSHOP
Experience:
1-3 years
Phone:
2142522900
Email:
trena@bcworkshop.org
Location:
dallas, TX
The buildingcommunityWORKSHOP is a Texas based nonprofit community design center seeking to improve the livability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design and making. We enrich the lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our city where resources are most scarce. To do so, [bc] recognizes that it must first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work.
The bcANALYTICS effort facilitates and promotes the informed interpretation of data and its direct use by community leaders. [bc] provides technical assistance, including data analysis and visualization, to community-based organizations to inform strategic decision-making and address urban issues. The goal is to serve community needs and inform local policymaking by providing valuable, actionable information on a local scale.
Position Titles: Research Analyst
Positions Available: 1
Location: Dallas, TX
Preferred Start Date: June 1, 2015
Compensation: $45,000
Main Purpose & Function
The Research Analyst will join [bc]’s bcANALYTICS effort to strengthen local communities by employing data and research to systematically tackle urban and civic issues, particularly those affecting asset-poor families. The position will work within the bcANALYTICS team, with oversight from the Director, to collaborate and provide research and data support for other [bc] staff.
The Research Analyst will (1) coordinate and meet with partner organizations to collaboratively design strategic research projects; (2) collect, analyze, visualize, and report on public and private datasets; (3) serve as a research and data intermediary between partner institutions and [bc]; (4) build a library of community-wide data resources; and (5) work with local organizations to develop a more robust research and data sharing culture in the region.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
● Collect, analyze, and present education, economic development, housing, health, and public safety from public data sources and private community institutions to a wide range of audiences
● Prepare context-specific reports for nonprofit organizations to aid in strategic decision-making on a topic identified by the organization
● Draft and implement data sharing agreements as needed
● Collect and track community and neighborhood indicators related to trends in quality of life
● Create and manage a library of data sources, indicators, and resources for Dallas and North Texas
● Coordinate with a diverse group of local stakeholders to advance a data strategy for Dallas
● Working with other [bc] offices to expand the bcANALYTICS program
Qualifications Required
● Bachelors degree in applied statistics, urban planning, public policy, computer science, or social science with emphasis on quantitative research in urban environments
● Passion for and experience with quantitative data collection, cleaning, transformation, management, and analysis
● Proficiency with or expertise in quantitative data cleaning, analysis, and visualization tools (MS Excel, R, SAS, Stata, SPSS)
● Proficiency with geospatial tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Maps API, CartoDB, Open Street Map, or MapBox
● Excellent report writing, editing, and proofreading skills
● Strong creative, critical thinking, and problem solving skills
● Intensive research experience in academic and/or professional contexts, including survey design, data collection, analysis, visualization, research writing, and presentation of research to non-technical audiences
● Professional and interpersonal skills necessary to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including the ability to listen to and interpret the needs of non-technical users
● Strong initiative, self-motivation, integrity, and sense of humor
Desired
● Master’s Degree in applied statistics, urban planning, public policy, computer science, social science, or a related field
● 0-3 years experience in a related field
● Visual and graphic design skills, especially in Adobe Creative Suite
● Experience in urban planning or another policy field a plus
● Experience with conducting surveys and qualitative data analysis techniques
● Front-end web development skills, such as, CartoCSS, or D3
CONTACT:
Please email interest letter, resume, and work samples (including writing samples, publications, reports, data visualizations, and/or maps) (10 mb maximum file size) to: Trena Lechleitner (no phone calls please) at trena@bcworkshop.org. Please reference “Research Analyst - Dallas 2015” in the subject line of your email.
Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2015.