Planning Data Analyst

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT:

The Community Development Department (CDD) is the planning agency for the City of Cambridge. Encompassing the Community Planning, Economic Opportunity and Development, Environmental & Transportation Planning, Housing, and Zoning & Development divisions, CDD’s mission is to foster a livable, sustainable, just, and equitable community. CDD engages and collaborates with community partners, other government agencies, businesses, and residents to make Cambridge a desirable place to live, work, learn, play, and innovate.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Working under the direction of the Senior Manager for Data Services, the Planning Data Analyst will provide data analysis and visualization support to 60 staff related to the Community Development Department.  The Planning Data Analyst will work across the department to help scope, execute and communicate data-related projects. Tasks include the collection, analysis, and distribution of a wide range of planning related data encompassing demographic, land use, economic development, housing, transportation and environmental topics.

Responsibilities include:

•         Collect, clean, and analyze data from disparate sources, including City departments, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Federal statistical agencies, particularly the Census Bureau.
•         Analyze data using tools such as R, Excel, and ArcGIS. 
•         Visualize and interpret data to assist with policy development and public communication.
•         Create new tools and processes that make it easier for staff and the public to work with data.
•         Support data collection and analysis projects for CDD divisions and other City departments.
•         Develop and maintain community indicators, including Envision Cambridge comprehensive plan indicators.
•         Evaluate, research and analyze questions and issues related to planning and data
•         Support strategic planning efforts for the department and city as a whole.
•         May answer questions from other City staff, the public, and other public agencies.
•         Stay abreast of fast changing developments affecting data across a wide range of topics.
•         Perform other duties as required, which may include evening meetings.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience:

•     Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, urban informatics, public policy, or public administration and a minimum of 5 years’ experience working with data analytics in a planning or other public sector environment; a master’s degree in these fields of study may be substituted for 2 years of experience.
•     Detailed understanding of and experience working with data resources in one or more planning-related topical areas, such as population demographics, labor markets, economic development, transportation, energy use, housing, and land use and development.
•     Experience working with diverse data sets from federal, state, and local agencies, including U. S. Census Bureau sources, such as the Decennial Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program. Understanding of basic demographic principles and understanding of recent US and local population trends.
•     Experience and detailed knowledge of best practices for data cleaning, aggregation, interpretation, and visualization.
•     Experience with one or more data visualization/dashboarding tools like Power BI, Tableau, R/Shiny.
•     Experience with one or more programming languages for data analysis, such as R, Python, SAS, SPSS, Stata.
•     Experience with GIS software and geographic analysis, preferably ESRI products.
•     Advanced experience with Microsoft Excel including formulas, charts, and pivot tables.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

•     Knowledge of basic/intermediate statistics, including descriptive statistics, linear and logistic regression, statistical significance, and confidence intervals.
•     Creativity and flexibility in developing solutions under budgetary, time, and other practical constraints.
•     Demonstrated ability to work as part of a diverse team and build collaborative relationships within teams.
•     Ability to communicate effectively (orally, graphically, and in writing) with City staff, citizens, contractors, and vendors.
•     Ability to understand and comply with City confidentiality requirements.
•     Ability to consistently demonstrate sound ethics and professional judgment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

•     Extensive experience with R for data cleaning, data analysis, business processes, and creation of data visualization tools and reports in Shiny and R Markdown or Quarto. Experience with use of these R libraries: tidyverse, ggplot2, plotly, sf, leaflet, tidycensus, httr, rvest.
•     Knowledge of SQL for querying databases; knowledge of database design.
•     Knowledge of best practices in survey design; experience with programming web surveys with tools like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics; survey data analysis.
•     Experience analyzing Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data.
•     Knowledge of principles of Plain Language in communication.
•     Experience with web content management systems, especially Sitecore; experience with web languages/technologies like HTML, CSS, Javascript, and JSON.
•     Experience with the following software/tools: GitHub, Microsoft Access, Smartsheet, Emphasys Elite, Adobe Creative Suite, Replica, Microsoft PowerApps.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:   Ability to access, input and retrieve information from a computer. Ability to answer phones, maintain multiple files and able to lift a minimum of at least 10 pounds. Ability to travel throughout the City of Cambridge to various meetings, etc. 

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  Standard office environment. Fluorescent lighting and air conditioning. Moderate noise level. This position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City’s Telework Policy, depending on operational needs

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS:

• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Vacation and Sick leave eligible
• Sick Incentive Pay Eligible
• 3 Personal days
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Management Allowance, $2700 year
• City employee transportation benefits (T-Pass reimbursement, Bluebikes membership, EZRide Shuttle)

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

Please upload the below documents to complete your application:

• Resume
• Cover Letter