Civic Innovation Lab Associate — Data Analyst/Data Scientist
Job Description
BetaNYC is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives in New York through data, design, and technology. The Civic Innovation Lab (CIL) at BetaNYC is committed to serving the growing need for public interest technology through Research and Data Assistance Requests (RADARs). Through RADARs, the Civic Innovation Lab team addresses the data and technology needs of community board members, Borough Presidents’ offices, City Council staff, city agencies, community-based organizations and coalitions, and the public.
The BetaNYC Civic Innovation Lab is seeking a part-time Data Analyst or Data Scientist Associate to join our team. Associates support the BetaNYC Civic Innovation Lab in meeting the needs of civic stakeholders, identifying opportunities for improving public services, and increasing community engagement through responding to RADARs. Data analyst responsibilities include research, data analysis (i.e. Python, Jupyter Notebook, pandas, R, etc.), spatial analysis, data visualization, and development of findings into visualizations, summarized reports, dashboards, and web-based tools. Good communication is expected to coordinate with team members, to interface with stakeholders, and to document research methods and processes. Familiarity with urban planning and policy, design, mapping, creative storytelling, and web development are welcomed as well.
Civic Innovation Lab Associates have the opportunity to collaborate with a small team and to gain experience in working with data and technology in the context of civic engagement in New York City. Through research, data analysis, and RADAR support within the Civic Innovation Lab, Associates have the opportunity to work on data-driven projects that range from topics, including: education, transportation, the environment, and community advocacy. The Civic Innovation Lab supports the personal growth of Associates with professional exposure to developing research skills, analyzing open data, community organizations, programming, policy advocacy, communication, and network building.
We strongly encourage people from BIPOC communities, women, or people with working class / non-traditional education backgrounds to apply. We seek to center diverse lived experiences as we attempt to build a more inclusive public interest technology community and government technology industry.
Commitment
14–30 hours per week
Pay rate
$21.50 / per hour
Start date & duration
January to May 2024, with the opportunity to have a conversation about extending employment at the end of May
Location
In-person for at least two months, with the possibility of hybrid afterward. Our office is located downtown in New York City’s Civic Center.
Reporting manager
BetaNYC’s Civic Innovation Lab Director with additional direction provided by BetaNYC’s Executive Director
Minimum Qualifications
- Preferred bachelor’s degree (by time of appointment) or equivalent work experience in an office environment
- Exposure to or interest in urban policy or planning, data journalism, data analysis, GIS, or BetaNYC’s Civic Innovation Fellowship program
- Research, collect, and manipulate data in both structured and unstructured formats; in particular, comfortable with accessing, reading, manipulating, cleaning, summarizing, and explaining NYC open data
- Perform exploratory data analysis, statistical analysis, and spatial analysis to identify trends, patterns, and insights
- Excellent programming skills, including but not limited to: Python, Jupyter Notebook, R/RStudio, Tableau, PowerBI, JavaScript
- Develop and communicate findings for stakeholders, including data visualizations, dashboards, reports, maps, interactive charts, and other tools
Additional Skills/Qualities
- Spatial analysis and mapping, including GIS, QGIS, ArcGIS Online, Mapbox, Carto
- Basic understanding of SQL to query, clean, join, and manipulate data
- Familiarity with data visualization libraries and software such as D3.js, Plot.ly, Observable, and DataWrapper
- Enthusiastic about urban data analytics and interest in working with government stakeholders
- Strong organization and communication skills for the ability to collaborate with a small team, articulate personal needs, and work towards collectively defined goals
- Self-motivated individual with a can-do and solution-oriented attitude, the ability to thrive in a fast-paced collaborative environment
- Exhibit willingness to learn new skills, and patience when collaborating with others
- Knowledge of agile methodologies, open source technology, and civic tech movement
Civic Innovation Lab example projects
- https://boundaries.beta.nyc
- https://playgrounds.beta.nyc/
- https://observablehq.com/@betanyc
- https://beta.nyc/2022/10/04/film-permits-analysis/
Application Requirements
- Resume/CV
- Statement of Interest
- Portfolio/work samples (please demonstrate your ability to work creatively with data, build tools/interfaces, visualize data, clear visual communication of data findings and information, and a focused interest in urban policy and planning, sample code or GitHub repositories acceptable as well)
Questions? Please contact jobs@beta.nyc with any questions.