Data Strategist job at Central Transportation Planning Staff

Job Description

The Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) seeks a Data Strategist to lead our data development, data analytics, and data management initiatives.

The Data Strategist will build relationships outside of the organization to ensure better coordination and data sharing as well as to elevate CTPS’s role as a resource for data and analytics that guide regional planning and policymaking in the Boston region, particularly the work of the MPO. The Data Strategist may be involved in ensuring data needs and requirements are met for producing federally mandated planning documents related to the MPO’s transportation investments. In addition, the Data Strategist will oversee the development of internal policies, processes, and mechanisms for data usage, sharing, development, and communication.

While not required to manage employees from an administrative perspective, the Data Strategist will be supported and empowered by the executive leadership team (the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director) to work closely with directors, managers, analysts, and staff more broadly to understand, coordinate, and lead the implementation of data initiatives.

The successful candidate will join the CTPS team during a strategic planning process that is expected to be complete in the winter/spring of 2021. During this process, the roles and interfaces of the eight groups within the organization are being explored and could potentially be re-imagined. The Data Strategist will, therefore, have the opportunity to work closely with the leadership team to implement CTPS’s future data strategy.

Responsibilities

The Data Strategist will be responsible for the following efforts:

Prioritizing and championing coordination of data initiatives across various state, regional, and local agencies
Supporting the strategic use of data to advance the Boston Region MPO’s vision to create a modern, well-maintained transportation system through a transparent process
Engaging with all staff to identify needs, opportunities, and cross cutting initiatives related to data strategy and analysis
Overseeing the development of policies for data usage and data sharing internally and externally in close coordination with the Deputy Executive Director and Directors
Developing and supporting strategies to maintain, update, and coordinate CTPS-managed databases, data analysis tools, dashboards, and web applications in close collaboration with the Data Resources staff
Aligning data strategy with the needs for maintaining and enhancing the CTPS travel demand model, requiring close coordination with managers and leaders of travel demand modeling initiatives and work
Advancing the use of internal systems that help analyze, track, and improve performance of the agency in various aspects of our work in close collaboration with the Deputy Executive Director and Directors
Taking a leadership role in advancing our internal data working committee
When appropriate, working with Directors to identify proposals and opportunities for client-based work within and outside of the Boston region

Qualifications

We welcome applicants with the following qualifications:

Master’s degree in business, urban planning, data science, statistics, mathematics, or a related field, with at least six years of experience; or a bachelor’s degree in business, urban planning, data science, statistics, mathematics or related field, with at least nine years of experience
Ability to understand challenges, think strategically, and identify solutions
Ability to clearly map out the steps of a strategy to reach an outcome or goal
Ability to understand and communicate effectively with data analysts and IT staff, grounded in the ability to think algorithmically and represent that thinking in a programming language
Ability to communicate effectively with non-technical staff and external partners
Ability to understand, describe, and champion work flows, hardware and software needs, and skills needed to conduct data analysis
Ability to collaborate with public sector agencies in a political environment
Ability to understand and adapt to new technologies quickly
Proven track record of developing and managing a complex strategy
Familiarity with the fundamental principles of relational databases, Cloud-based computing services, and experience with or managing people with experience in a variety of software packages, such as Enterprise databases (PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or Oracle) and GIS applications (ESRI’s ArcGIS software and QGIS)

Additional Desirable Skills

Applicants should highlight knowledge and experience in these additional highly desirable areas:

Version control and configuration management tools such as Git/GitHub and SubVersion
Hybrid computing environments that include a mix of Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX operating systems
Large data sets (hundreds of Gigabytes to a few Terabytes in size), such as census, RMV, Streetlight, or INRIX
Statistical software packages, such as R and SPSS

Additional Information

The starting salary range for this position is $75,000–$100,000 annually, contingent upon qualifications and experience.

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the USA and a valid driver's license and/or the ability to arrange transportation to meetings in different parts of the region. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the fiduciary agent for CTPS and legally employs its staff. MAPC and CTPS are Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EEO/AA) employers that take pride in the diversity of their workforces and encourage all qualified persons to apply. A Criminal Offenders Records Information (CORI) request must be completed if the candidate is offered this position. However, a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment but will be reviewed in relation to the job applied for.

About CTPS

CTPS is a passionate group of transportation planners, analysts, modelers, programmers, and engineers working to address Boston’s regional transportation challenges. The deep transportation knowledge and expertise of this close-knit team is a critical asset to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), regional transit authorities, cities and towns within the region, as well as other agencies and stakeholders.

CTPS has two primary roles:

Support the Boston Region MPO board and its committees in establishing and realizing a vision to create a modern, well-maintained transportation system that supports an equitable, sustainable, healthy, livable, and economically vibrant region through a transparent and inclusive process
Carry out a wide range of technical and planning studies and analysis to support our partners in the region

How to Apply

This position is open until February 5, 2021. A review of applications will begin immediately. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume online at www.CTPS.org or www.BostonMPO.org.

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