Job: Data Analysis Consultant @ Austin’s Office of Police Oversight

In a nutshell

The City of Austin’s Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is seeking a consultant to analyze/interpret complex data sets and create data-driven content such as public reports, policy recommendations, data visualizations, infographics, blog posts, and more.

We are looking for an experienced consultant, data analyst, researcher or communicator with strong analytical skills to lead both long and short-term data analysis and reporting, and will be expected to design graphics and write stories based on their data analysis.

An ideal candidate will be a self-starter with database journalism and development experience, and more specialized abilities and interests in database development, offline analysis, data parsing/scraping/wrangling, data management, and statistics/analysis/data science. Ability to create quick, thoughtful data visualizations and graphics across all platforms is a plus.

What will you be working on?

You’ll have the chance to develop OPO’s research portfolio ranging from data visualizations to complex analytics and mapping tools. Some of the research you will lead includes:

• Racial Profiling: Help design and build dashboards and maps to facilitate data analysis.
• Use of Force: Review of APD and in house data related to allegations of use of force to identify trends, if applicable.
• Data and Performance : Design and develop the open reporting dashboards for civilian oversight.
• Officer Involved Shootings: Perform analysis of APD involved shootings and identify any trends, if applicable.

About the role

This role will be full-time for six months, with the opportunity for renewal. Pay is commensurate with experience. As this is a temporary hourly position, it does not include benefits.

About #TEAMOPO

The Office of Police Oversight is a newly created office in the City of Austin. We are a small team that embraces collaboration, openness, and a commitment to transparency and accountability. Our team consists of a Director, community engagement specialists, complaint specialists, and support staff all working in concert towards a common goal of providing impartial oversight, increased transparency, and building sustainable partnerships.

We embrace mature frameworks, with an eye towards maintainability and long-term stability. We love data and getting things done!

You should apply if any of these items describe you:

• You are naturally curious with strong attention to detail.
• You have experience writing pieces driven by insights in data.
• Relevant Bachelor’s or Master’s-level degree, ideally in social sciences, statistics or data science.
• Ability to demonstrate excellence in researching and analyzing data, excellent written and spoken communication, numeracy and literacy skills, creativity, journalistic judgement, confidence and good diplomacy skills.
• First-rate writing and analysis skills, a keen understanding of global politics and economics. Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying the primary points of journalistic interest in a complex dataset, and conveying them clearly and concisely for a general audience. Prior journalistic experience is desirable but not required.
• Applicants must have advanced skills in some or all of: data-mining/scraping; databases and SQL; statistical packages and programming languages such as R, Stata and pandas or scikit-learn in Python; and visualization tools like D3.js and GeoJSON.
• For candidates applying from outside of Central Texas, be sure to include your date-specific relocation details in your cover letter. While this role is currently remote, the successful candidate will eventually work on-site at our office in Northeast Austin.

Ready to apply? Email your application to Farah.Muscadin@austintexas.gov

What to include:

Resume, Cover Letter and sample of data and analysis written for a general, non-academic, non-technical audience (10 page limit).

What to expect in our hiring process:

• Application review
• Phone interview
• In-person interview with assessment

City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974–9090 or TTY 711.

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation.