Data Analyst
| Job Title: | Data Analyst |
| Department: | Data Development |
| Reports to: | Director of Data Analytics |
| FLSA Status: | Exempt |
| Prepared Date: | September 6, 2023 |
| Location: | Philadelphia, PA / Remote |
About PolicyMap, Inc.
PolicyMap is a national online mapping tool and platform that enables its customers to access data about communities and markets across the US. It is used for research, market studies, business planning, site selection, grant applications and impact analysis. We offer access to the PolicyMap tool through subscriptions and enterprise access, license the underlying data in our platform and help organizations and companies bring interactive mapping to their own websites. Launched in 2008, PolicyMap now has hundreds of customers, including federal, state, and local government agencies, major universities, non-profit organizations, and commercial firms spanning real estate, banking, and health care. PolicyMap is a Benefit Corporation founded on the belief that data has the power to change communities and markets.
The Data Development Team at PolicyMap is responsible for the collection, curation, maintenance, and updates of source data for PolicyMap’s core products. We build tools, processes, and documentation to clean, organize, annotate, and integrate terabytes of data from hundreds of unique sources for PolicyMap’s customers. Data format, structure, and update cadence all vary widely, so we build our infrastructure to be flexible and to reflect this reality.
PolicyMap is also embarking on an enterprise-wide infrastructure migration initiative aimed at scalability, and the Data Development Team is playing a key role in setting requirements for new tools for collecting, processing, and transferring data.
Position Summary
PolicyMap seeks an experienced, collaborative and highly organized team member who has a foundation in working with geographic data related to socio-economic conditions in the United States to join PolicyMap’s Data Development Team.
The Data Analyst will report to the Director of Data Analytics. The Data Analyst will contribute to the Data Development Team by sourcing, acquiring, maintaining, and curating data for our online data and mapping services. Data Analysts are responsible for multiple individual data updates, beginning with collection of new or updated data through quality assurance of the final formatted data. A normal week in this position would involve investigating recently updated data to document changes in the source that must be accounted for, adjusting ETL processing, performing manual and automated QA, and drafting customer-facing documentation. Spatial data is a core component of the data portfolio, so the Data Analyst is also responsible for large-scale spatial processing such as geocoding, spatial joins, and point aggregation.
Because PolicyMap customers include government agencies, universities, non-profit organizations, and commercial firms, the Data Analyst must have an aptitude for conceptualizing data related to a variety of topics related to housing, poverty and health, to name a few. To be successful in this position, a candidate must bring creativity, flexibility, and attention to detail. They will ideally have some experience writing SQL and Python code in production environments. Experience working with other elements of PolicyMap’s tech stack, including Amazon Web Services services such as Athena, Glue, RDS, or ArcGIS would be highly desirable.
Since March of 2020, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PolicyMap staff has worked remotely full time. Our office in Center City Philadelphia remains open for team members who wish to work in the office from time to time. Going forward, our intent is to continue to offer a dynamic work experience where employees can work from the location of their choosing while being held accountable for achieving goals. We value the collegiality and energy that comes from working together in person and intend to have in-person meetings in the Philadelphia office on occasion going forward. This position will require occasional commuting to the Philadelphia office.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Research and procure large and small public and proprietary datasets
- Collect, process, and document our datasets using SQL, QGIS, R, and Python
- Communicate with tech team to ensure data appears properly in PolicyMap
- Author documentation of process and dataset indicators
- Conduct validation and quality assurance testing of datasets
Education, Experience and Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
- Bachelor’s degree required with preference for Master’s Degree or two years’ commensurate work experience in urban planning, public policy, health services research, economics, public health, anthropology, sociology, demography or other related fields
- Two years’ commensurate work experience required (can include internships)
- Demonstrated proficiency and experience required with SQL (MS SQL or PostgreSQL) or other relational databases, GIS (ArcGIS or QGIS); one or more statistical software programs (SPSS, SAS, R) a plus; experience with Python a plus
- Experience using federal data, such as data published by the U.S. Census Bureau or Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Familiarity with current public policy issues and community development concerns
- Proven organizational skills and attention to detail
- Excellent technical and compositional writing skills
- Able to write on a variety of topics to all types of audiences
- Excellent interpersonal skills
Competencies:
To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
- Ownership/Accountability – Actively manages work and issues through to completion.
- Customer Service – Understands and manages customer expectations.
- Communication – Effectively communicates needs, challenges, and expectations to other staff members.
- Initiative – Anticipates and communicates challenges and opportunities.
- Commitment – Demonstrates sense of passion and urgency for work, mission and organization.
- ● Adaptability – Sees opportunity and mitigates risk for continuous improvement.
- Efficiency and Productivity – Determines priorities and allocates time and focus accordingly.
- Professional/Technical Expertise – Understands and applies technical/procedural knowledge of the job.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Competitive salary based on experience and skills
- Participation in the Employee Stock Equity Program
- Annual bonus based on company and individual performance
- Employer-paid health coverage and prescription plan
- Employer-paid vision and dental coverage
- Employer-paid disability and life insurance
- 401(k) savings plan with employer-paid match
- Up to 31 days Paid Time Off (vacation and sick leave), depending on level of experience
- 10 paid federal holidays
- Employer-paid Community Volunteer Time Off
- Family and medical leave
- Tax savings plans for transportation, dependent care, and medical expenses
- Employer-paid Employee Assistance Programs
PolicyMap will not sponsor any applicants for an employment visa now or in the future for this position.
To Apply
Please email your resume and salary requirements and research to: HR@policymap.com. Cover letters are optional.
PolicyMap, Inc. uses E-Verify to validate all new hires’ ability to legally work in the United States. PolicyMap, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PolicyMap does not discriminate in hiring or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, national origin, non-job related disability, or status as a veteran. Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.