Data and Policy Specialist
ID: 2022-6796
Type: full-time
The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) is seeking a Data and Policy Specialist to support, and in some cases lead, complex data projects. Candidates must be capable of working with large and sometimes incomplete datasets and providing data-related technical assistance to local, state, tribal, and national organizations. The ideal candidate will be able to work efficiently, is well-organized, detail-oriented, and can prioritize quickly and confidently. The position requires extensive writing assignments; qualified candidates will have familiarity with current adult or youth justice research and exhibit excellent writing and critical thinking / analytic skills as well as comfort with an intensive editing process for all written work products. Candidates must be able to work independently as well as part of multiple teams. The ability to multi-task in a fast-paced and virtually-based work environment is critical. Travel is an expected component of most of CJI’s projects and will be required for this position. Interested candidates should apply by November 18, 2022.
Duties / Responsibilities:
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data, write code/syntax, and organize research findings to effectively convey results to varying audiences.
- Clean, merge, and restructure complex federal, state, and local criminal justice administrative datasets for analysis.
- Identify the best possible use for data in a policy and political context, including responding to stakeholder questions and providing actionable analysis, both in writing and orally.
- Design research studies and collect quantitative and qualitative data through file review, structured interviews, surveys, and other data collection methods as needed.
- Work closely with project teams and stakeholders to project the impact of certain policy changes on the justice-involved population, including incarcerated and community supervision populations.
- Work with clients and stakeholders to identify, collect, and track performance measures during and after implementation of policy changes.
- Develop and deliver dynamic presentations to varied audiences, including line staff, mid-managers, executives, and policy makers.
- Ensure data storage security and safeguarding for assigned projects.
- Familiarity with current adult justice and/or youth justice research, policy, and practice.
- Experience with quantitative data analysis using programs like STATA, SPSS, or R.
- Willingness to learn and exercise best practices in the areas of data governance and data management, for example, establishing/using coding conventions, organizing data dictionaries and secure file storage, proper data de-identification, and facilitating project collaboration through consistent, transparent documentation of steps taken in cleaning and analyzing data.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
- Strong writing and public speaking skills.
- Motivated and independent thinker.
- Ability to interact with a variety of people, both in-person and virtually, in a professional and collaborative manner.
- Ability to coordinate and respond to multiple priorities with tight deadlines.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office products (e.g., Excel, Word).
- Willingness and ability to travel, and work flexible hours when needed.
Qualifications
Preferred Knowledge / Skills / Experience:
- Familiarity with forecasting methodologies such as causal or time series analyses.
- Experience with rigorous evaluation methodologies for process and/or impact evaluations.
- Familiarity with data scraping, data dashboards, and/or data visualization programs like Power BI or Tableau.
- Acquaintance with SharePoint, a plus.
- Understanding programming languages like Java or Python.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree related to criminal justice, public policy, or applied statistics preferred. Preference given to candidates with work experience in public safety policy, administration, and/or research.
