Senior Data Analyst, Crime and Justice Policy Lab

University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Full-time Analysis

Posted on April 2, 2024

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Senior Data Analyst, Crime and Justice Policy Lab

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title
Senior Data Analyst, Crime and Justice Policy Lab

Job Profile Title
Data Analyst Senior

Job Description Summary
This role is responsible for interpreting data, analyzing results using statistical techniques and providing ongoing reports. Developing and implementing data analyses, data collection systems and other strategies that optimize efficiency and quality. Acquiring data from primary or secondary data sources and maintaining databases.

Job Description

The Crime and Justice Policy Lab (CJP) is hiring a Senior Data Analyst with strong technical skills to work on research projects, primarily in support of the Crime and Justice Policy Lab's crime prevention and reduction work. The mission of the CJP Lab is to apply rigorous methods of scientific research to improve public safety in disadvantaged communities, centering those communities in the design and execution of policy ideas, and ensuring that research and government policy is being done with communities rather than to communities. The end goal for our work is that citizens in Philadelphia and other locations where we work are able to enjoy safety and equitable treatment and outcomes in their day-to-day lives. CJP works primarily in Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Oakland, and San Francisco, and with several federal government partners and international partners in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This position requires an individual who is able to work as part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. Compared to other Data Analysts in our research group, the Senior Data Analyst will have greater facility with programming and working with large datasets. The applicant will be expected to contribute to the development of research designs, data collection and cleaning, and analysis of outcome and process data. In keeping with our lab's approach to partnerships, the ideal candidate would also have experience and/or be willing to apply action research principles to their work, actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with and improve the capacity of our project partners.

The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading crime and violence prevention researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and with non-profit and governmental partners at municipal and state levels.

Background

The specific projects and scope of work of this position will be dependent on the applicant's skills and interests, although the Senior Data Analyst may support one or more of the following lab initiatives:

The Pushing Progress Philly (P3) program forms part of the City of Philadelphia's Group Violence Intervention (GVI) efforts to reduce gun violence. Designed after READI in Chicago, P3 pairs relentless outreach to high-risk young men with behavioral health interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and transitional jobs and job training. CJP is partnering with the City of Philadelphia to conduct an impact evaluation of the program.

The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) is launching a new violence intervention strategy, called Thrive Academy, that focuses on relentless outreach and intensive life coaching to youth under DJS supervision, deemed to be at the highest risk of involvement in gun violence, with the goal of keeping them safe, alive and free. DJS has partnered with CJP to rigorously evaluate the Thrive Academy's implementation in three Maryland counties: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Prince George's County.

Under CJP's international portfolio, the Lab has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to strengthen evidence-based decision making for citizen security in the Caribbean. CJP will provide technical training in the areas of data collection and analysis to government and community-based organizations to inform policy making and the deployment of prevention and enforcement resources.

Responsibilities

The Senior Data Analyst will collaborate closely with partners and research team members to propose and implement analytical approaches for solving specific research questions. They will contribute to the design, implementation, and validation of efficient and reproducible data processing pipelines using administrative datasets. Building and rigorously evaluating statistical models using best practices in statistical inference will be a key responsibility. Additionally, they will prepare results for memos, presentations, and academic papers targeting both policymakers and researchers. This position involves leading and mentoring other data scientists/analysts within the unit. They will also assist with literature reviews and drafting papers, as well as perform sampling, power analysis, and randomization,

Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree in criminology, economics, sociology, public policy, statistics, computer science, or a closely related field with substantial training in quantitative methods is required. PhD strongly preferred.

Experience:

Experience working with statistical programming languages required (STATA or R experience strongly preferred).

In addition, candidates are encouraged to highlight experience in the following areas:

Conducting geospatial analyses (e.g., ArcGIS)
Experience with other programming (e.g., Python)
Working with large, complex, and/or administrative datasets
Working with field experiments or randomized controlled trials
Program evaluation methods (e.g., difference-in-differences, propensity score matching, regression discontinuity)
Creating data visualizations
Conducting power analysis
Imputing missing data

Competencies:

Collaborating with government and community-based partners
Advanced knowledge of statistical techniques/strong quantitative skills
Interest in criminal justice policy
Developing and maintaining positive working relationships
Project management
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to work both independently and as a team member
Ability to work carefully with sensitive and confidential data
Knowledge and understanding of crime and violence policy and research literature is preferred
Familiarity with program evaluation and causal inference preferred
Spanish language skills preferred

This position is contingent upon grant funding.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range
$74,476.00 - $90,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.

Affirmative Action Statement
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay

To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/McNeil-Building/Senior-Data-Analyst--Crime-and-Justice-Policy-Lab_JR00088170

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