Senior Policy Analyst at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – Boston, Massachusetts

The Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of Performance Management and Innovation (OPMI) will be responsible for managing and creating OPMI’s data products, as well as leading and creating technical solutions for reporting, research, and other processes for both MassDOT and the MBTA.

This role has primary responsibility for managing OPMI’s data and technical projects that support a range of policy decisions related to strategic research and performance management and include both those specifically requested within the organization and those self-generated within OPMI. Projects may include maintaining and generating datasets for the MBTA Open Data Portal, writing scripts using R or Python to automate performance measure calculations, and assisting other teams in identifying, preparing, connecting to, or creating data sources to enable their work.

To meet these responsibilities, the Senior Policy Analyst will carry out projects involving data from all areas of transportation, including public transportation, active modes, and car-based modes, to support activities and decision-making by all divisions of MassDOT and the MBTA. Projects will include data assessment, collection, cleaning, and visualization; data management and QA/QC; qualitative and quantitative data analysis; and best practice research.

• Manage projects involving data collection, cleaning, qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis.
• Design and implement programmatic solutions to access and visualize data, including retrieving data from APIs, cleaning large data files, and creating visualizations.
• Translate complex data findings into actionable policy recommendations for a variety of technical and non-technical stakeholders and business partners.
• Identify opportunities to enhance data reporting, collection, and analysis across MassDOT and the MBTA.
• Keep up to date and engaged in data and analytics topics in the transportation field as well as the primary transportation challenges in the agency.
• As part of a collaborative team, prioritize and manage data projects, including identifying data needs, conducting data collection, cleaning, and analysis, reporting results within and outside the organization, and using research results to inform practice.
• Work with various audiences (academic, practitioners, decision-makers, etc.) as appropriate to improve data sharing and management within MassDOT and the MBTA.
• Establish and maintain organized, efficient, and standardized processes for work intake, prioritization, resource allocation, quality control, and release of findings.
• Respond to data inquiries from customers, vendors, and internal partners.
• Assist with other duties in OPMI as needed, including providing support to Performance Management and Strategic Research verticals and cross-team projects.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Supervision

• May oversee a full-time Data Analyst position or rotating co-ops (interviewing, hiring, supervising, mentoring, training, and evaluating).

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in business administration, statistics, public policy, economics, mathematics, computer science, engineering political science, history, urban planning, environmental studies, or related field.
• Four (4) years of experience in quantitative analysis, research, or project management in transportation or related field. Independent research conducted in an academic program may be counted as work experience.
• Effective organizational, analytical, quantitative, qualitative, multi-tasking and time management skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, take direction, and work independently, and ability to resolve issues with creative and collaborative approaches.
• Expertise in at least one approach to advanced data analysis (e.g. GIS, SQL, Python, R, SPSS, or other).
• Advanced expertise in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).

• A high school diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate’s degree from an accredited institution and an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of general experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one (1) year of experience.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Five (5) or more years of experience in quantitative analysis, research, or project management in transportation or related field. Independent research conducted in an academic program may be counted as work experience.