Associate Research Analyst/Programmer

The position is a Research Analyst/Programmer position at the associate level with advanced skills in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), scripting, and computational analysis related to large urban datasets.

Company
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago, IL
Responsibilities
  • Completes assigned tasks and projects; and manages workload and schedule to achieve desired outcomes and meet required deadlines, with limited supervision.
  • Effectively communicates with supervisors.
  • Establishes and maintains positive relations with coworkers, and when applicable with external partners, stakeholders, and communities.
  • Attends internal department meetings and internal and external committee meetings, outreach events, and workshops as assigned.
  • Participates in project teams, helping to achieve desired outcomes; eventually serving as Project Manager with oversight of project team members.
  • Conducts moderate to advanced analyses and investigations and prepares reports, maps and graphics to effectively convey the findings.
  • Conducts moderate to advanced processing tasks with large urban datasets, develops innovative GIS scripting and analytical solutions, and performs other complex research and data analysis work to inform internal and external decisions.
  • Conducts advanced work to automate the production of data tables, maps, graphs, and other business intelligence products.
  • Conducts advanced mapping and analysis tasks using Esri ArcGIS software.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED (an equivalent amount of training, education and experience will be considered)

Required: A Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Geography, GIS, Geoinformatics, Data Science, Statistics, or a related discipline; exposure to and experience with data collection, large urban datasets, research, and quantitative analysis, through coursework, internships and/or professional experience; a minimum of four years of professional experience.

Preferred: A Master’s degree in Planning, Geography, GIS, Data Science, Statistics, or a related discipline; a minimum of two years of professional experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES including competencies that may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.

  • Adequate ability to perform mapping and analytical tasks using Esri ArcGIS, QGIS, or comparable software package.
  • Adequate ability to perform data processing, analytical tasks, or and data visualization using Python, R, SQL, and/or other scripting tools.
  • Ability to prepare technical information and to effectively communicate that information clearly to external and internal audiences orally, in writing, and in presentations.
  • Adequate skills in principles of research, data collection and analysis. 
  • Adequate ability to analyze and systematically compile technical information and to prepare technical reports.
  • Adequate skills in working with large urban datasets, development of innovative GIS analytical solutions and custom tools. 
  • Demonstrated ability to contribute to moderate to complex projects and work as part of a team is required.
  • General understanding of environmental, social, land use, and transportation considerations in urban planning.
  • Ability to work with limited supervision but also in a team setting.
  • Ability to evaluate and streamline workflows.
  • Ability to support the professional development of junior staff, specifically in learning how to use advanced scripting tools to produce and automate production of maps and other business intelligence.
  • Proficiency in business technology, including communication and collaboration tools used in remote work environment (Teams, Zoom, etc.)
Program / Center Affiliation
Job Type
Full-Time