Senior Research Analyst

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 59,000 businesses in more than 50 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCWP also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/DCWP or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The Division of Technology and Strategic Solutions (DoTSS) reporting team plays a critical role in providing timely and accurate operations data to stakeholders in order to comply with public reporting needs, increase the agency’s transparency generally and, provide direct informational support to our decision makers as they shape DCWP’s policies, practices, and procedures. In addition to operational reporting, the unit coordinates collaboration on quality improvement initiatives, designs and implements performance management systems and tools, and recommends new analyses and analytic projects to improve agency outcomes.

DCWP is seeking highly skilled Senior Research Analyst with a strong background in designing quantitative and qualitative research tools and methods, especially in the application of econometric, risk assessment and forecasting techniques, a track record of applying appropriate analytical techniques to solve complex organizational and operational challenges, and an entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to think outside the box to design and implement novel solutions. Working in close contact with the Manager of Data Analytics and Reporting and other DoTSS Reporting team members, the selected candidate will be responsible for spearheading analytic, innovation, and reporting efforts across the agency and to the public, to ensure efficiency, accountability, and transparency in DCWP operations.

As a Senior Research Analyst you will:

• Report to the Manager of Data Analytics and assist with developing and implementing analytic, policy, and planning strategies to achieve agency-wide goals;
• Conduct routine data and statistical analysis designed to enhance understanding of agency operations and to support consumer and worker protection and financial empowerment objectives;
• With a special emphasis on new regulations for third-party food delivery services, work with the Senior Data Analyst and members of the reporting team to develop metrics for measuring DCWP enforcement and oversight actions on the industry, incorporating data from licensing, enforcement and violations, consumer complaints, and legal actions. Produce related tools to provide periodic reporting and real-time data.
• Develop predictive tools to anticipate the impact on operations and revenue of changes to local administrative law and agency policy;
• Apply appropriate analytical tools and techniques to study the impact of DCWP enforcement activities on local communities and various industries;
• Coordinate with External Affairs and Communications divisions in the provision of agency data to the press, elected officials, and other interested parties;
• Consult on data sharing projects between DCWP and other governmental and non-governmental entities;
• Utilize self-authored SQL to support the agency’s reporting team on an as-needed basis, analyzing and summarizing large datasets extracted directly from DCWP’s reporting databases;
• Collaborate on the design, development, and implementation of internal and public-facing web-based, such as dynamic interactive dashboards and mapping applications, to enhance agency transparency

The optimal candidate will be able to demonstrate a track record of success in the following areas:

• Promoting innovative analytic approaches that provide greater insight into organizational operations and outcomes;
• Use of statistical packages to perform complex statistical analysis including, but not limited to, program evaluation, outcomes forecasting, and risk assessment;
• Outcomes-based program design and implementation;
• Excellent quantitative and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated commitment to data-driven decision making;
• Survey design, implementation, analysis and reporting;
• Superior written and oral communication skills and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in public forums and to executive audiences;
• Ability to manage multiple ad-hoc intake requests and long-term projects simultaneously;
• Ability to improve data quality by identifying and resolving data quality issues.

Minimum Qual Requirements 1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year. Preferred Skills

• Expert proficiency using programming, scripting statistical languages (R, Python, Stata, SPSS) to perform complex statistical and predictive analyses;
• Advanced experience with relational databases, especially SQL, and the ability to write queries, stored procedures and other optimizations in Microsoft SQL Server;
• Strong organizational and project management skills; detail oriented with the ability to multi-task and work both independently and as part of a team;
• Proficiency with a wide variety of analytic and business intelligence tools, including IBM Cognos, R Shiny, advanced Excel (e.g., VBA Macros), D3.js/DC.js, Power BI, and others;
• Familiarity with Object Oriented Programming (OOPS) a plus;
• Intermediate knowledge of GIS tools including Esri GIS products, CartoDB, and Leaflet (JavaScript) a plus;

To Apply For Non-City/External Candidates: Visit the External Applicant NYC Careers site and type “Consumer Affairs” on the search line. Then locate the Job ID number.

For Current City Employees: Visit Employee Self Service (ESS) to view and click on Recruiting Activities, Careers, and search by Job ID number.

A RESUME AND COVER LETTER ARE REQUIRED.
PLEASE INDICATE IN YOUR COVER LETTER HOW YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS POSITION.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
NO PHONE CALLS, FAXES, E-MAILS OR PERSONAL INQUIRIES PERMITTED.
NOTE: ONLY THOSE CANDIDATES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL BE CONTACTED.

• Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.

• 55-a Candidates: NYC Department of Consumer Affairs is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage 55-A candidates to apply to our positions in order to be given the opportunity.

**LOAN FORGIVENESS: The federal government provides student loan forgiveness through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to all qualifying public service employees. Working with DCA qualifies you as a public service employee and you may be able to take advantage of this program while working full-time and meeting the program’s other requirements. Please visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program site to view the eligibility requirements: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

• Drug Screening: A drug screening may be required prior to being appointed.

As of August 2, 2021, all new hires must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for religion or disability. If you are offered city employment, this requirement must be met by your date of hire, unless a reasonable accommodation for exemption is received and approved by the hiring agency.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations that enable people with disabilities to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by others. If you are contacted to attend an interview for one of our open vacancies and would like to request an accommodation for that date, please send an email to ReasonableAccommodationRequests@dca.nyc.gov. Residency Requirement New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.