Data Analyst

Position Summary

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations on how to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems. The state and federal distributional analyses and revenue estimates that ITEP produces are based on data from the ITEP Microsimulation Tax Model. The model computes the revenue yield and incidence of federal, state and local taxes, including both current tax law and proposed changes to income, consumption, and property taxes.

ITEP’s expertise and data uniquely enhance federal, state, and local policy debates by revealing how taxes affect public revenues and how they affect people across income, wealth, geography, race and ethnicity.

ITEP seeks an innovative and skilled person to join our model and data team as a Data Analyst. The role will add capacity to maintain and enhance our tax model and will conduct research. Projects may include disaggregating tax revenues by race and ethnicity; comparing estimates of various wealth gaps; disaggregating state, local, and national economic data; and providing customized data products and technical assistance to the state and federal policy teams and to partners. We seek someone ideally with 3-4 years’ experience researching and using data to analyze public policy and the economy. A Masters’ degree in a related field may be substituted for as many as 2 years of work experience. The ideal candidate would have an interest in tax and economic policy, experience working with large datasets, and familiarity with statistical programming packages (i.e.- STATA, R, and/or SAS).

Location: ITEP is located in Washington, DC, however we are open to hiring a remote staff member for this position. Remote staff are normally required to travel to DC a minimum of 4 times a year. ITEP staff are currently working remotely indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

What You Will Do

The primary function of this position will be supporting database and model development. This position reports to ITEP’s Federal Tax Policy Fellow.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Conduct research and analysis in support of ITEP projects and initiatives, such as projects relating to data disaggregation by race and ethnicity, developing methodologies to document wealth gaps, and examining homeownership gaps.
• Collect and analyze data to describe the impact of tax and fiscal policies on working families and the economy.
• Maintain and improve data resources and tools for the state and federal policy teams, internally, and for state and local partners.
• Respond to technical assistance requests internally and externally, particularly on research, economic policy, and data-related questions.
• Produce custom statistics and data sets for use in analyses that form the bases of reports, specific tax campaigns, and advocacy efforts.
• Assist in supporting and maintaining ITEP’s internal data management and data infrastructure.
• Review teammates’ work and contribute to ITEP written products.
• Assist in developing innovative solutions to improve existing internal systems.
• Conduct internal trainings to share skills and experience and promote a culture of peer learning.
• Develop fluency on key ITEP issue areas, monitoring relevant research and emerging trends in federal, state, and local policymaking.

Additional responsibilities could include:

• Occasionally produce reports, reference documents, memos, blog posts, and other documents on a wide range of economic issues and policies, but with particular focus on the impact that state and federal fiscal policy have on working people. Potential areas of focus could include equity in federal and/or state tax policy, commentary on economic development strategies, and the economic impacts of structural racism.
• Represent ITEP in policy advocacy and public education through conference presentations, briefings, and expert testimony.
• Other duties as assigned.

Who You Are

Ideally, you have 3-4 years’ relevant experience. A Masters’ degree in a related field may be substituted for as many as 2 years of work experience. The ideal candidate would have experience working with large datasets and familiarity with statistical programming packages (i.e.- STATA, R, and/or SAS).

We do not expect that every candidate will have this full range of experience, but the following qualities and experience are highly desirable:

• Passion for pursuing a progressive vision of economic justice through the tax code.
• Strong statistics competency and understanding of econometric techniques, such as those gained through a masters or professional degree in economics, public policy, or a related field.
• Training and experience with analysis of microdata, including use of statistical software such as STATA or R.
• Familiarity with publicly available data sources, including the Census and labor market statistics.
• Experience with and demonstrated commitment to economic justice and racial and gender equity, such as in a labor union, advocacy organization, or public agency.
• Experience with policy research and advocacy; ability to read and analyze policy language.
• Ability to represent the organization at meetings and events and in testimony.
• Self-motivation and ability to work independently, ability to collaborate and work as part of a team and with diverse partners.
• Enthusiasm to think innovatively about streamlining existing analytical processes and smoothing coordination among teams.
• Phenomenal organizational skills.
• Facility with the Microsoft Office Suite, with expertise in Excel. Knowledge of Tableau and/or GIS a bonus.
• Willingness to handle occasional travel.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $65,000 to $80,000, dependent on experience, plus benefits. ITEP offers an excellent benefits package effective on your official start date (according and subject to the ITEP Employee Handbook):

• ITEP pays 100 percent of the premium for health and dental insurance for you and your family members.
• ITEP provides a 403 (B) plan as a pension benefit and contributes 10% of employee’s salary to the plan.
• ITEP recognizes all federal holidays, as well as Election Day and Juneteenth, and closes its office the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
• Employees are allowed to take paid leave for vacation and sick time at their discretion, provided that they give advance notice to their supervisor.
• ITEP provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave. After five years of consecutive employment ITEP staff are eligible for a 6-week paid sabbatical.