Data and Policy Lead

Position Summary

The New Jersey State Office of Innovation is looking for diverse and experienced team members to deploy world-class innovative and digital services that solve pressing public interest challenges for the people of New Jersey. Our work spans numerous issue and policy areas, and is focused on making an impact in the lives of the New Jerseyans that we serve. Our work has decreased the amount of time it takes to apply for Unemployment Insurance, made it easier to start, operate, and grow a business in the Garden State, and connected millions of New Jerseyans to government programs, services, and benefits.

Our team members wear many hats, contributing to both the execution of core projects and the evolution of the Office of Innovation. We use data and modern research, design, and development methods to inform our decision making, and we collaborate with stakeholders within and outside of government to understand and solve challenges. To learn more about the New Jersey Office of Innovation, visit our About Us page.

The Office of Innovation’s Data and Policy team is dedicated to integrating data services and activities (i.e. performance measurement, data analysis, data visualization, impact evaluation, and evidence-based policy research) into Office of Innovation and New Jersey government projects in an effective, systematic, and sustainable manner to address public challenges. For this role, we are seeking skilled and experienced professionals with at least 5 years of data analytics and policy research experience. As part of the Data and Policy team, your responsibilities may include:

• Analyze, model, and visualize data
• Support data sharing, handling, storage efforts
• Partner with Office of Innovation project teams to identify opportunities for new collaborations, performance metrics frameworks, and data sources
• Conduct policy research and evaluation
• Engage and collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders and the general public

Preferred Technical Experience, Skills and Abilities:

• 5+ years of applicable experience focused on data analytics and policy research, along with a commitment to public service and impact. 
• Analytical acumen with demonstrated experience generating data to drive tangible actions; familiarity in quantitative and qualitative research strategies; commitment to ethical data practices.
• Experience with open-source programming languages such as Python or R, statistical analysis techniques, data visualizations tools, and web analytics platforms.
• Strong communicator with experience using data to drive insights and translating technical concepts into understandable and actionable intelligence for non-technical audiences.
• Excellent research skills and an ability to quickly learn about new policy topics in short periods of time.
• Graduate-level training in public policy, data science, statistics, economics, applied mathematics, and/or business is preferred, but not required.

We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation: Up to approximately $103,000 (depending on experience) + full benefits.