Metropolitan Council Hiring for Data Scientist or Senior Data Scientist at Saint Paul, MN  Full Time

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services.

The Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS) Division has one (1) vacancy for a Data Scientist. This vacancy may be filled as a Data Scientist or Senior Data Scientist based on the candidates’ qualifications and the needs of the business.

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Metropolitan Transportation Services conducts planning for the regional transportation system that includes highways, transit, aviation, freight, and bicycle and pedestrian connections. The Metropolitan Council is the region’s federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization. MTS also provides direct transit service through contracts or partnerships with counties to deliver four major programs: Metro Mobility/ADA, Transit Link dial-a-ride, contracted regular-route bus service, and Metro Vanpool.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

The Data Scientist will support multi-modal transportation planning in the Minneapolis and St. Paul region through innovative approaches to collecting and analyzing transportation data and through the development and application of cutting-edge travel forecasting models and tools. The Data Scientist will join a vibrant travel research and modeling team working on travel demand forecasting, travel behavior surveys, and creative analysis of all kinds of transportation data to drive planning and policy analysis. A Data Scientist will perform work with less supervision, will work on projects with more complexity, and will be involved in project management of small projects or project components. A Senior Data Scientist will perform work independently and will lead projects.

This position is eligible for a hybrid (both remote and onsite) telework arrangement. The candidate’s permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

• Perform technical, statistical, and analytic tasks that support long-range transportation planning and research on regional transportation issues (for example: emerging transportation modes and technologies, generational changes in travel behavior, and disparities in transportation access).
• Develop visualizations of transportation data and performance measures.
• Develop and apply cutting-edge transportation models that assess the region’s future.
• Develop transportation forecasts at the regional, corridor, and project levels.
• Process, clean, and code transportation data.
• Analyze, examine, and visualize spatial information in static and interactive maps.
• Perform geocoding, spatial data manipulation, and spatial data analysis.
• Collaborate with planners, researchers, and policymakers.
• Develop public-facing reports and web-based, interactive data visualization, analysis, and dissemination tools in partnership with internal and external partners.
• Respond to requests for data and information, including requests from the media, other Council staff, or local partners, by summarizing data in a clear, coherent manner.
• Be a contributory team member in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Make presentations to the Transportation Committee, and other Council advisory and technical committees as needed.
• Review scholarly articles and technical papers in academic and industry databases/journals.
• Promote a culture of creativity, life-long learning, and continuous improvement.
• Promote a culturally diverse and inclusive work environment that advances racial equity.

Data Scientist
Any of the following combinations of experience (with statistical modeling and/or developing web-based interactive data visualization tools) and completed education (degree field of study in Mathematics, Analytics, Data Science, or related field):

• High School Diploma or GED and seven (7) years of experience
• Associate’s degree and five (5) years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree and three (3) years of experience.

Senior Data Scientist
Any of the following combinations of experience (with statistical modeling and/or developing web-based interactive data visualization tools) and completed education (degree field of study in Mathematics, Analytics, Data Science, or related field):

• High School Diploma or GED and eight (8) years of experience
• Associate degree and six (6) years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree and four (4) years of experience

What additional skills and experience would be helpful in this job (desired qualifications):

Data Scientist level

• Demonstrated ability in performing and communicating data analysis and statistical modeling of transportation data.
• Experience working with travel demand models.
• Experience in programming and modeling languages (R or Python preferred)
• Experience in data mining, passive and or ‘big’ data, structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data.
• Experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive environments.

Senior Data Scientist Level

• Project Management Skills
• Ability to Present Work to peers, and to technical and policy committees.
• Knowledge of regional transportation planning and how to apply data science principles to support this work.
• Skill in applying knowledge of institutional racism and the historic and continuing disparities in communities of color to one’s work in the data science field.

What knowledge, skills, and abilities you should have within the first six months on the job:

• Knowledge of statistical analysis techniques (regression analysis, survival analysis, time-series modeling, etc.)
• Knowledge of database systems design and maintenance
• Knowledge of web-based interactive tool development
• Knowledge of computer programming (i.e. R, Python)
• Knowledge of passive transportation (i.e. Streetlight Data) and transportation survey data
• Skills in applied mathematics and statistics
• Skills in Data visualization (i.e. ‘ggplot2’ package in R, Shiny, Tableau, Dash/Plotly in Python)
• Skills in version control and collaboration in Git
• Skills in data mining with structures, unstructured, and semi-structured data
• Skills in GIS/Spatial analysis (i.e. ArcGIS, QGIS, ArcPy, Geopandas)
• Ability to read and understand complex academic and technical papers.
• Ability to write summary reports, technical papers, and literature reviews.
• Ability to synthesize technical information in a useable way that facilitates good policy and planning decisions.
• Ability to plan workflow and prioritize work tasks.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise sound professional judgment and to promote an equitable, positive, and respectful professional environment.

What you can expect from us:

• We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
• We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training and tuition reimbursement.
• We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and a good work/life balance.

Data Scientist
Union/Grade: AFSCME/Grade G
FLSA Status: Exempt
Safety Sensitive: No
Full Salary Range: $34.70 – $52.36 hourly / $72,176 – $108,909 annually

Senior Data Scientist
Union/Grade: AFSCME/Grade H
FLSA Status: Exempt
Safety Sensitive: No
Full Salary Range: $37.50 – $56.60 hourly / $78,000 – $117,728 annually

Work environment:
Work is performed in a standard office setting.

What steps the recruitment process involve:

1. We review your minimum qualifications.
2. We rate your education and experience.
3. We conduct a structured panel interview.
4. We conduct a selection interview.

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, then:

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a background check that verifies education, employment, and criminal history. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the job. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

If you are already an employee of the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a criminal background check if the job you’re applying for is safety-sensitive, is a supervisory or management job, is in the Finance, Information Services, Audit, or Human Resources departments, or has access to financial records, files/databases, cash, vouchers or transit fare cards. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the position.

IMPORTANT: If you make a false statement or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.

The Metropolitan Council is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and veteran-friendly employer. The Council is committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the region and strongly encourages persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply. If you have a disability that requires accommodation during the selection process, please email [email protected].