Somerstat Analyst

The City of Somerville is seeking an analyst for the six-person SomerStat Department. SomerStat is part of the Mayor's Office and plays an integral role in making Somerville a well-managed, transparent, progressive, and high-impact city government by providing analytical and executive support to the Mayor. SomerStat works with Police, Fire, Public Works, Health & Human Services, and fourteen other departments, whose activities combined account for the vast majority of the City's direct spending and generate most of its service-related revenue.

Essential Functions:

The SomerStat office assists the Mayor in oversight of city service delivery by using data and frequent accountability checks to monitor departmental performance and improve operations and customer service. Under the direction of the SomerStat Director, the Analyst carries out the following activities:

• Briefs the Mayor regularly on citywide problem areas or opportunities for improvement or innovation
• Uses collective agenda setting and analytical capabilities to prepare for, convene, and facilitate meetings with senior staff (Stat meetings occur every Tuesday)
• Monitors city departments in their service delivery, financial performance, and completion of projects and priorities established by department heads and the Mayor
• Secures personnel, financial, service, and operations data from administrative systems and external sources; cleans, combines, and analyzes data to develop recommendations
• Continuously tracks tasks assigned to staff throughout the City, regularly updating department heads and the Mayor on their progress
• Works directly with department staff to streamline processes and improve customer service
• Serves as a project manager for major initiatives/special projects of the Mayor’s Office, when assigned.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

•  Ability to provide direction to senior staff and to help the Director and Mayor's Office resolve inter- and intra-departmental conflicts regarding strategy, policy, and operations.
•  Ability to manage and experience with managing projects among diverse stakeholders.
• A degree in public policy/administration, business economics, urban planning, computer science, political science or another management or research-related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Data analysis experience
• Strong analytical, writing, and speaking skills.
• GIS skills and/or programming languages a strong plus.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge:

Proficiency in MS Excel or other data analysis tools, such as R, Python, or Stata.

Abilities:

Ability to manage and experience with managing projects among diverse stakeholders.

Skill:

Creativity, strategic thinking, problem solving, and leadership skills.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements.  Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. 

Send your resume and cover letter by May 4, 2017 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing.  May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30lbs.)

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.