SomerStat Analyst

Somerville is a city that upholds progressive principles for both employees and residents. The City of Somerville embraces and encourages an innovative, empowering, and collaborative workplace culture in a fast-paced, challenging environment. The City also offers a generous benefits package that embodies a strong work-life balance. Not only is Somerville a “Model City,” as termed by The Boston Globe, but it is also a model employer.

Statement of Duties

The Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Analytics, or SomerStat, integrates data into City decision making; partners with City departments to improve operational efficiency and constituent satisfaction; contributes to the City’s policy planning and implementation; and increases governmental transparency by sharing data with the community.  The SomerStat Analyst responsibilities include working with City departments to identify problems, set goals, and implement change as well as manage interdepartmental projects when assigned. Data related work Analysts perform includes conducting and analyzing results from the biannual Happiness Survey, geospatial analysis, process mapping, and financial analysis. Topics the Analyst may work on include the maintenance of the City’s roads, buildings, and parks; urban tree canopy; climate change; renewable energy and energy management; and the functioning of the City’s 311 constituent services program.

Essential Functions

• Monitors departments in their service delivery, financial performance, and the completion of specific projects.
• Gathers, cleans, and analyzes relevant data to monitor performance and develop recommendations.
• Supports open data efforts including identifying new sources of data to make available and preparing data sets for public use.
• Assists other departmental staff in the performance of their duties as necessary.
• Prepares for, convenes, and facilitates meetings with department heads and a SomerStat panel staffed by the heads of core management departments.
• Continuously tracks tasks assigned to staff throughout the City, updating department heads and the Mayor as necessary.
• Assists the Finance Department and the Mayor’s Office in the preparation of a program/ performance-based annual operating budget.
• Serves as project manager for initiatives of the Mayor’s Office.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in public policy, public administration, business, economics, urban planning, finance, statistics, computer science, political science or a similar field, and three (3) years of experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Master’s degree preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: municipal operations; public policy; data analysis practices and techniques; budgeting and finance.

Abilities: establish and maintain effective and harmonious working relationships with diverse stakeholders regarding strategy, policy, and operations; work independently; manage multiple tasks efficiently, prioritize, and balance short- and long-term responsibilities; carry out assignments to completion in an efficient and accurate manner; communicate and collaborate with executive-level individuals; interact with the public effectively and appropriately; problem solve and think strategically, analytically, and creatively; learn new concepts quickly; collaborate, build consensus, and lead; be self-motivated and organized; handle problems and emergencies; maintain confidential information; and maintain, manage, and organize records.

Skills: proficient in operating personal computers and applicable word processing, spreadsheet, and statistical analysis applications, specifically MS Excel or other data analysis tools, such as R, Python, or Stata; excellent written and oral communication, facilitation, and public speaking skills; excellent data analysis, database development and management, strategic thinking, problem solving, leadership and project management skills.  GIS skills and/or programming languages preferred but not required.

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. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours

to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

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

Minimal 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. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy 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.

Send your resume and cover letter by January 10, 2020 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.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.