Position Summary:
Mobility Lab is looking for a professional who will utilize his or her analytical skills to support sustainable transportation.
The Analyst will be part of an effort to integrate further Mobility Lab’s program-evaluation-and-measurement research functions into the day-to-day work of Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS), a transportation demand management (TDM) bureau that provides Arlington residents, employees, business, and visitors with transportation information and services to support a vibrant and livable community. ACCS accomplishes its mission by encouraging people who live, work or commute through Arlington to use mass transit, car and vanpool, bicycle, walk, telecommute and use other alternatives to driving alone. The Analyst will expand Mobility Lab’s in-house capacity for collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data, as well as making informed, evidence-based, data-driven recommendations for ACCS programs. The Research Analyst will add knowledge of quantitative-research data collection, statistics, and data management.
About the Mobility Lab Program
Mobility Lab is a program of Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS), Arlington County, Virginia’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Bureau. ACCS is a nationally recognized leader in the field of encouraging biking, walking, transit, carpooling, and vanpooling.
The Mobility Lab program has four main functions. The first is hosting and co-sponsoring events related to transportation demand management (TDM) and transit-oriented development (TOD). The second is sharing news and information about TDM and TOD via the mobilitylab.org web site. The third is educating policy-makers about TDM. The Research Analyst will help fulfill Mobility Lab’s fourth function, conducting research.
ACCS promotes efficient transportation by using sales techniques to convince employers, property managers, and developers to offer programs and services (such as transit subsidies, and showers and lockers for bike commuters, etc.) that encourage high-efficiency travel to employees and tenants. ACCS also manages marketing and direct outreach to the public, in addition to compliance monitoring for mandatory land-development conditions.
Since TDM is an inherently public-facing transportation specialty and the companion elements of the Mobility Lab program are oriented towards outreach and communication, the research program must continuously strike a balance between serving the fast-paced, ever-changing needs for information from colleagues, and maintaining high standards of quality for projects that span many months or years. The program must also provide information to ACCS staff that is, technically sound, easy-to-understand, and actionable.
The research program is highly visible and receives considerable scrutiny from within ACCS.
Responsibilities
- Draft survey questionnaires for approval by Research Director and other stakeholders.
- Assist with programming and monitoring of internet-based surveys.
- Analyze survey data using descriptive statistics and significance tests, and compare that data with other spatial and non-spatial data.
- Summarize and present analysis findings through written, visual, and oral communication.
- Assist the Research Director and ACCS-program staff with analysis of contact databases, including query and report writing.
- Track and report on outside research relevant to ACCS programs, as well as employer, labor-market, transportation, and demographic data.
- Assist in the creation of a database for the collection of performance metrics for ACCS programs. Lead maintenance and updating of the database for reporting to the Commonwealth of Virginia and other stakeholders.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Strong critical-thinking ability and capacity to build evidence-based arguments.
- Excellent analytic and technical skills that support critical thinking and evidence-based arguments.
- General knowledge of common primary and secondary sources of data, as well as a curiosity for
- exploring, discovering, and using new sources.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent time management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to be proactive in identifying and offering solutions to problems.
- Proficiency with common statistics packages (such as SPSS, SAS, R, or similar), Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access.
- One to three years of professional experience in research analysis.
- Proficiency with any geographic information systems (GIS) software is strongly preferred.
- Experience designing and fielding internet-based surveys and analyzing collected data using common statistical tests preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree in geography, business, public policy, economics, sociology, psychology, computer science, statistics, or urban planning. Candidates with degrees in economics, business, sociology, psychology, computer science, and statistics, must demonstrate an interest in cities, transportation, and/or marketing.
Salary and Benefits
Salary will be commensurate with experience, but in the range of $50,000 to $65,000 per year.
Participation in DS&MG’s 401(k) plan, health insurance (including dental and vision), short- and long-term disability, as well as direct payment of transit/vanpool costs up to $130 per month (up to $1,560 per year) OR bike-commuting costs at $20 per month ($240 per year), and payment of annual Capital Bikeshare membership fees ($75 per year). A “compressed” work schedule that allows employees to take every-other Friday as a day off after six months of employment per supervisor approval. Total paid time off for vacation and illness of 128 hours (16 days) per year. An additional 10 paid holidays per year.
Note that this is not a position with Arlington County Government.
To Apply
Please send a letter of introduction, resume, three professional or academic references, and one writing sample that demonstrates your ability to communicate quantitative information. One sample of any work that demonstrates your ability to communicate quantitative information through visuals is also welcome, though not required.
Send materials in PDF format to stephen.crim@mobilitylab.org. Please include the phrase “Mobility Lab Research Analyst” in the Subject line. No phone calls please.
See more at: http://mobilitylab.org/2014/12/19/full-time-research-analyst/#sthash.JhRzw53i.dpuf