Data Scientist
Position: Data Scientist - Washington, DC or remote
Reports to: Director of Learning and Impact
Organization Description:
The Voter Participation Center (VPC) is the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to registering and mobilizing voters from the New American Majority (NAM) – people of color, unmarried women and young people – who make up the majority of the potential electorate but have been historically underrepresented in political participation and power. Using direct mail, digital and social media outreach, guided by rigorous data science and experimentation, and working closely with a multitude of partner organizations, VPC connects with millions of voters each year, building the foundation for a more representative democracy.
Over 18 years VPC has helped more than 5.7 million people register to vote. In 2020, as COVID-19 shut down most forms of in-person voter contact, VPC helped more than 4.6 million people apply to vote by mail & cast ballots, registered more than 1.6 million people, and assisted millions of voters in voting early and safely to reduce pressures on polling places on Election Day.
VPC programs are flexible, nimble and scalable. VPC is driven by a commitment to constant research, testing, experimentation and evaluation, and thus offers many of the most cost effective, proven, high-impact programs in the civic engagement field.
The Center for Voter Information (CVI) is VPC’s partner organization, and is a separate but affiliated 501(c)4 non-profit that works to engage both the NAM as well as members of the broader electorate who share their values.
Position Overview:
The VPC and CVI seek a hardworking and resourceful Data Scientist to join our Innovation, Learning, and Impact team to report to the Director of Learning and Impact. The Innovation, Learning, and Impact team reflects a substantial and long-term commitment to fostering innovation and evidence-based programs by the VPC and CVI.
The Data Scientist is expected to work with a broad range of statistical, machine learning, and business intelligence solutions to generate actionable insights and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the VPC and CVI programs. Excellent and well-rounded analytical skills will be vital to the success of this position supported by strong communications and collaborative skills. Equally important, the Data Scientist would welcome the challenge of balancing program goals with methodological requirements. This individual would demonstrate the capacity to draw insights from often-messy observational and experimental data, internal to the organization as well as external, and share a commitment with teammates to continuous learning and improvement.
The successful candidate for the position will be excited by the possibilities in stewarding learning and impact, and building new organizational capabilities for VPC and CVI as well as the larger civic engagement community. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with well-rounded analytical skills who is excited to apply those skills in an organization committed to leveraging innovation and research to maximize program impact.
Primary responsibilities as well as desired skills and qualifications for this position are listed below. We very much welcome applications from individuals who are a good fit for the role even if you do not meet all the requirements listed below.
Primary Responsibilities
Responsibilities Include, but are not limited to:
- Draw actionable insights from large and often-messy observational and experimental datasets by using a range of statistical, machine learning, and descriptive analysis techniques, effective data visualizations, and storytelling
- Evaluate and contribute to improving machine learning models currently in use
- Support the adoption of industry best practices for data science and analytics
- Provide analytics and metrics to support external communications and program decisions
Skills and Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have:
- 2+ yr of experience and proficiency in:
- Every stage of the data science lifecycle, including data mining, cleaning, exploration, feature engineering, modeling, evaluation, optimization, and visualization
- Machine learning techniques (supervised and unsupervised learning)
- Statistical inferences (e.g. probabilities, hypothesis testing, effect estimate, power analysis, regressions)
- Python and/or R, and their statistical, machine learning, and visualization packages/libraries
- SQL for data querying and processing
- UNIX shell scripting in Bash/Zsh
- Version control with Git and Github
- Extensive track record of writing clear code that is well-documented
- Demonstrated ability to:
- Learn new techniques and troubleshoot code without support
- Work independently and be a self-starter
- Work effectively in teams
- Manage and prioritize multiple tasks and projects
Nice-To-Haves:
- Knowledge of unstructured text and natural language processing
- Knowledge of deep learning techniques
- Experience with AWS computing resources and infrastructure
- Experience with data mining using API calls, web scraping, etc.
- Experience with object-oriented programming
- Experience with geospatial models and modern GIS systems (e.g. GeoPandas)
- Understanding of distributed storage and big data computing frameworks (e.g. Cassandra, Hadoop, Spark)
- Experience with randomized control trials, experimental design, and survey research
- Experience with or knowledge of large scale voter registration and civic engagement programs
SALARY & BENEFITS
The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $90,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay. Our comprehensive benefits plan includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees; generous paid time off; access to retirement plan with 3% employer match, and more.
TO APPLY
Please APPLY HERE and submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references. The cover letter should be concise, compelling, and include why you would like to work for VPC-CVI. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is identified. References are not contacted until you are notified.
VPC-CVI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply. We strongly value the leadership of people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and other traditionally marginalized communities, and encourage candidates from these communities to apply.
We strive to create and maintain a working environment that is inclusive, equitable and welcoming. At VPC-CVI, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with the fundamental belief that people are inherently capable but often lack opportunity. We know that a diverse workforce allows us to see problems in more nuanced ways, creating the thought leadership needed to fulfill our mission and reach our goals.