Senior Data Scientist

Summary

Join Common App, a national non-profit organization, as a Senior Data Scientist. This role involves building the organization's research and analytic function, producing research products, managing partnerships, and conducting applied research. You will leverage advanced data science skills to support Common App's commitment to access and equity. Collaboration with communications and leadership teams is crucial to maximize research impact. The position requires a Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field, 5-8 years of related experience, and proficiency in data manipulation and coding. Common App offers a competitive salary and extensive benefits package in a virtual-first environment.

Requirements

• Live in the United States
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative social sciences discipline (e.g., Public Policy, Economics, Education Policy, Education Measurement, Psychometrics, Computational Psychology, etc.) or related quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Statistics)
• Have at least 5-8 years related experience in data analysis, data communication and/or visualization, data analytics, data science, or descriptive and/or causal quantitative social science research
• Have 2+ years of experience working more specifically in data analysis, data science, or social science research in the field of higher education, secondary education, economics of education, and/or education policy
• Be fluent in data manipulation and coding with SQL and R
• Have experience working with and validating imperfect data
• Have experience managing analyses for large-scale, interconnected datasets (e.g., memory management, parallel computing, complex join logic, etc.)
• Have experience with descriptive and inferential statistics
• Have experience with data visualization (Tableau, R preferred)
• Have experience working with National Center for Education Statistics, Census, College Scorecard, National Student Clearinghouse, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and other publicly available datasets relevant to education
• Understand the strategic context of Common Application’s role in the higher education industry
• Have substantial project work as an individual contributor and experience in successfully translating insights from large-scale data sources into business action or product services
• Possess strong interpersonal skills and service orientation
• Have a proven ability for communicating data and research findings to non-technical audiences
• Be able to work effectively in a collaborative and diverse environment
• Have proficiency or experience with at least one of the following domain areas: natural language processing methodologies (especially large language models), predictive analytics and modeling, surveying methodology and analysis, data-driven recommendation systems, and/or clustering analysis (e.g., latent profile analysis, latent class analysis, etc.)

Responsibilities

• Help build the organization’s evolving research and analytic function
• Produce externally facing research products
• Manage external research partnerships
• Conduct applied research in support of data-informed Common App initiatives
• Apply advanced training and experience in data science, research methodology, and data visualization to execute the research agenda and deploy products that support Common App’s commitment to access and equity across the organization’s functional areas
• Collaborate closely with our Communications and Leadership teams to maximize the impact of our public- and constituent-facing research products, supporting strategic engagement with other thought leaders, media, and other constituents

Preferred Qualifications

• Hold an Advanced degree in a quantitative social sciences discipline (e.g., Public Policy, Economics, Education Policy, Education Measurement, Psychometrics, Computational Psychology, etc.) or related quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Statistics)
• Have experience with cloud computing and analytics services (e.g., AWS Sagemaker, AWS S3, Databricks, RStudio Workbench/Server)
• Have a passion for, and experience in, higher education
• Have experience working with Agile frameworks for cross-functional, product-minded collaboration

Benefits

• Work-Life balance
• Virtual-first office
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Seven company-wide holidays
• Nine floating holidays*
• Sick leave
• Monthly mental health day
• Virtual-first support
• Choice of PC of MAC laptop
• May choose an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and/or headset
• One-time office set-up stipend
• Monthly remote work stipend
• Monthly mobile stipend
• Market-based salaries
• Performance-based bonus
• 403(b) retirement plan
• 5% company contribution
• Additional 5% company match
• 3-year vesting schedule
• Participation may begin immediately
• Choice of two health insurance plans
• Health Savings Account, depending on health plan selection
• Medical Flexible Savings Account, depending on health plan selection
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Insurance coverage begins on the date of hire
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Maven virtual clinic for women’s and family health
• Company provided life and ad&d insurance
• Opportunity to purchase additional life insurance for self, spouse, and dependents
• Company provided short and long-term disability insurance
• Budgeted annual funds for professional development
• Growth opportunities within the company
• Mutual of Omaha Employee Assistance Program
• Mutual of Omaha will preparation services
• Mutual of Omaha travel assistance
• Payroll dedication pet insurance through PinPaws
• 1Password family account