Data and Policy Advisor

State of Maryland•Anne Arundel, MD

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Governor's Office for Children (GOC) serves as a central hub to support the well-being of children and families and reduce childhood poverty. This mission requires a holistic, coordinated approach across state government, as well as public and private sectors at the local, state, and federal levels. The Office leads statewide efforts to build a comprehensive network of support that targets historically underinvested jurisdictions. By partnering with multi-sector stakeholders to implement place-based, "cradle-to-career" strategies, the Office works to: Promote social and emotional well-being and combat youth homelessness. Eliminate food insecurity and improve community health and safety. Expand access to comprehensive healthcare, including reproductive, maternal, behavioral, and mental health services. Improve educational outcomes and ensure access to high-quality childcare. Connect workers to good jobs and enable family-sustaining incomes through affordable housing and sustainable economic opportunities. The Data and Policy Advisor will further GOC’s mission by leveraging data and research, producing analysis, and supporting assessment and evaluation. The Advisor will work closely with GOC’s leadership, ENOUGH place-based team, and policy team to offer innovative, data driven modeling and solutions that address the needs and further the aspirations of Maryland’s low-income children, families, and communities. The Advisor will synthesize evidence, leverage technology, and create decision-making tools to help GOC and its partners make projections, assess interventions, identify gaps, and design policies and programs that effectively tackle real world challenges.

Requirements

At least three (3) to five (5) years of professional experience in data science, research, quantitative analysis, or public policy analysis.
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in statistics, computer science, data science, economics, public policy, or a closely related field may substitute for the required experience.
Demonstrated experience working with data analysis and statistical software
Excellent quantitative, written, and verbal communication skills
Meticulous attention to detail
Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion in all matters

Nice To Haves

Advanced proficiency in working with large datasets and statistical software
Experience leveraging artificial intelligence for quantitative analysis, data visualization, or related projects
Prior experience working within state or local government
Familiarity with Maryland's public policy landscape
A demonstrated interest in public service, specifically programs targeting child well-being, poverty reduction, community health, or education.

Responsibilities

Work hand-in-hand with GOC’s leadership, ENOUGH place-based team, and policy team on specific projects to understand the data ENOUGH communities currently collect and leverage these data to address defined challenges and achieve outcomes, including supporting strategy and policy development, and initiative design and execution
Drive development of data science and research analysis projects to glean insight into pressing challenges and opportunities at the community and state levels, and support the formulation of data-driven solutions and approaches
Conduct observational and statistical analyses using appropriate software, programming languages, and/or artificial intelligence (AI) tools to test hypotheses, predict outcomes, and inform decisions
Lead efforts to develop scalable, innovative approaches to extracting, managing, analyzing, and displaying data for GOC and interagency projects
Obtain, evaluate, and interpret data and reports from various systems, assessing relevant data source validity and reliability to meet GOC’s project, policy, and programmatic needs
Present analysis, tools, ideas, and solutions related to GOC’s data efforts to external partners and stakeholders
Provide expertise to support data-driven decisions and policy formulation
Identify delivery obstacles and work with GOC to develop solutions
Identify indicators to test findings and hypotheses relevant to the GOC’s projects, and advise on externally conducted analyses and evaluations of programs and policies