Senior Analyst, Tech & Society

HR&A Advisors•New York, NY

3d•$105,100 - $122,673•Hybrid

About The Position

HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A) is an employee-owned company advising public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic clients on how to increase opportunity and advance quality of life in cities. HR&A is building a new Tech & Society Studio, with a mission to help communities build and use technology to solve problems made worse by technology. Tech & Society builds on more than a decade of work developing and evaluating the impacts of digital infrastructure and tech policies and programs for clients that include state and local governments, universities, philanthropies, community-based organizations, and disruptive tech companies. HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, Washington D.C. and the Bay Area. We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former city officials, executive directors, planners, lawyers, architects, and economists. As a Senior Analyst in the Technology & Society Studio, you will be a core member of project teams across a portfolio of projects, for which examples include: making the internet work for New York with New York State’s ConnectALL Office, transforming the social service infrastructure of Clark County, Nevada, building capacity in Texas’s digital inclusion ecosystem, supporting technology infrastructure providers in disrupting monopolies, advancing the Public AI movement, and designing and managing multi-million-dollar programs at the intersection of these issues. We're looking for someone who understands how, why, and where technology gets built – and for whom it doesn’t - and why its benefits are inequitably distributed across communities. The ideal candidate has worked at the intersections where hard problems live and new solutions are needed – of policy and product, industry and community, global infrastructure and community interests. They can hold a room with public servants, community stakeholders, technical teams, and business executives, and translate fluently between them. They are rigorous enough to produce unimpeachable analysis, entrepreneurial enough to help shape a business, and savvy enough to know when a technology solution is the wrong answer entirely. They bring independent judgment to complex, ambiguous problems and aren't waiting to be told what the question is. Senior Analysts are mid-level professionals with at least 4–6 years of experience who own the analytical core of the work, help direct junior staff, and bring rigor and creativity in equal measure. We're specifically looking for people who combine policy and planning depth with practical technology literacy and program management capabilities – candidates who can evaluate a proposed regulation or a technology vendor, lead a procurement analysis or evaluate public-private partnership transactions, manage a complex digital equity program or generate a sophisticated economic and fiscal impact analysis, and write a cogent policy brief for an executive, often on the same project.

Requirements

At least 4–6 years of professional experience in a relevant field
Experience working at the intersection of technology delivery and policy in civic tech, govtech, internet infrastructure, digital services, or a comparable environment
Demonstrated ability to assess technical feasibility and communicate tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders
Strong written and verbal communication skills - comfortable writing for and presenting to policymakers, community organizations, and executive audiences
Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with precision and attention to detail
Demonstrated ability to conduct complex data analysis, including financial analysis
Proficiency in common AI tools (e.g., LLMs like Claude, ChatGPT, and others) and demonstrated understanding of responsible use, limitations, and independent verification
Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
Experience working directly with government agencies, technology companies, or tech-oriented nonprofits
Experience with software development tools including React, Vercel, Node, Github, and Mapbox
GIS or spatial analysis skills
Interest in broadband infrastructure, digital inclusion programs, AI governance frameworks, or workforce development policy and programs
Experience with program design and management at scale, with a recognition that operationalizing public policy through on-the-ground delivery is often more important than new regulations or budget allocations

Responsibilities

Quantitative and qualitative analysis, including policy analysis and market research, economic and fiscal impact modeling, and program evaluation
Project or program management, including supporting teams implementing public policies
Developing written reports, client presentations, and financial models that translate complex analysis for public, private, and civic sector audiences
Supporting or leading community engagement processes, including large and small group facilitation, stakeholder interviews, and participatory design
Managing workstreams and directing Research Analysts and Analysts on task assignments—including providing training and feedback
Contributing to business development through proposal writing and firm marketing materials and events
Applying AI tools and emerging analytical methods to accelerate research, modeling, and deliverable production, with sound judgment about when and how to use them, as well as how to address inherent biases