Senior Data and Policy Analyst

New York State Housing Finance Agency•New York, NY

About The Position

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is the State’s affordable housing agency, with a mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership throughout New York State. This position is with HCR’s Affordable Housing Corporation (AHC). This is not a civil service position, and a civil service exam is not required. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications outlined below to be considered. NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Our work would not be possible without the diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and abilities of our employees. HCR is committed to developing a workforce that represents the diverse population of New York State. HCR embraces a diverse and inclusive work environment by encouraging all individuals, including those with disabilities, to apply to open positions at the agency. JOB SUMMARY: Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Office of Research and Strategic Analysis (ORSA) provides crosscutting support to HCR’s executive and program leadership in advancing the agency’s mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing, and increase homeownership in New York State. Created in late 2017, the ORSA team consists of data scientists, analysts and policy specialists who, using quantitative and analytical research methods and strategies, provide data-driven guidance on high-priority initiatives and answer questions that are critical to the success of the agency and component programs and offices. Reporting to the ORSA Assistant Director (Policy and Program Analysis), the Senior Data and Policy Analyst, Office of Research and Strategic Analysis is responsible for ensuring that proprietary, programmatic, and publicly-available data is consistently, imaginatively, and effectively used to drive decision-making throughout the agency. Their role is to make value out of data – bring a strategic eye to aid operational performance. They are accountable for supporting management in developing ad hoc and ongoing analyses that are accurate and timely. They will have a primary focus on applying data management techniques and analyses to the agency’s Housing Plan reporting systems integrated with the agency’s workflow and needs. They will be central to helping the executive leadership effectively utilize and integrate data to drive program quality and understand Housing Plan production. They will also manage analysts (including interns) while coordinating with outside researchers and other stakeholders to build a body of knowledge about the impacts of HCR’s programs and funding on New York State residents and communities. This position will be a central coordinator for the public presentation of data about housing and community renewal efforts statewide.

Requirements

Master’s degree in public administration, economics, finance, business, statistics, data science, or a related field.
A minimum of 3 years’ experience in a quantitative role.
Demonstrated experience with qualitative and quantitative research designs and statistical analysis techniques. They should show proficiency/familiarity with statistical tools that allows them to sufficiently manage detailed research topics.
Excellent oral, written, and communication skills.
Exceptional problem-solving abilities.
Ability to quickly and clearly synthesize information while showing an exceptional ability to use data to make decisions.
Experience with statistical or data science packages such as STATA, SAS, or R and geospatial tools such as ArcGIS.
Ability to work in a flexible, fast paced, mission driven environment.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity/proficiency using query languages (e.g. SQL) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Data Quality Assurance.
Development and documentation of quantitative analysis methodologies.
Supporting program staff and the agency overall in addressing ad-hoc policy and data questions.
Compiling and writing reports to comply with federal and state requirements.
Developing policy frameworks and performing quantitative scenario analysis as needed.
Enhancing data collection procedures for different agency functions.
Processing, cleaning, and verifying the integrity of data used for analysis.
Doing ad-hoc analysis and presenting results in a clear manner.
Aiding in managing a team of analysts in the development and maintenance of ad-hoc and long-term data analysis to support program operations.
Coordinating with the Policy Office, Public Information Office, executive leadership, and programmatic leaders and staff in the presentation of data internally, to stakeholders, and to the public.

Benefits

Extensive benefits package including paid leave, including excellent health, dental, vision and retirement benefits [https://www.osc.state.ny.us/retirement] with the New York State & Local Employees’ Retirement System.
Promotional opportunity for dedicated professionals.
Work life balance benefits include a 37.5-hour work week and paid time off benefits including vacation, sick, personal days, and Federal Holidays.
Opportunity for compressed scheduling.
12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
Paid Family Leave.
Opportunity for compressed/flextime scheduling.
As a New York State employee, you may qualify to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service] (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service#qualifying-repayment-plans] and while working full-time for an eligible [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service#qualifying-employment] employer.
Cash in for Wellness! This program provides you with the option of buying or renewing a health club membership of your choice or enrolling in a weight loss and or smoking cessation program, using your sick leave accruals.
Tuition reimbursement program – for job related and non-job-related courses.
Vacation Leave Buy-Back program – Subject to approval, every year eligible employees may exchange previously earned and accrued vacation time in return for cash compensation (at employee’s daily rate of pay at time of exchange).
Access to Plum Benefits – savings on movie tickets, theme parks, hotels, tours, Broadway shows and more!
Optical reimbursement program – Employees are eligible for optical, hearing aid, and podiatric expenses not otherwise covered by insurance, with a maximum aggregate amount of $650 per year, per family. Unused yearly balances may be carried over to next year for a maximum of $1,300.