Geographic Research Professional Specialist

Job Title

Geographic Research Professional Specialist

The Geographic Research Professional Specialist will support applied research and technical assistance projects related to demographic, housing, economic, and workforce analyses, enabling state agencies, local governments, and communities to use data to make informed, effective decisions. This position focuses on collecting, cleaning, managing, analyzing, and visualizing various forms of data (spatial, demographic, economic, housing, labor market, and education) for applied demography and geography, economic analysis, workforce and economic development, housing and community development, and related quantitative social sciences.

The individual will build custom statistical and visual analytics for client-driven projects using Microsoft’s Power

BI and ArcGIS Online, and support the development of custom statistical and visual analytics using open-source computing and statistical programming languages (e.g., R, Python, and Julia). The role involves day-to-day responsibility for assigned data projects and tasks within larger faculty or project-led efforts, requiring a service-oriented mentality and a strong sense of ownership for the projects, problems, and requests assigned.

• Develop, maintain, and analyze geographic data for the Institute of Government's client projects in applied demographic and economic analysis and workforce development. Write and edit code using a statistical computing application (e.g., R, Julia, Python) following programming best practices. Update and maintain the division's existing geographic data and products. (~35%)
• Develop new and maintain existing BI dashboards using software such as ArcGIS Online, Microsoft’s Power BI, and open-source products such as Shiny. Continuously update knowledge related to these and related programs to ensure best practices within the division. (~35%)
• Provide support to automate and standardize data collection and management processes. Work across the Institute of Government organization to understand and connect disparate data sources in support of applied social science projects. Actively seek ways to improve existing data management processes to better serve internal and external needs. (~15%)
• Support the Institute's research projects with labor market and economic research as part of the unit's workforce and economic development portfolio. Gather and analyze labor market data, demographic data, education data, economic data, and other federal and state data sources to provide insight and support to state government, local governments, economic development organizations, and workforce development areas. Create data packets, community profiles, workforce snapshots, and other data-driven research products.
  
  Analyze the economic and fiscal impact of tax policy as requested by the Governor's Office, Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, or the Georgia General Assembly. Determine appropriate statistical and quantitative procedures for the analysis. Interpret results of analysis and effectively communicate the impact in writing. (~15%)

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent.

• Master's degree in Demography, Sociology, Geography, Public Administration or related quantitative social science.
• Research interests in GIS, housing analytics, economic analysis, or workforce development.
• Experience working with non-profit and government organizations.
• Experience with parcel data analysis.
• Experience with demographic, economic, housing, and education microdata.
• Experience presenting complex information to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Collecting, managing, and analyzing data to support quantitative applied research and technical assistance projects in the Workforce and Economic Development Division.
• Technical proficiency in GIS (Arc Pro, ArcGIS Online, or QGIS), a statistical computing environment (R, Python, or Julia), and Microsoft’s Power BI.
• Competence in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work on a team or independently, and…