Senior Data Analyst

The California Policy Lab (CPL) generates research insights for government impact. Through hands‑on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue silos and builds the data infrastructure necessary to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day. We work on California’s most urgent issues, including homelessness, poverty, criminal justice reform, and education inequality. CPL‑Berkeley is a center within the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE).

CPL recognizes the value of having a diverse staff at all levels of the organization. We are looking for equity‑minded applicants who represent and understand the diverse racial and ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, educational, socioeconomic, cultural, and disability backgrounds present in California. When you join our team, you can expect to be part of an inclusive and equity‑focused community.

The Senior Data Analyst is an exciting opportunity for a skilled programmer who wants to directly inform policy development and improvement in California. The ideal Senior Data Analyst is an expert programmer who is fluent in multiple programming languages, has experience with SQL databases and large administrative datasets, and believes in CPL’s mission. The Senior Data Analyst will be responsible for: helping research affiliates and other staff write and troubleshoot code to accomplish research tasks;

using data science, econometric, and machine learning methods to extract meaning from data; building, managing, and optimizing ETL pipelines and SQL databases for research purposes; implementing linkages of large administrative datasets and preparing analysis datasets; and preparing graphs, tables, maps, or other visual displays of research results. The Senior Data Analyst will contribute to applied research projects that aim to improve programs and policies in California.

The Senior Data Analyst will report to CPL’s UC Berkeley Research Director, Dr. Johanna Lacoe.

The Senior Data Analyst should have strong working knowledge of multiple languages, including Python, R, Stata, and/or SAS. In addition, the Senior Data Analyst should have experience building and managing SQL databases, preferably in Microsoft SQL Server. The position works directly with leading social policy researchers at UC and beyond, staff from state and local government agencies, as well as the leadership team at CPL, and it is important that the candidate be able to explain highly technical concepts to different audiences.

The position will be based at our UC Berkeley office, with the option of working remotely up to two days per week.

• Write and troubleshoot code to prepare analysis datasets and accomplish research tasks.
• Implement linkages of large administrative datasets, maintain and improve CPL’s base hashing and linkage code, and work with researchers to use the code.
• Prepare graphs, tables, maps, or other visual displays of research results.
• Build and maintain ETL pipelines for CPL’s data sources.
• Maintain and implement a data management plan for CPL’s principal datasets, including version control procedures.
• Design, maintain, and optimize relational databases (MS SQL Server) for sensitive administrative datasets.
• Identify responsible opportunities to use automation and AI‑enabled tools to improve data workflows, documentation, metadata management, code review, and internal knowledge management.

• Minimum requirement of a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, statistics, economics, or equivalent related experience.
• Extensive experience in computer programming required, including fluency in data‑analysis packages from commonly used programming languages like Python, R, Stata, and/or SAS, as well as version control systems such as Git.
• Experience with efficiently analyzing large datasets (>10TB).
• Experience building and maintaining databases in SQL.
• Knowledge of data management systems, practices, and standards.
• Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to multi‑task…