Senior Policy Analyst

The Senior Policy Analyst on the Strategic Research team in the Office of Performance Management and Innovation (OPMI) is responsible for leading and coordinating transportation research processes from hypothesis development, to field work and analysis, to delivery of results for multiple simultaneous research projects in all areas (and modes) of MassDOT and the MBTA. Major areas of focus will include issues of transportation equity, the changing transportation, climate, and economic environment, and the changing availability and quality of data for research and measurement.

This role has primary responsibility for prioritizing and managing transportation research projects undertaken by OPMI to support MassDOT and the MBTA. Research projects include both those specifically requested within the organization and those self-generated within OPMI, with a specific focus on how multiple transportation modes interact to create a transportation network. Projects may include research to support innovative measurement frameworks; design of pilot project evaluations, and general exploratory research.

To meet these responsibilities, the Senior Policy Analyst carries out projects involving data from all areas of transportation, including public transportation, active modes, and car-based modes, to support activities and decision-making by all divisions of MassDOT and the MBTA. Projects will include data assessment, collection, and cleaning, research and survey design, qualitative and quantitative data analysis. and best practice research.

• Contribute to the development of the broader research agenda at OPMI.
• Keep up to date and engaged in the research and analysis being done in the transportation field as well as the primary transportation challenges in the agency to bridge the gap between research and practice.
• As part of a collaborative team, prioritize and manage transportation research projects, including identifying research needs, conducting data collection and analysis, reporting results within and outside the organization, and using research results to inform practice.
• Communicate complex transportation research concepts to various audiences (academic, practitioners, decision-makers, etc.) as appropriate in order to contribute to the body of transportation research.
• Establish and maintain organized, efficient, and standardized processes for work intake, prioritization, resource allocation, quality control, and release of findings.
• Assist with other duties in OPMI as needed, including providing support to Performance Management and Data Strategy verticals and cross-team projects.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Additional responsibilities may include focus on one or more departments or locations. See applicable addendum for department or location specific functions.

• No direct reports.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a related field.
• Five (5) years of directly relevant experience in quantitative or qualitative analysis, research, or project management in transportation or related field.
• Relevant experience includes all steps of the research process: generating hypotheses, acquiring appropriate data from primary or secondary data sources, and collecting new data when necessary. filtering and cleaning data. conducting appropriate statistical analyses, including correcting for data inadequacies, and developing actionable recommendations, reports, and visualizations.
• Expertise in at least one approach to advanced data analysis (e.g. GIS, SQL, Python, R, SPSS, or other).
• Strong critical thinking and written communication skills along with ability to collaborate effectively with variety of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Effective organizational,…