Data Scientist Data & AI (Power BI

The client is the Skagit Council of Governments. They currently produce an annual Growth Monitoring Report covering population, employment, housing, and related planning metrics. Historically, they have done the data work in Excel and then assembled the final report in Adobe/PDF format.

They now want to move this process into Microsoft Power BI using their Microsoft 365/Power BI Pro environment. The goal is to build a reusable Power BI report that supports the 2026 Growth Monitoring Report and can be maintained by their internal staff in future years.

• Discovery and planning
• Review of current Excel-based data files and existing report structure
• A small Power BI prototype using 2025 data
• A final 2026 Power BI Growth Monitoring Report
• Basic jurisdiction-level mapping, especially for housing data
• Documentation of Power BI-specific methodology/update steps
• Staff training for a small group of 3–5 users

The client has indicated that housing is the most important section and should receive the most attention. Population and employment can likely be handled more lightly.

The client also wants the Power BI report to support both interactive use and the production of a printed/adopted final report. This does not necessarily mean recreating a fully designed Adobe-style publication, but the report should be structured with printable/exportable output in mind.

The client expects to handle most of the annual data compilation and cleanup themselves. They already do this in Excel for the current process.

They also expect to handle geocoding and GIS file preparation internally.

The consultant would need to provide guidance on how the Excel files should be structured for Power BI, what transformations are needed, and what steps staff should follow in future annual updates.

I’m looking for someone with strong practical Power BI delivery experience, not just basic dashboarding.

The ideal person should have:

• Strong Power Query experience for Excel-based data transformation
• Experience creating polished report pages with charts, tables, slicers, and drill/filter behavior
• Experience building reports that can be exported or printed reasonably well
• Familiarity with Power BI Service publishing/sharing
• Some experience with map visuals, jurisdiction-level mapping, or geographic data in Power BI
• Ability to document the update process clearly for non-developer staff
• Good written English and ability to work asynchronously

• Public-sector reporting
• Planning, housing, demographic, GIS, or economic development data
• Power BI reports built from recurring annual Excel datasets
• Training or handoff documentation for client staff

My rough estimate is that the full project is likely in the 70–100 hour range, depending on the condition of the Excel files and how polished the final report needs to be.

A possible breakdown:

• Discovery / data review / planning: 8–12 hours
• Review of existing 2025 Excel files and report structure: 6–10 hours
• 2025 Power BI prototype:
  16–24 hours
• Prototype revisions after feedback: 6–12 hours
• 2026 final report build:
  24–36 hours
• Mapping setup: 6–12 hours
• Documentation of Power BI update steps: 6–10 hours
• Staff training support/materials: 4–8 hours
• QA, packaging, and handoff: 6–10 hours

I can provide the client’s scope of work and the prior year Growth Monitoring Report for review.