Data Scientist

Overview

This position is eligible for a hybrid (both remote and onsite) telework arrangement. Candidate’s permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven‑county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website.

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Metropolitan Transportation Services conducts planning for the regional transportation system that includes highways, transit, aviation, freight, and bicycle and pedestrian connections. The Metropolitan Council is the region’s federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Data Scientist will support multi‑modal transportation planning in the Minneapolis and St. Paul region through innovative approaches to collecting and analyzing transportation data and the development and application of cutting‑edge travel forecasting models and analysis tools. The Data Scientist will join a vibrant travel research and modeling team working on travel demand forecasting, travel behavior surveys, and creative analysis of all kinds of transportation data to drive planning and policy analysis.

• Perform technical, statistical, and analytic tasks that support long‑range transportation planning and research on regional transportation issues (for example: emerging transportation modes and technologies, generational changes in travel behavior, disparities in transportation access).
• Develop visualizations of transportation data and performance measures.
• Develop and apply cutting‑edge transportation models that assess the region’s future.
• Develop transportation forecasts at the regional, corridor, and project level.
• Improve workflows across the department by developing applications, processes, and analyses for all sorts of data.
• Process, clean, and code transportation data.
• Analyze, examine, and visualize spatial information in static and interactive maps.
• Perform geocoding, spatial data manipulation, and spatial data analysis.
• Collaborate with planners, researchers, and policy makers.
• Develop public‑facing reports and web‑based, interactive data visualization, analysis, and dissemination tools in partnership with internal and external partners.
• Respond to requests for data and information, including requests from the media, other Council staff, or local partners by summarizing data in a clear, coherent manner.
• Be a contributory team member in a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Make presentations to the Transportation Committee and other Council advisory and technical committees, as needed.
• Review scholarly articles and technical papers in academic and industry databases/journals.
• Promote a culture of creativity, lifelong learning, and continuous improvement.
• Promote a culturally diverse and inclusive work environment that advances racial equity.

• High school diploma/GED with seven years of experience
• Associate degree with five years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree with three years of experience
• Master’s degree with one year of experience

• Experience performing and communicating data analysis and statistical modeling of transportation data
• Experience working with transportation data and models
• Experience in programming and modeling languages (R or Python preferred)
• Experience in data mining; passive and/or “big” data; structured, unstructured, and semi‑structured data
• Experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive environments.

• Knowledge of statistical analysis techniques (regression analysis, survival analysis, time‑series modeling, etc.)
• Knowledge of database systems design and maintenance
• Knowledge of web‑based interactive tool development
• Knowledge of computer programming (i.e., R, Python)
• Knowledge of…