Senior Data Scientist; Temp Position Potential

About the Metropolitan Council

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.

The Senior Data Scientist will directly support the research department’s mission to provide relevant, timely, and accessible data about the Twin Cities region to the public and organization through two key assignments: modernization of Community Profiles and design of the Imagine 2050 Outcomes Measurement Program dashboard. Both projects generate innovative digital research products guided by user experience research and data visualization best practices.

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

• Collaborate with research staff to develop conceptual, logical, and physical data models in a new enterprise‑wide Azure Databricks open lakehouse environment to support external applications.
• Lead data analysis efforts by developing innovative approaches and applying advanced statistical methods across diverse data sources, delivering trustworthy, well‑documented data pipelines.
• Partner with subject matter experts and data stewards across the division to develop short‑ and long‑term best‑fit data ingestion and maintenance strategies for internal data sources that meet product‑based data specifications.
• Participate in relevant communities of practice; share and learn from staff peers to advance the department’s practices and governance of the division’s lakehouse.

• Collaborate with the team to scope, design, build, and performance‑tune digital research products using Tableau, R and R Shiny, ESRI ArcGIS Online and Enterprise Portal, and other software/tools as required.
• Use data visualization best practices to translate complex research concepts and findings into usable and accessible tools for a diverse user base.
• Apply user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design principles and findings from user experience research to digital research products to ensure successful outcomes.

• High school diploma/GED with eight (8) years of experience
• Associate degree with six (6) years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree with four (4) years of experience
• Master’s degree with two (2) years of experience

• Experience working with Twin Cities (Minneapolis‑Saint Paul) regional datasets.
• Proficient programming skills in SQL, R, and/or Python for statistical modeling, data analysis, data visualization, and/or data engineering.
• Experience with Tableau, R Shiny, and/or equivalent business intelligence software to build interactive applications.
• Experience working in racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse, multicultural, and inclusive environments.
• Experience with cloud‑based data platforms or warehouses like Azure Databricks (preferred), Apache Spark, Snowflake, or equivalent database management systems.
• Experience with geospatial analysis and databases, and/or ESRI GIS software, including ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and Enterprise Portal.

Knowledge of:

• The Minneapolis‑Saint Paul, Minnesota region, including its geographic, planning, and data landscapes.
• Database design and management, including relational database systems, data architecture, and metadata standards.
• Product development strategies.
• User experience and user interface design principles.

Skilled in:

• Advanced statistical modeling and analysis; machine learning techniques.
• Programming and scripting language skills, including proficient SQL, R, and Python.
• Data pipeline/workflow/ETL design and documentation in cloud‑based data platforms and relational database systems.
• Developing web based interactive applications.
• Data visualization and/or visual analytics.
• Written communication, including the ability to document methods, workflows, and procedures for non‑technical audiences.
• Managing…