Data Scientist at Civilian Office of Police Accountability

This position is open to current BIDDERS from AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES (AFSCME) and the PUBLIC including current City of Chicago employees in other unions or non-union positions.  Only current City employees covered under the City’s collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME are considered BIDDERS and are eligible to bid.  Qualified BIDDERS who properly submit a bid will receive preference over any non-bidders.

BID INSTRUCTIONS:           

1. Apply on the bid site: cityofchicago.org/careers;
2. Check the box on your profile titled “Currently employed by the City of Chicago”.
3. Enter your employee ID (located on your pay stub labeled ‘payee/employee number’); and
4. Select your correct bargaining unit.

Failure to follow these instructions will result in a rejected bid application.

WORKING WITH THE CIVILIAN OFFICE OF POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY (COPA)

The mission of COPA is to:

• provide a just and efficient means to fairly and timely conduct investigations within our jurisdiction;
• determine whether allegations of police misconduct are well-founded;
• identify and address patterns of police misconduct; and
• make policy recommendations to improve the Chicago Police Department, thereby reducing incidents of police misconduct.

ROLE SUMMARY 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Chief Administrator of COPA’s Policy, Research and Analysis Division (PRAD), the Data Scientist will be assigned to PRAD on a variety of data-related projects designed to support data driven patterns and practices investigations and policy recommendations and will perform related duties as required.

Location:           1615 W. Chicago Ave, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60622 

Days:                  Monday - Friday 

Hours:                9:00am to 5:00pm  

Salary:                Starting at $112,404

This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Chicago and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and is in the career service.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES 

• Uses data to support patterns and practices investigations, policy recommendation projects, and investigative improvement projects related to police misconduct.
• Accesses internal data systems using Structured Query Language (SQL) to explore, summarize, and analyze information, with the aim of identifying patterns or anomalies in police misconduct investigation data.
• Proposes data-driven patterns and practices investigations and policy recommendation projects and communicates with team members and others to determine project feasibility, deliverables, scope, timeline, reporting, and impact.
• Weighs the appropriateness, effectiveness, and feasibility of possible analytical methods/approaches and chooses the best one for a project’s goal.
• Produces exploratory data summaries and visualizations to highlight topics for further data analysis, policy review, and/or collaboration.
• Identifies opportunities for capturing or collecting useful data for patterns and practices investigations, innovative ways of using existing data, and useful external data sources.
• Develops standardized methods for transforming, coding, linking, error-checking, de-duplicating, and combining structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
• Organizes and writes documentation for their data-related work and methods and summarizes that work for non-technical audiences.
• Contributes to the writing of policy recommendations, advisories, and research/analysis reports, where applicable.
• Works collaboratively with staff to identify, understand, and support the resolution of data quality issues.
• Utilizes cloud-based, collaborative environments to share and update information with team members.
• Develops and hones analytical, research, writing, and communication skills through feedback and training.
• Stays informed about related current events, policing innovations, and new advancements in data science.
• Shares work at related internal and external presentations, meetings, and conferences.

NOTE: The list of essential duties is not intended to be exhaustive; there may be other duties that are essential to particular positions within the class.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Data Analytics, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, or Information Technology/Systems or a directly related field, plus three (3) years of experience in data analysis or data management; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Disclaimer - "Accredited" means any nationally or regionally accredited college, university, or law school where the applicant is enrolled in or has completed an Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Juris Doctorate degree program.

Preference will be given to candidates possessing the following:

• A Master’s degree in Data Analytics, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, or Information Technology/Systems or a directly related field.
• Previous professional experience creating, managing, or using databases and database software and querying data using Structured Query Language (SQL).
• Previous professional experience developing statistical models to inform organizational decision making.
• Previous professional experience requiring the collection, analysis, and written summarization of quantitative and/or qualitative data.
• Previous professional experience creating data visualizations with Excel, PowerBI, Tableau, or other software.
• Previous professional experience using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and working with spatial data.
• Knowledge of and experience with applied data analysis in the context of criminal justice, policing, or public policy.
• Ability to fluently read, write and speak any language other than English.

ABOUT YOU

COPA is seeking candidates with a strong focus on the following values:

• Integrity: Maintaining a commitment to honesty, personal responsibility, excellence, and utmost professionalism in the work performed by COPA and in all internal and external interactions.  This includes a commitment to identifying and dismantling discriminatory systems and culture within COPA, the Chicago Police Department, and the community. 
• Transparency: Promoting the sharing of information about the work of COPA internally and externally in a manner not in conflict with City and COPA policy, such that the public trust in the mission of COPA is established and maintained.  This includes a commitment to cultivating a respectful work environment and team building to ensure effective communication that furthers common goals. 
• Independence: Conducting the business of COPA in a manner that is objective and free from political or other outside influences, such that the public trust in the mission and work of COPA is established and maintained.  This includes a commitment to informed decision making and continual efforts to improve processes and systems to further the mission of COPA. 
• Timeliness: Conducting the business of COPA in a manner that promotes timely and fair resolution to all matters. 

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to complete an interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected for hire.

You must include a writing sample (2-10 pages in length) as an attachment to your application. The writing sample may be an excerpt from a longer work, a single work, or multiple single works.  All samples provided must be original work (either wholly or substantially authored by you) and must reflect a data analysis conducted by you (e.g., analysis summary, methodology section, data visualization with a narrative, etc.).

All references to political sponsorship or recommendations must be omitted from all application materials submitted for City employment.

The City is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer.

Residency Requirement: All employees of the City must be actual residents of the City as outlined in 2-152-050 of the City Chicago Municipal Code.  Proof of residency will be required.

All positions with the City of Chicago close promptly at 11:59 pm CDT.  Applications for this position will be accepted from May 6, 2024, until 11:59 pm CDT on May 20, 2024.  No exceptions will be made.