Research and Data Analyst

The Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) is seeking a Research and Data Analyst who will support the development, testing, and updating of data sets used for applied research projects, data tools, and technical assistance requests and be an active participant in the applied research process. This position will also serve as IHS’s liason with DePaul University’s Department of Information Services on data management issues and as the coord.

IHS is a research center situated in the Real Estate Center at DePaul University. IHS’s mission is to provide reliable, impartial, and timely data and research to inform housing policy decisions and discussions about the state of housing in the Chicago region and nationally. IHS’s work in particular focuses on affordable housing issues and understanding the changing dynamics of neighborhood housing markets. The Institute examines a range of housing issues including housing affordability, housing finance, homeownership, sustainable neighborhood redevelopment, and emerging trends. IHS’s research explores and documents often rapidly changing conditions in local housing markets; influences local and national policy decisions; measures the impact of interventions; and raises awareness of emerging housing issues.

This position is funded by an external grant source. If the grant terminates for any reason, if grant funding is lost or reduced for any reason, or if the budgetary needs for fulfilling the grant requirements change, your employment with the University will be immediately discontinued.

Responsibilities & Duties

• Data analysis : Contributing to the conceptualization and execution of IHS analyses, research reports, new data tools, and responses to technical assistance requests.
• Geographic Information Systems : Act as primary point of contact for all GIS mapping requests and manage IHS’s library of GIS data files.
• Data testing and development : Validate regular quarterly and annual updates of IHS’s Data Clearinghouse. Support the preparation of new data sets for analysis.
• Information Services : Act as liaison between IHS and DePaul’s Department of Information Services to monitor ongoing data warehouse management and coordinate quarterly and annual data updates.

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in economics, urban planning, public policy, geography, statistics, computer science, or some related field. Relevant experience accepted in place of master’s degree.
• 1-3 years experience building, updating, and managing large data sets used for research purposes.
• Experience using geographic information systems (GIS) software.
• Strong existing knowledge of data analysis software such as SPSS, SAS, Stata, or R.
• Strong data analysis skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work in a collaborative setting.
• High level of self-motivation, ability to work independently, and a willingness to learn new skills.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience working with parcel or individual record-level administrative data sets strongly preferred.
• General understanding of data warehousing. Including understanding ETL workflows, data assurance processes, and producing metadata/documentation.
• SAS experience.
• Experience with relational database platforms and SQL.
• Background in housing and/or community development policy.