Statistician
Position: Statistician - Washington, DC or remote
Reports to: Deputy Director of Learning and Impact
Organization Description: The Voter Participation Center (VPC) is the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to registering and mobilizing voters from the New American Majority (NAM) – people of color, unmarried women and young people – who make up the majority of the potential electorate but have been historically underrepresented in political participation and power. Using direct mail, digital and social media outreach, guided by rigorous data science and experimentation, and working closely with a multitude of partner organizations, VPC connects with millions of voters each year, building the foundation for a more representative democracy.
Over 18 years VPC has helped more than 5.7 million people register to vote. In 2020, as COVID-19 shut down most forms of in-person voter contact, VPC helped more than 4.6 million people apply to vote by mail & cast ballots, registered more than 1.6 million people, and assisted millions of voters in voting early and safely to reduce pressures on polling places on Election Day.
VPC programs are flexible, nimble and scalable. VPC is driven by a commitment to constant research, testing, experimentation and evaluation, and thus offers many of the most cost effective, proven, high-impact programs in the civic engagement field.
The Center for Voter Information (CVI) is VPC’s partner organization, and is a separate but affiliated 501(c)4 non-profit that works to engage both the NAM as well as members of the broader electorate who share their values.
Position Overview:
The VPC and CVI seek a hardworking and resourceful individual to join our Innovation, Learning, and Impact team as a Statistician. The Innovation, Learning, and Impact team reflects a substantial and long-term commitment to fostering innovation and evidence-based programs by the VPC and CVI.
The Statistician is expected to contribute to the design of the randomized voter registration, vote by mail, and in-person turnout programs and tests that reach millions of individuals, and play a key role in their evaluations and reporting. The latter would include conducting statistical analysis, producing various descriptive statistics and drawing insights from the analysis. Excellent analytical skills will be vital to the success of this position supported by strong communications and collaborative skills. Equally important, the Statistician would welcome the challenge of balancing program goals with methodological requirements, demonstrate the capacity to draw insights from imperfect data, and share a commitment with teammates to continuous learning and improvement. The Statistician is also expected to contribute to the analysis of the research projects involving internal and external data.
The successful candidate for the position will be excited by the possibilities in stewarding learning and impact, and building new organizational capabilities for VPC, CVI, and the civic engagement community. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with a background in statistical analysis excited to apply those skills in an organization committed to leveraging innovation and research to maximize program impact.
Primary responsibilities as well as desired skills and qualifications for this position are listed below. We very much welcome applications from individuals who are a good fit for the role even if you do not meet all the requirements listed below.
Primary Responsibilities
Responsibilities Include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting statistical and descriptive analysis for the randomized programs and tests
- Supporting the design of the randomized programs and tests
- Supporting pre-analysis plans
- Contributing to quality control of the randomization protocols and specifics
- Providing analytics and metrics to support external communications and program decisions
- Completing statistical and descriptive analysis for research projects involving external or internal data
- Contributing to the building of statistical analysis and impact evaluation capabilities within the organization.
Skills and Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have:
- A commitment and passion for erasing inequities and gaps in political participation in this country
- Experience with linear regression models
- Familiarity with the design and analysis of block and cluster randomized experiments
- Proficient in R and AWS
- Masters degree (with statistical training) OR Bachelor’s degree (with statistical training) and at least 2 years professional experience beyond academic training
- Excellent communications skills
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently and as an a collaborative team member
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines
Nice-To-Haves:
- Experience with two-stage least squares, logistic, multinomial logistic, and negative binomial regressions; survival analysis; or hierarchical models
- Parallel processing experience
- Familiarity with political data
- Python or Stata proficiency
- Experience with political or social research
SALARY & BENEFITS
The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Our comprehensive benefits plan includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees; generous paid time off; access to retirement plan, and more.
TO APPLY
Please APPLY HERE and submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references. The cover letter should be concise, compelling, and include why you would like to work for VPC-CVI. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is identified. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply by September 3, 2021 for early consideration. References are not contacted until you are notified.
VPC-CVI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply. We strongly value the leadership of people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and other traditionally marginalized communities, and encourage candidates from these communities to apply.
We strive to create and maintain a working environment that is inclusive, equitable and welcoming. At VPC-CVI, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with the fundamental belief that people are inherently capable but often lack opportunity. We know that a diverse workforce allows us to see problems in more nuanced ways, creating the thought leadership needed to fulfill our mission and reach our goals.