Category: GIS
Title: Data Scientist, Conflict Specialist
Location(s): Washington, DC
Required Security Clearance: Must be able to attain a Secret Level Security Clearance
Join Freedom – we’re a team of IT professionals dedicated to our passion for tech and loving where we work. As a member of our team, how you want to spend your time and which projects you’d like to work on is important to us – which is part of the reason we’ve been selected as a Top Workplace for multiple years in a row. You’ll be part of our friendly, flexible office environment, hands-off management, a variety of social events, and endless growth opportunities. Tell us what you need to do your best work, and we work the magic to make it happen.
We believe in striking that perfect balance between work and play, where you can pursue your creativity and excel in your career, and still have time for all your extracurricular activities. At Freedom, there is no shortage of growth opportunities and a successful career path for a bright, well-rounded professional like you. We have something for everyone – check out our most recent available position below!
What You'll Do
This position is based in the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs (DCHA), in the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM). DCHA/CMM provides technical advice and analysis that respond to the causes and consequences of conflict, fragility and violence to all parts of the Agency, other USG departments and agencies and international partners including other donors and civil society, with the objective of maximizing the effectiveness of conflict-sensitive development programs in this critical area. DCHA/CMM provides leadership on designing and implementing conflict-related programming through technical assistance to USAID field missions and other operating units, applied research and analysis, training and information dissemination, and donor engagement and coordination. The office links rigorous analysis to its assistance in strategy, program and activity design, and monitoring and evaluation, combining country and regional conflict assessments with practical guidance for program implementation. DCHA/CMM also spearheads the articulation of policy regarding the role of development vis-à-vis conflict, fragility and violence as well as the application of those policies within not only USAID but the interagency and the broader international community. In addition to providing direct field-based technical assistance, DCHA/CMM manages specialized grants, cooperative agreements, interagency agreements and contracts in support of country and regional programs.
DCHA/CMM historically served as the Agency’s home for early warning processes related to conflict, instability and diagnostics related to fragility. Previous efforts resulted in the production of quantitative global risk analyses. DCHA/CMM is looking to adapt its processes from being a producer of this analysis to becoming a focused consumer of public third party and other USAID resources to better inform conflict and violence prevention programming. DCHA/CMM seeks a Data Scientist to support the evolution of its early warning methodology and to better integrate conflict and violence data in support of wider USAID and interagency initiatives.
Responsibilities
The Data Scientist is responsible for working with subject matter experts on conflict and violence and with other data scientists in USAID to support and enhance CMM’s capacity to provide early warning of conflict and violence, diagnose instability and fragility, and to integrate data and analysis into decision making. This position will require coordinating conflict and violence early warning data with other Agency metrics, such as the Journey to Self Reliance. Responsibilities will include:
Technical Support and Analytical Services
- Apply data science techniques to enable early warning on conflict, violence, instability and diagnostics related to fragility and the relationship with international development challenges;
- Assist USAID subject matter experts with data and analysis in support of conflict risk reduction methodologies and improved planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of programs in conflict-affected and fragile environments;
- Design, develop and deliver data analysis and visualization products to support DCHA/CMM’s conflict, fragility and violence work, with an emphasis on early warning;
- Acquire, process, manage, and analyze data from a range of sources for improved decision-making in the areas of conflict, fragility and violence;
- Collaborate with a team of interdisciplinary experts, particularly with USAID’s GeoCenter, interagency partners and regional bureaus.
Strategic Planning, Support, and Capacity Building
- Serve as technical advisor on team responsible for adapting early warning processes;
- Provide consultation to non-technical audiences inside and outside USAID and develop and implement guidance on integrating data and analysis into work related to conflict, fragility and violence;
- Prepare concept papers, background analyses, and briefings to build support for the use of data analytics and data science techniques in early warning on conflict and instability, and the dynamics related to fragility;
- Participate in discussions among key USAID stakeholders to articulate a vision and plan for integrating data science into development work related to conflict, fragility and violence;
- Provide training and capacity building services to non-technical audiences on accessing, analyzing, and visualizing data.
Qualifications and Technical Knowledge
The Data Scientist will demonstrate experience and expertise in the following technical areas:
- An advanced quantitative degree such as Statistics, Physics, Math, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, or related technical field;
- Strong quantitative background and experience in data collection, cleaning, processing and applied analysis and visualization using statistical software or programming languages (Python, Stata, SAS, R, SPSS, MATLAB, Tableau, PowerBI);
- Ability to convert relevant conflict and violence data into clear and compelling data visualization products in support of analysis and planning;
- Curious, self-motivated individual with excellent communications skills -- must be able to distill highly technical quantitative methods into policy relevant snippets;
- Experience translating statistical, regression and visualization results into briefing documents or presentations for senior leadership;
- Experience working on data science as it pertains to conflict, fragility and violence within the foreign policy realm;
- Experience applying data science analytical techniques to foreign policy and programming;
- Ability to apply data science analytical techniques to problems and data sets spanning diverse sectors as agriculture, democracy & governance, economic growth, education, environment, and health;
- Strategic project leadership: experience leading and facilitating projects through concept, iterative design and development, delivery, and ongoing support;
- Strong interpersonal skills, and experience working across different offices and agencies.
- 4 years of experience or 2 years of experience with a Master's degree
What’s in It for You?
- Flexible work environment
- A team mentality – work with friendly, like-minded professionals
- Work with innovative, cutting edge technologies
- Enjoy extremely competitive compensation and benefits
- A work-life balance you can count on
- Opportunities to grow and advance your career on our dime
The Benefits You Get with Freedom
- Amazing benefits including matching 401k, profit sharing, fully paid medical, and more
- Generous paid time off – including paid site closure days
- Competitive salary offerings
- Paid training and tuition reimbursement
- Referral bonuses
- Fully paid life and disability
- Annual logo wear allowance
- Company sponsored events (game nights, holiday party, summer party, happy hours)
Interested in learning more about Freedom and our culture? Contact us today! We’re constantly hosting hiring events in our office and elsewhere, to help you get a sense of what life is like at Freedom before joining the team.
May be called on to perform short term technical assistance overseas
Ability to attain a Secret Level Security Clearance is required
U.S. Citizenship is required
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability or veteran status
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