Data Scientist and Program Analyst

17a; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

17A is a mission-driven consulting firm focused on improving government and social services. We are building a senior analytics function in Texas, delivering data-driven insights to inform resource allocation and program design across housing, health, and safety.

You will join two linked tracks as Embedded Program Analyst, translating program needs into questions, producing analyses and prototypes, and communicating results to nontechnical stakeholders while learning new domains quickly.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of applied analytical experience.
• Strong STEM or quantitative social science background.
• Fluent in Python and SQL; able to read R.
• Proven ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Experience with AI-assisted analytics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Embed in program team meetings to understand portfolio strategy and data.
• Translate program needs into analytical questions and scoped analyses.
• Develop analyses, prototypes, and recurring analytics products.
• Collaborate with Strategy & Analytics team with standards and documentation.
• Frame questions, end-to-end analysis, and clear communication to nontechnical stakeholders.
• Leverage AI-enabled approaches and ensure careful validation.

Skills

Python

SQL

R

Analytical thinking

Data visualization

Education

STEM degree

Applied quantitative social science

Tools

Excel

Jupyter/Notebooks

Job description

17A is a new type of management consulting firm. We come from places like McKinsey, Palantir, JP Morgan Philanthropies, and venture-backed Healthcare startups. We share a common goal: improving the quality of government and social services. 17A believes that trust in government is something to be continuously built and earned, through strong service delivery.

We have a dynamic core team, and partner with Consultants, known internally as Project-Based Team Members, to bring the best combination of expertise to what we do. Our team has varied skills from a range of industries and experiences, including management consulting, technology and analytics, and public service. If you've spent the early part of your career in consulting or a fast-paced analytical environment and you're ready to apply those skills to something with direct civic impact, 17A is for you.

The Opportunity:

17A is supporting a mission-driven, Texas-based nonprofit focused on improving economic mobility by reducing child poverty in the region through data-driven approaches to social service delivery. The work is structured across two closely related tracks (seeking multiple candidates). These will be permanent roles within the organization's Strategy & Analytics team - not parachuting in.

The organization is committed to finding leverage in how it directs limited resources - turning data into insights that help it and its partners improve outcomes for the children and families these programs serve. It is building a small, senior analytics function that combines analytical rigor, practical judgment, and AI-enabled ways of working, and you will help build lasting internal capabilities as part of that function.

These positions will support two concurrent and interconnected streams of work central to the organization's near-term priorities.

Role 1 - Embedded Program Analyst

• Embed in the daily meetings and work of a specific program team (e.g., housing, maternal health, or violence/public safety), developing a strong understanding of that portfolio's strategy, stakeholders, data, and recurring decisions.
• Translate program needs into analytical questions - finding the decision behind a request, clarifying what evidence would help, and distinguishing analysis from reporting, data acquisition, operations, or engineering work.
• Shape analytical products with program leaders, building analyses, prototypes, and recurring products that respond to the portfolio's real operating context, not just its initial request.
• Remain a full member of the central Strategy & Analytics team, with shared priorities, analytical standards, peer review, and documentation.
• Work across areas such as housing, economic mobility, (maternal) health, education, and public safety - tackling questions that rarely arrive with clean data, a settled methodology, or a well-formed problem statement.
• Learn unfamiliar domains quickly, work confidently with imperfect data, and communicate sophisticated ideas clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Connect analysis to decisions, producing work that can influence resource allocation, program design, or organizational strategy across multiple issue areas.

Across both streams, analysts will:

• Conduct analysis end to end - combining messy data, selecting appropriate methods, testing findings, and documenting sources, definitions, assumptions, and limitations.
• Frame the question before analyzing it - finding the decision behind the request, challenging flawed assumptions, and defining the smallest useful first version.
• Produce more than the literal answer - explaining what the result means, identifying adjacent insights, and surfacing questions stakeholders may not have known to ask.
• Communicate clearly - turning complex analysis into concise briefs, visualizations, and explanations for nontechnical decision-makers, and enabling them to communicate with external stakeholders.
• Build institutional knowledge so the next related question is easier and less expensive to answer.
• Work AI-natively, using AI in research, coding, quality assurance, and documentation - verifying it carefully and never trusting it blindly.

These roles are well-suited for someone who is 3-5 years into their career - likely coming from a top-tier strategy or boutique data science / analytical consulting firm - and is ready to take on more ownership while doing work that has a clear, measurable impact on vulnerable communities.

You might be a current or former:

• Analyst or Associate at a top-tier strategy or boutique data science / analytical consulting firm
• Analyst running analytics for a high-growth startup or public sector agency, with unusual early responsibility
• Graduate with a STEM degree or applied quantitative social science background (e.g., economics, urban science, operations research, or causal inference) with consulting or analytical experience

The Skillset:

You'll thrive in this role if you:

• Have 3-5 years of applied analytical experience, typically from a top-tier strategy or analytical consulting firm, or an equivalent high-responsibility trajectory (e.g., running analytics for a high-growth startup or agency)
• Have a strong quantitative foundation from a STEM degree, an applied quantitative social science (e.g., economics, urban science or spatial analytics, operations research, causal inference and program evaluation, or population health analytics), or a comparable discipline
• Are professionally fluent in Python and working SQL, and can read and adapt existing R
• Combine sound methodological judgment with consultant-style pragmatism - you choose the approach that fits the question, evidence, timeline, and stakes
• Have daily working fluency with AI-assisted analytical tools, backed by concrete examples
• Bring high agency, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to learn unfamiliar subject areas quickly
• Are seriously committed to the organization's mission - prior nonprofit experience is not required

Bonus if you have:

• Geospatial analysis and data visualization experience
• Proven applied work in housing, maternal health, or violence/public safety (especially relevant for the Embedded Program Analyst track)

Location:

This position has flexibility on location however preference will be given to candidates that live within a commuting proximity to north-central Texas. Hybrid or remote setup is possible for the right candidate.

Compensation:

This is a full-time, permanent, W2 position for 17a's client. Compensation ranges from $110,000-$140,000 yearly, commensurate with experience.

Accommodation Statement:

Improving public service delivery requires a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, domestic violence victim status, prior arrest or conviction record, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or status with regard to public assistance.

We encourage and welcome applicants who identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in government to apply.

Please contact [e-mail], if you would like to request reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process.