Senior Policy Analyst

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) seeks a Senior Policy Analyst on the Strategic Research team within the Office of Performance Management and Innovation (OPMI).

You will lead and coordinate transportation research from hypothesis development, through field work and analysis, to delivery of results for multiple simultaneous projects across MassDOT and MBTA, with emphasis on equity, climate, data quality, and inter-modal networks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
• Five years of directly relevant experience in quantitative or qualitative analysis, research, or project management in transportation or related field.
• Expertise in at least one advanced data analysis approach (GIS, SQL, Python, R, SPSS, or other).
• Strong critical thinking and written communication skills; ability to collaborate effectively with variety of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• As part of the selection process, candidates may be required to complete a timed assessment demonstrating ability to analyze data, synthesize findings into actionable policy recommendations, and develop a supporting slide deck.
• Experience working within public-sector transportation agencies or similar large, multi-modal transportation systems is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to development of the broader research agenda at OPMI.
• Prioritize and manage transportation research projects, including identifying research needs, conducting data collection and analysis, reporting results, and informing practice.
• Communicate complex transportation research concepts to audiences (academic, practitioners, decision-makers).
• Establish and maintain organized, efficient, and standardized processes for work intake, prioritization, resource allocation, quality control, and release of findings.
• Assist with other duties in OPMI and cross-team projects as needed.

Skills

Data analysis

SQL / Python / GIS

Written communication

Project coordination

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master’s degree substitutes for two years of general experience

Tools

R

Python

GIS

SQL

Job description

The Senior Policy Analyst on the Strategic Research team in the Office of Performance Management and Innovation (OPMI) is responsible for leading and coordinating transportation research processes from hypothesis development, to field work and analysis, to delivery of results for multiple simultaneous research projects in all areas (and modes) of MassDOT and the MBTA. Major areas of focus will include issues of transportation equity, the changing transportation, climate, and economic environment, and the changing availability and quality of data for research and measurement.

This role has primary responsibility for prioritizing and managing transportation research projects undertaken by OPMI to support MassDOT and the MBTA. Research projects include both those specifically requested within the organization and those self-generated within OPMI, with a specific focus on how multiple transportation modes interact to create a transportation network. Projects may include research to support innovative measurement frameworks; design of pilot project evaluations, and general exploratory research.

To meet these responsibilities, the Senior Policy Analyst carries out projects involving data from all areas of transportation, including public transportation, active modes, and car-based modes, to support activities and decision-making by all divisions of MassDOT and the MBTA. Projects will include data assessment, collection, and cleaning, research and survey design, qualitative and quantitative data analysis. and best practice research.

• Contribute to the development of the broader research agenda at OPMI.
• Keep up to date and engaged in the research and analysis being done in the transportation field as well as the primary transportation challenges in the agency to bridge the gap between research and practice.
• As part of a collaborative team, prioritize and manage transportation research projects, including identifying research needs, conducting data collection and analysis, reporting results within and outside the organization, and using research results to inform practice.
• Communicate complex transportation research concepts to various audiences (academic, practitioners, decision-makers, etc.) as appropriate in order to contribute to the body of transportation research.
• Establish and maintain organized, efficient, and standardized processes for work intake, prioritization, resource allocation, quality control, and release of findings.
• Assist with other duties in OPMI as needed, including providing support to Performance Management and Data Strategy verticals and cross-team projects.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Additional responsibilities may include focus on one or more departments or locations. See applicable addendum for department or location specific functions.

Supervision

• No direct reports.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a related field.
• Five (5) years of directly relevant experience in quantitative or qualitative analysis, research, or project management in transportation or related field.
• Relevant experience includes all steps of the research process: generating hypotheses, acquiring appropriate data from primary or secondary data sources, and collecting new data when necessary. filtering and cleaning data. conducting appropriate statistical analyses, including correcting for data inadequacies, and developing actionable recommendations, reports, and visualizations.
• Expertise in at least one approach to advanced data analysis (e.g. GIS, SQL, Python, R, SPSS, or other).
• Strong critical thinking and written communication skills along with ability to collaborate effectively with variety of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Effective organizational, analytical, quantitative, qualitative, multi-tasking and time management skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, take direction, and work independently, and ability to resolve issues with creative and collaborative approaches.
• Advanced expertise in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• As part of the selection process, candidates may be required to successfully complete a timed assessment demonstrating their ability to analyze data, synthesize findings into actionable policy recommendations, and develop a supporting slide deck.

Substitutions

• A high school diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate’s degree from an accredited institution and an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of general experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one (1) year of experience.

• Experience working within public-sector transportation agencies or similar large, multi-modal transportation systems, preferably with exposure to MassDOT, MBTA, or comparable entities.
• Advanced proficiency in multiple analytical tools (e.g. R for statistical modeling, Python for workflow automation, GIS for spatial analysis, or SQL for building scalable data pipelines).