Data Science and Analytics Specialist

HR&A Labs is a rapidly growing internal team that works closely with project teams across all of our business lines to prototype products, serve data science requests, and increase the quality and efficiency of our work.  Over the past four years, HR&A Labs has developed dashboards, products, and actionable data analysis to state and local governments to push forward housing access, broadband adoption, and data transparency.

This position will primarily support the design and implementation of internal data tools and be deployed onto projects to help provide data science and analytics expertise across a wide set of business lines.

Plans: We create housing plans and strategies based on local needs and priorities. Most recently, we’ve created a housing plan that tackles affordability and climate resilience for Houston and Harris County and a regional strategy that responds to displacement challenges in Atlanta.  

Policies: We design and implement solutions, from inclusionary zoning policies to anti-displacement programs. We have studied the feasibility of office to residential conversions in Boston, social housing development in California, and rent control in New York. 

Transactions: We helped craft Amazon’s Housing Fund, a $3.6 billion commitment to preserve existing housing and create inclusive developments through below-market loans and grants, and continue to serve as one of its underwriting partners. We also launched the $150 million Central New York Housing Fund, supporting over 2,500 new homes in the Syracuse region. 

Digital Tools: The Housing Affordability Practice developed HousingWeaver, a housing market analytics platform designed to help you understand your housing market, develop policies and programs to address the housing needs of your community and track the impact of those policies and programs over time. We have used it to set housing production goals for the State of Maine, evaluate the suitability of public land for affordable housing in the Puget Sound Region, and estimate the impact of changes in land use regulations Montgomery County, MD.  

Hear more about the HR&A experience from our staff.   

Learn more about careers at HR&A on our website here.

You will support the rapid growth of our digital service offerings by conducting data and geospatial analysis, developing visualizations, building interactive tools and dashboards, and developing methodologies for key economic indicators. Day-to-day work includes procuring and analyzing large datasets, building and maintaining data systems and tools, and contributing to fast-moving project teams. You’ll start by driving discrete pieces of the work and grow into leading workstreams as you demonstrate ownership.

• 2-4 years of relevant professional experience, or a strong portfolio that demonstrates equivalent capability in analytics and product thinking

• Proficiency in Python, including geospatial analysis and packages (e.g., GeoPandas, Shapely)

• Demonstrated ability to work with census data, PUMS, and other economic and demographic datasets

• Proficiency cleaning, manipulating, and merging public, proprietary, and internal datasets for analysis

• Fluency with LLMs and other AI tools as part of a daily workflow, paired with the judgment to independently verify data and AI outputs and catch when they are wrong

• Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to translate technical analysis into something a non-technical client can read and act on

• Evidence of self-directed drive: something you built, shipped, or contributed to that nobody assigned you (a side project, a tool, an open-source contribution)

• Ability to manage your own deadlines across multiple workstreams and escalate early when something is at risk

• Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) with a focus on data science/analytics, geographic information science/analytics, urban planning/design/data, regional science/analytics, architecture, economics, business, public policy, real estate, or other related fields

Preferred:

• Experience building web-based tools and dashboards using publicly available APIs

• Experience with front-end development (React/Next.js) and/or back-end services (FastAPI)

• Experience with spatial data infrastructure (PostGIS, vector tiles) or analytical databases (DuckDB)

• Experience conducting geospatial, vicinity/buffer, site suitability, socio-economic, and demographic analysis

• Experience in product design, rapid prototyping (including with generative AI tools), and wireframing

HR&A fosters a collaborative and flexible work environment through our hybrid work policy. Employees work from the office at least three days a week, which allows individuals the freedom to balance their professional and personal lives while maintaining a strong connection to their teams. 

The base salary range for this position is $83, 200 – $98,571, depending on experience, plus the opportunity for a discretionary year-end bonus. We offer a competitive compensation package, based on qualifications and experience. We are an employee-owned company, meaning you will have the opportunity to benefit from the firm’s growth over time through participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Each year. The firm contributes funds to this long-term wealth-building account and may make contributions to other employee retirement accounts. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package that goes well beyond coverage of 90-95% of healthcare premiums, including dental and vision coverage. Paid time off allowances for illness, vacations, scheduled holidays, and family needs are also included.

HR&A is committed to attracting and retaining a talented, diverse, competitive team of professionals dedicated to solving the challenges of urban life. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, click here. Please submit your cover letter and resume as a single PDF document. We ask that you submit a version of your resume that has your school information removed. There is no need to reformat your resume, and you should leave your degree (e.g., “B.A. Communications”). However, please remove all undergraduate and graduate school name references. This request is part of our ongoing work to build a hiring system that is free from bias and based on candidate merit and performance in the hiring process.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.

For more information, please contact us at jobs@hraadvisors.com.

At HR&A, we are problem solvers for cities.  

We guide decision-makers, including mayors and agency heads, real estate owners and developers, and non-profit leaders, to create impact when the stakes are high and the path forward isn’t clear. We believe in creating vital places, building more equitable and resilient communities, and improving people’s lives, from Los Angeles to Brooklyn.       

We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former public officials, executive directors, planners, social scientists, lawyers, architects, and economists.   

HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York, Raleigh, and Washington D.C.