R Data Scientist Assistant Jobs in Downers Grove, IL

Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates is seeking an experienced data scientist to join our Data, Modeling, & Analytics team. We are seeking someone with at least 8 years of experience who can act as a mentor and advisor to junior and senior staff, serve as data lead on projects, and champion tool-development initiatives.

This is an outstanding opportunity for the right person to help support and grow our industry-leading work in planning and designing transportation systems for vibrant, livable communities throughout North America. In addition to possessing technical subject matter expertise, data scientists at Nelson Nygaard must be adept at translating data and analysis into accessible findings and clear narratives that support our teams and clients.

For nearly 40 years, Nelson Nygaard has led the transportation planning field with our values-driven approach. We've always been guided by the principle of putting people first—designing transportation systems for people, not just cars. This also extends to how we operate as a firm. We were founded by two women who believed in the benefits of a more egalitarian workplace, where leadership and creativity can blossom at all levels and where diversity is a core strength.

Today, we are 170 talented and dedicated people in 15 offices across the U.S. and Canada who continue to live by those values. What unites us at Nelson Nygaard is our steadfast commitment to make the world more just, more sustainable, more connected, and more beautiful.

Nelson Nygaard offers a dynamic and self-directed work environment that is fast-paced, collaborative, and fun. This is your opportunity to work with one of the most innovative groups of planners, data scientists, and engineers in North America, including highly talented junior and support staff. Our firm culture is built upon diversity and creativity.

You're resourceful, curious, communicative, and enthusiastic. You're passionate about how transportation can make the world a better, more equitable place. You bring energy and commitment to your teams and clients to do great work together. You are skilled at leveraging diverse analytical tools and approaches to solve complex problems.

Our data scientists use their analytical skills to support a range of projects related to transit planning and operations, active transportation and safety, parking and travel demand management, urban corridor planning and design, and travel demand modeling. Our clients include transit agencies and operators, departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and private campuses, developers, and major employers.

The type of work you will perform includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Developing new and innovative analytical tools and dashboards for transit and multimodal transportation planning projects.
• Processing and analyzing transportation data, including big-data sources and household travel surveys.
• Supporting alternatives analysis, evaluation, and prioritization for all types of projects and corridor studies.

At a minimum, the candidate should possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, urban planning, economics, applied mathematics, data science, statistics, geography, or related field and 8+ years of relevant experience. Master's degree is desirable but not required.
• Experience with one or more programming/scripting languages, such as R or Python.
• Experience with data visualization packages such as R Shiny, PowerBI, Python Dash, and/or Tableau.
• Experience with source code management platforms/tools (e.g., Git).
• Database management skills (e.g., PostgreSQL) and SQL knowledge.
• Experience with statistical analysis tools and methods.
• Experience with MS Office suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Familiarity with geographic information system software, such ESRI ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

The following qualifications are highly desirable but not required:

• Experience working with transportation and public transit data (e.g., Census, GTFS, AVL/APC).
• Prior experience using STOPS to develop transit ridership forecasts in support of the FTA Capital Investment Grants Program requirements.
• Prior experience with travel demand modeling software packages such as Cube/TP+, TransCAD, EMME, and/or VISUM.
• Prior experience developing user interfaces and user experiences (UI/UX) for custom web-based tools.

The annual salary range for this position depends on location, qualifications, and years of experience.

Level - Salary Range

Senior Associate - $110,648 - $156,149

Associate Principal - $119,233-183,561

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; pre-tax transit and bicycling benefit; a 401k program; life insurance; and paid time off. Additionally, we offer flexibility to work from home up to 3 days per week.

To apply, please click on the 'Apply Online' link. Qualified and interested candidates must submit the following items:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Work samples that highlight your skills. Please do not exceed 6 MB.

At Nelson Nygaard we believe that inclusion spurs creativity, and that innovation is born from an engaged culture of diverse people and ideas. By moving beyond barriers and stereotypes of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, medical condition, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status, we are committed to building an organization that reflects the diversity of the communities and clients we serve. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and members of ethnic minorities. We're committed to maximizing the diversity of our team and want to hear from anyone who is passionate about our work.