Director of Data Science

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) provides for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and maintains and enhances the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of City residents. DOT is an equal opportunity employer, committed to recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce in an open and inclusive environment.

DOT is seeking a Director Data Science to serve in the Bike Share & Shared Mobility unit, which is responsible for planning and oversight of the Citi Bike program and other shared micro mobility services in New York City. Citi Bike is a public transportation service and a public-private partnership that is among the largest and most successful bike share systems in the world. The program is in the midst of a multi-year expansion that will ultimately double the size of its previous service area and put more than 40,000 bicycles within a five-minute walk of half of NYC residents. Other shared micro mobility services in NYC include dockless e-scooter share, which operates in the East Bronx and Eastern Queens.

Under the direction of the Executive Director, this candidate will lead a team of data scientists / analysts and will perform research and analysis activities related to bike share and shared mobility that will inform current and future planning; conduct economic research and studies involving estimates and forecasts regarding transportation-share services; collect, classify, evaluate, and analyze data, develop predictive models to answer complex and nuanced questions about the programs and anticipate future needs and behavior of the systems; prepare reports and briefing materials based on databases that underlie the bike share and shared mobility systems; monitor vendor compliance with governmental regulations, DOT policies, and contract terms; establish and monitor best practices, policies, procedures and documentation around bike share and shared mobility data; plan, design, maintain, and support unit internal databases; communicate technical issues to technical and non-technical audiences; and perform related duties. This candidate will serve as the Bike Share & Shared Mobility unit's primary technical liaison to its micromobility vendors and data management providers.

CITY RESEARCH SCIENTIST - 21744

Minimum Qualifications

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.

To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have :

1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or

2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or

3. Education and / or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE : Probationary Period

Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Preferred Skills

Preference for supervisory experience to be inclusive of project management / delivery experience. Demonstrated experience producing clear and effective data visualizations is highly desirable, as is experience explaining complex, nuanced analyses to nontechnical and unacquainted audiences. Ability to relate complex trends in the data to larger policy issues is very important, as is being able to work with the operations and planning team to tailor data analysis and products to their needs. Familiarity with pyspark is desirable, as is experience with PowerBI and / or JavaScript, including leaflet, or the folium package in Python Preference will be given to candidates who have demonstrated experience or interest in transportation planning, logistics, bike share, micromobility, cycling, and working with or in the public sector.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https : / / studentaid.gov / pslf / .

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.