Data Science Manager

Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.

Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.

With a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.

At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.

Code for America is looking for a talented Data Science Manager who will:

• Work alongside cross-functional partners to deliver insights to support continuous improvement of our service offerings
• Support, coach and develop a team of data scientists and an analytics engineer
• Foster an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone is supported to do their best work

Code for America’s data scientists use a wide range of statistical and analytical methods to improve user experiences and outcomes across the tax, criminal justice, and safety net services that Code for America delivers.  

We are looking for a Data Science Manager who is comfortable in a player-coach role. You will manage and mentor members of the Data Science team and define best practices for conducting research with respect and dignity.

Data Scientists at Code for America are an integral component of all of our program areas and as a Data Science Manager, you will spend time as an individual contributor in one of these program areas. There are currently three program areas at Code for America:

• Criminal Justice, which focuses on Automatic Record Clearance,
• Tax Benefits, which focuses on free trustworthy tax services and simplified tax filing,
• And the Social Safety Net. Focus areas in this portfolio include food benefits, integrated benefits applications, and training & capacity building.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in data science and analytics, data engineering, and a proven track record in managing a diverse team of data scientists in a matrixed environment.

The Data Science Manager will report to the Senior Director of Insights, and there may be up to 20% travel for this role. 

• Focus on hands-on Data Science work to support Code for America's portfolios by:
• Conducting descriptive data analysis using case, survey, and event data to identify and size problems. Collaborating with cross-functional partners to identify potential improvements
• Developing and implementing key metrics to measure the effectiveness and impact of our products and services
• When appropriate, applying AI/ML techniques in collaboration with cross-functional teams to improve the delivery of products and services
• Manage a team by:
• Directly managing 3-5 reports
• Holding regular 1:1s with each member of the team to coach and mentor towards established goals
• Performing regular check-ins with each member of the team to ensure alignment on expectations around job performance and growth
• Creating growth opportunities for reports to practice key technical and professional skills
• Advising the Senior Director on direct report health and future goals for appropriate team rotations and staffing
• Serve as a leader by:
• Fostering a dynamic and equity-centered data science culture 
• Developing our team operations and rituals
• Partnering cross-functionally to ensure Data Science is being leveraged to improve products, services, and client outcomes across our portfolios
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

This position is a perfect fit for a compassionate data science leader who excels at balancing empathy with productivity, especially someone driven by a deep commitment to making it easier for people to access social safety net benefits. If you are passionate about leading a team to deliver impactful solutions while fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment, this role aligns perfectly with your values and skills.

• At least 7 years experience as a data scientist, data science manager or equivalent, including at least 2 years of demonstrated people management.
• Expert in Python, SQL; Fluency in R
• Expert at Postgres and cloud-based data warehousing (e.g. BigQuery, Snowflake)
• Expert at data orchestration tools (e.g. Dagster) for building and managing data pipelines
• Expert using dbt for data transformation and modeling within data warehouses;
• Expert with Metabase or similar business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker) for creating dashboards and reports for the organization
• Experience with machine learning frameworks and libraries such as PyTorch, scikit-learn, Tensor Flow, etc.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills – including stellar writing skills – and a demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional relationships and external stakeholder requests and facilitate decision-making conversations
• Experience building and leading a diverse team and fostering an inclusive, empathetic culture
• Demonstrated ability to lead by influence: coaching, mentoring, creating and reinforcing culture, and setting an example for your team with your actions.

• Personal experience with the social safety net, or other mission-relevant government services
• Experience with large language models and fine-tuning pre-trained models
• Knowledge of prompt engineering and working with APIs of large-scale generative AI models, such as the GPT, Gemini, Claude, or Llama model families
• Experience with explainable AI tools such as SHAP, LIME
• Expertise in data preprocessing for AI/ML, feature engineering, and model evaluation techniques
• Experience with government data

Salary: 

Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are happy to extend this transparency in the recruitment process. As part of our equitable hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.

Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $128,945 to $157,850, annually.

Benefits and Perks: 

• Values:
• Leadership and teammates who value Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (DE&I)
• A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
• Employee Enablement Support: 
• Laptop provided
• $700 remote environment setup; $200 stipend and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
• Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month 
• Professional Development:
• $1000 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
• Up to $1000 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $2000
• Retirement & 401k Plans:
• Employees under 3 years are eligible for a 100% employer match of up to 3% of employee contribution
• Employees with 3+ years are eligible for an additional 50% employer contribution over 3%, to a maximum of 5%
• Medical:
• Full benefits package with options up to 100% coverage toward select medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employer contributes up to 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
• Remote Work:
• Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
• Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
• Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
• Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
• Time Off: 
• Open personal time off, a minimum of 16 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
• Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
• Competitive paid parental and family leave
• 4 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years of service, with an option of up to 4 additional weeks of unpaid time away

Code for America values a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

As of October 27, 2023, Code for America has reached a CBA (collective bargaining agreement) with Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU (Office Professional Employees International Union, Local 1010). This position is not designated as part of Code for America Workers United.

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