Evaluation Analyst for Transit Programs
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The mission of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is to: Advance safety. Move people and goods. Build big and beautiful infrastructure. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), an agency of DOT, supports transit systems nationwide, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys and ferries, through funding — currently investing more than $20 billion annually — and technical assistance. FTA also oversees safety, protecting transit riders and workers, and helps develop the next generation of transit innovation through research. FTA's Office of Budget and Policy, Strategic Planning and Analysis (TBP-31) in Washington, DC is seeking a Program Evaluation Analyst Fellow to engage in mixed method data collection and analysis on evaluation projects across three pillars: program evaluations, evaluation capacity building, and evaluability assessment. The Evaluation Program's work informs FTA of discretionary and formula program efficiencies and effectiveness and satisfies Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and DOT's evidence-building requirements.
TBP-31 staff collaborate across FTA offices to complete the phases of TBP-31’s Collaborative Evaluation Framework (assessment, data collection, analysis, reporting, usage), create and execute evaluation trainings with FTA staff and DOT stakeholders, conduct evaluation readiness assessments to prioritize programs for evaluation, and adhere to evidence building requirements of the Evidence Act.
The selected applicant will participate in evaluation projects that improve FTA's ability to demonstrate changes and benefits of funded projects across FTA regions and build headquarters and regional capacity to learn about those efforts. Projects may include:
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis aimed at demonstrating outputs and outcomes of FTA's discretionary and formula grant programs.
- Extracting data and developing data extraction protocols, data dictionaries from FTA administrative datasets such as the National Transit Database (NTD) and Transit Award Management System (TrAMS).
- Engaging in evaluation activities related to data collection, logic modeling, stakeholder engagement, evaluation planning, and the development of evaluation products.
- Applying machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to data sets while adhering to organizational protocols for data privacy and other regulations.
- Building data analytic plans and completing data reports in collaboration with FTA offices to reflect program operations and proper contextualization of data.
- Identifying the appropriate methods and measures for use in mixed method evaluation projects based on data characteristics.
- Collaborating with TBP colleagues and other FTA offices on evaluation matters.
This appointment is for one year. Extensions may be offered in increments of one year up to a total of five years. Extensions are contingent upon project needs and funding availability.
In addition to a competitive stipend, this opportunity also offers provisions such as a travel allowance and health insurance.
This is a fully remote opportunity.
The participant will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOE, DOT, or any other office or agency. Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE letter of appointment and Terms of Appointment.
Applications will be reviewed and a selection made on a rolling basis.
A master's degree in a relevant field is required. The degree must have been conferred within 60 months of the appointment start date. Relevant fields include the list of disciplines found below under Eligibility Requirements.
An ideal candidate for this opportunity:
- Has experience applying data science in program evaluation and/or research studies to identify solutions to real-world problems.
- Is comfortable with Python, R, SQL, or similar tools for analysis and modeling.
- Can translate messy datasets into usable insight and action through coding, synthesizing, reporting and comparable techniques.
- Communicates clearly across technical and non-technical audiences.
- Has a mixed-methods background integrating quantitative and qualitative data into results and reporting.
- Has strong presentation and/or facilitation skills.
- Is comfortable with survey and/or focus group design.
- Has strong technical writing skills.
- Profile Information
- Application Questions (goals, experiences, and skills relevant to this opportunity)
- Transcripts/Academic Records - An unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Transcripts/Academic Records must include name of the academic institution, name of the student, completed/in progress coursework and grades. Documents must have all social security numbers, student identification numbers, and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) prior to uploading into the application system. The selected candidate may be required to provide proof of completion of the degree before the appointment can start.
- Current Resume/CV
- Recommendations - Applicants are required to provide contact information for two recommenders to submit the application. These individuals will then be asked to complete their recommendations in Zintellect. Both recommendations must be submitted before an offer can be made.
All documents must be submitted in Zintellect. All application components must be received in the system in order to be considered.
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