Data Analyst

at  Research Foundation of The City University of New York

Job Description

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION:

Founded in 2006, the mission of the CUNY Building Performance Lab (CUNY BPL) is to advance high-performance building operations and practices in existing commercial and public buildings. We focus on improving efficiency and optimizing building operations through building systems research and development; continuing education programs for facility managers, building operators, and energy professionals; and internships for CUNY students.
As part of its work with NYC government, CUNY BPL provides mission-critical support to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services Division of Energy Management (DEM) and its partner agencies for implementing New York City’s ambitious climate and clean energy policies. In this role, CUNY BPL staff provide expertise in a wide range of areas related to building systems, operations, and data. This includes advanced energy data analytics, technology application development, and a host of technical skills related to physical building infrastructure and associated data. The organization works collaboratively with industry professionals, other research institutions, and several of the US Department of Energy National Labs; and runs an extensive internship program for CUNY students that provides real world experience across program areas.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

For this specific role, CUNY BPL is looking for an enthusiastic, intuitive, and professional Data Analyst to work with CUNY BPL technical staff to support DEM’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance tracking and reporting goals. The Data Analyst will report directly to CUNY BPL’s Senior Business Systems Analyst and contribute to a dynamic body of work related to the production of the City’s portfolio- and agency-level GHG emissions inventories.
The Data Analyst will work to gain an understanding of (a) DEM’s data landscape, including current database systems, related tools, and data sources and (b) DEM’s operations, business needs and compliance-related obligations. The Data Analyst is encouraged to think proactively about opportunities for improving existing data systems, practices, and procedures.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and 2+ years of relevant work experience relating to data analytics or climate change
• Very strong quantitative (and qualitative) analytical skills and excellent conceptual thinking aptitude
• Strong understanding of fundamentals of data analytics (e.g., data cleaning, quality control/quality assurance methods)
• Ability to analyze and interpret large datasets; ability to synthesize findings and present recommendations
• Ability to write technical documentation including business and technical requirements and program SOPs (standard operating procedures)
• Ability to work autonomously and manage project/deliverable timelines
• Familiarity with fundamentals of greenhouse gas accounting (including methodologies and protocols)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Willingness to work in a highly collaborative environment
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Excellent proficiency in Microsoft Excel

OTHER DESIRABLE SKILLS:

• 1-2 years of experience with developing greenhouse gas inventories (preferred)
• Experience in building and using Excel-based models and tools (preferred)
• Familiarity with working in SQL (preferred)
• Advanced university degree ideally in environmental science, engineering, economics, quantitative finance
• Specific knowledge in investment carbon foot printing, climate impact assessments of investments, GHG-accounting, or Life Cycle Analysis.
• Experience with data science, Machine Learning as well as using Python or R libraries for data analysis and visualization
• Understanding of contemporary software development and collaboration practices

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the development and implementation of technical requirements used in database development.
• Support the development and documentation of processes and procedures related to data management and reporting.
• Assistance with routine data collection, quality control/assurance, report generation, data validation and other data management-related work.
• Perform ad-hoc analysis and support engagements with external City agency partners.