Career Center

Northwestern is dedicated to providing excellent support for our research community. As a Lead Statistician with Northwestern IT Research Computing and Data Services, you will support world-class research from across the university by analyzing research data from a wide variety of domains and of many different types.  You’ll work as part of a team that provides data science and visualization support in addition to the statistical analysis support you’ll lead. In this position, you will:

• Lead the provision of statistical consulting and collaboration services,
• Consult with and provide advice to researchers facing a wide range of statistical and data analysis challenges,
• Develop and deliver training for students, faculty, and staff on statistical methods and software,
• Collaborate with researchers on projects requiring statistical expertise, and
• Supervise staff and student statistical consultants.

By actively developing relationships with the research community, and collaborating with data science staff, you will identify and lead the provision of the statistical and data analysis services researchers need. Research Computing and Data Services consists of specialists who collaborate to support the full scope of computational and data needs of researchers.  We facilitate data-enabled research and training across disciplines and fields.  We value continual learning, problem solving, and sharing our diverse backgrounds and skills with each other and researchers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead development and operations of statistical support services: Coordinate statistical analysis service operations with data science staff and collaborate with other staff to solve researchers' technical challenges across service areas. Lead projects developing new services, improving existing services, and identifying and implementing process improvements. Support efforts to measure and report on service impact and usage.
• Provide statistical analysis consultations: Independently support researchers by recommending statistical analysis approaches; verifying and replicating statistical analyses; helping with the use of statistical software programs; interpreting the results of statistical tests and models; and answering other statistical and data analysis questions.
• Collaborate on analysis of quantitative research data: Collaborate with researchers on research projects and publications by analyzing, modeling, and visualizing data; writing data analysis scripts; writing methods sections of papers; and providing other statistical data analysis support as a part of the research team. Manage the analysis components of research projects and collaborations in which you are participating.
• Lead and deliver training on statistical methods and statistical programs: Lead the development and delivery of technical workshops on statistical methods and tools for researchers from students through faculty. Develop and maintain tutorials and lists of recommended resources to support researchers’ learning. 
• Supervise staff: Supervise other staff members supporting statistical analysis services, including assigning and supervising work and providing technical guidance and subject matter expertise for consultations and projects. Provide input for performance management, hiring, evaluation, promotion, and termination of employees.
• Lead student program: Select, supervise, and mentor graduate student statistical consultants working with the team.
• Engage with the research community: Foster relationships with researchers and schools/colleges to understand new research trends, identify skill gaps and statistical analysis needs, and raise awareness of services.
• Documentation: Write both technical and non-technical documentation of projects, code, and consultations.
• Team collaboration: Work together with Research Computing and Data Services colleagues, school/college partners, other IT groups, the library, and other university statistical and data analysis groups to provide integrated support for the research computing and data needs of Northwestern researchers.
• Professional development: Continue professional development in areas necessary to perform duties related to the job. Engage with relevant communities within and outside of Northwestern.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Master’s degree or PhD in statistics, data science, or other program with a significant quantitative research component.
• 3 or more years of experience outside a degree program conducting statistical data analysis, including experience using a range of statistical tests, models, and approaches to analyze complex or messy data of mixed types.
• Experience consulting with others on statistical analysis approaches and/or teaching others statistical analysis approaches and skills.
• Demonstrated experience with R as well as with two or more additional statistical programs, computer languages, or data analysis skills such as, but not limited to: Stata, SAS, SPSS, Python, MATLAB, Mplus, JMP, spatial analysis, or bioinformatics.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and effectively communicate with a wide range of people in the Northwestern community.
• Experience supervising or mentoring students or staff.
• Ability to act on own initiative to further organizational and University goals.
• Ability to scope and manage projects by gathering requirements, defining the problem, choosing appropriate approaches and resources, estimating necessary resources, effectively communicating with collaborators, and prioritizing work on multiple projects.
• Demonstrated customer service excellence.

Those who do not meet the above requirements may be interested in the Statistician position also open with Research Computing and Data Services.

About Northwestern University

Northwestern University IT Research Computing and Data Services supports research across the university. A growing team of staff members brings together research and technical expertise to provide computational, data management, data science, statistics, and visualization services to researchers at all levels.

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