Data Analyst

Make a difference! Become a Defender!

The Defender Association of Philadelphia is seeking a skilled Data Analyst to join the Police Accountability Unit (PAU). The Data Analyst will provide comprehensive data analysis and reports to support the PAU by compiling and analyzing data relating to policing in Philadelphia. The successful candidate will be able to convert complex datasets into insights enabling the Defender to make informed, data-driven decisions supported by both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

What You’ll Do

• Work closely with the attorneys, policy analyst, and paralegal in the PAU to compile and summarize broad statistical information for use in developing internal reports, grant proposals, and external communications to various stakeholders such as the criminal defense bar, City Council, and our community.
• Collaborate with experts in the fields of criminology, sociology, and data science on data projects relating to policing, indigent defense, and the criminal legal system.
• Collect, interpret, and analyze internal and external data to inform client representation, policy decisions, and public commentary on police accountability issues.
• Critically review aggregate policing data (stop and frisk, complaints against police, crime incident data, etc.) alongside local and national current events and policy changes to investigate potential causes for trends and guide courtroom representation strategy.
• Develop statistical reports as exhibits in criminal cases and testify to their findings in court.
• Build data pipelines that extract public and confidential datasets, clean and transform the data, and generate regular and meaningful reports and visualizations.
• Create and manage organizational systems to make analyses accessible and understandable to team members.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders, including legal and IT staff, to ensure work is done in accordance with data governance and other Defender policies.
• Provide statistical commentary on external reports and publications to ensure proper interpretation and justify Defender positions in public discussions.
• Support other Defender units with statistical analysis when needed.

What You’ll Need

• Education : Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Criminology, Data Science, Statistics, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, or a related discipline
• Experience & Skills:

• Proficient in a statistical data analysis program such as R, Python, or SPSS.
• Experience managing data and building data pipelines to generate reports.
• Experience with data visualization software, such as Tableau.
• Some familiarity with querying SQL databases.
• Minimum of one year work experience in data analysis in an academic or professional setting.

• Demonstrated experience in all phases of research and analysis, including project conceptualization, data collection planning, implementation, data management, statistical analysis, and presentation to stakeholders.
• Experience with statistical methods, such as linear regressions.
• Curiosity and self-motivation to expand on analyses, research to find new information, and stay informed about novel methodologies and best practices.
• Ability to work well with others and handle a variety of tasks simultaneously.
• Excellent written and interpersonal communications skills.
• Ability to interpret and explain data collection processes and results to several distinct audiences with varying levels of education, technical proficiency, and comfort with statistics.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• A commitment to, and understanding of, client confidentiality.
• A desire to provide better and more successful representation of Defender clients.

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive Benefits : Affordable medical care options plus employer-paid vision, dental, life and long-term disability insurances
• Generous Time Off : 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, in addition to all federal holidays
• Wellness Initiatives : Dedicated, separate sick leave policy alongside organizational programming to support your physical and mental health
• Family Support : 10 weeks of paid parental leave
• Retirement : Generous retirement savings plan with Employer Match
• Commuter Benefits : Free Septa All-Access Key card
• Union Membership : This role is represented by AFSCME, District Council 47, Local 3190
• PSLF : We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
• Culture : Meaningful, mission-driven work within a supportive, learning-focused, and collaborative environment.

To apply

Please apply online with resume and cover letter detailing your interest and relevant experience. Please note that applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered. Salary is $64,000.

Who is the Defender Association?

The Defender Association of Philadelphia is more than just a law firm. We’re the community’s lawyers. The Defender team – more than 500 attorneys, social workers, investigators, administrators, and other staff – make sure that everyone, regardless of income, has access to high-quality defense when facing criminal charges. Our mission-driven, client-centered model focuses on outcomes that support a system that is fundamentally fair and creates safer, stronger communities. Follow us @PhilllyDefenders (Twitter, Instagram & TikTok) and on LinkedIn.