DATA INTERN (ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN NON-CAREER)

About the role

The Department of Community Development has an immediate opening for a Data Intern (Administrative Intern (Non-Career)). This position will support the Planning Bureau and will report to the Advance Planning Officer. The Data Intern will gain practical data science experience in a municipal planning environment. The Data Intern uses skills to gather, manipulate, and visualize a wide range of datasets in support of the development and maintenance of the City of Long Beach’s Planning data systems and dashboards, as well as fulfill data reporting requirements (for example, annual housing production and affordability). This position is responsible for supporting the Planning Bureau’s data needs; for example, by collecting data, reviewing, and cleaning data, supporting the development of data pipelines, and supporting the development of interactive tools to visualize data. Key strengths of the Data Intern include strong technical skills for working with data across the data lifecycle, organizational and time management skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a passion for data-based storytelling in a collaborative and innovative environment.

Responsibilities

• Support Planning staff with data management, analysis, and research.
• Explore potential efficiencies in existing data systems and identify opportunities for streamlining and automation as needed.
• Help develop and update public-facing data visualization platforms, such as the City’s Housing Dashboards.
• Develop data collection pipelines to fulfill reporting requirements across a variety of Planning activities.
• Create process documentation, including work instructions and data flow diagrams.
• Collaborate with the Advance Planning and Current Planning Teams to implement data projects across the Bureau.
• Provides assistance to the Advance Planning Officer and Current Planning Officer, as needed.
• Receive mentorship from Advance and Current Planning Officers.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in a graduate program with a major in Political Science, Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Graphic Design, Geology, Geography, Planning, Urban Planning, Engineering, Public Administration, Public Policy, Business Administration, Accounting, Marketing, or closely related field. (*PROOF REQUIRED)
• OR Recently graduated from a master's degree program (within one year of application submission). (*PROOF REQUIRED)
• 6 months of paid experience or volunteer work in the fields of political science, public administration, public policy, or closely related field.
• A valid California Class C Driver License.

Qualifications

• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Technical skills including extracting data from various types of databases and inspecting data and detecting missing or anomalous data using analytical and/or visual methods.
• Experience with GIS; experience using ArcGIS and other ESRI software is preferred.
• Experience with data querying languages (e.g., SQL), scripting languages (e.g., Python), and/or statistical/mathematical software (e.g., R) is preferred.
• Desire to learn about data science practices within a local government environment to support long-range planning and research for a large city.
• Ability to work independently within