ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Data Scientist I - Marketing in the Analytics Division of the Technology Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY or Washington, D.C.. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The ACLU Technology Department provides trusted, dependable, and impactful analytics, engineering and product design and management expertise for the ACLU. In partnership with experts across the ACLU, the technology team delivers best-in-class solutions, services, and innovation that advance the ACLU mission and organizational priorities.

ACLU Analytics partners with teams across the organization to enable the ACLU to make smart, evidence-based decisions and bring quantitative insights on our issues to the courtroom and the public. Our team's work ranges from social science research for litigation & advocacy, to analysis & reporting for fundraising and engagement, to building and maintaining our data infrastructure. We strive to ensure the ACLU leads by example in the ethical use of data and technology. This includes maintaining our privacy and security standards, pushing for transparent data practices from government and corporate actors, and helping to steward high standards for algorithmic fairness, accountability, and transparency.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Director of Engagement Analytics, the Data Scientist I will be focused on the use of innovative reporting and advanced analytics to transform the way the ACLU approaches fundraising, marketing, digital communications, and supporter engagement. This includes building propensity models, running experiments to assess effectiveness and real world applications of specific models, and building dashboards to help the ACLU identify meaningful insights, inform strategic decisions, and enhance engagement with donors and supporters across online and offline channels.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

You will be part of the Engagement Analytics team, and work with team members across the technology team, including Analysts & Data Scientists, as well as stakeholders in our Fundraising, Marketing, and Digital teams. Below is a sampling of projects you can expect to dive into:

• Creating and maintaining propensity models to determine likely behaviors of our donors and supporters
• Provide code review, support, and thought partnership on our full suite of models
• Descriptive analysis of our supporter audiences and behaviors
• Building dashboards to display outputs of analysis or insights from models
• Working with stakeholders to run experiments to test the effectiveness of models and modifying either the models themselves or the application of these models
• Presenting findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Consistently maintain documentation
• Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders and partners
• Complete other projects as directed by the Director of Engagement Analytics and/or Head of Analytics, as needed

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Experience applying data science and/or advanced analytics in a business, political, or non-profit setting; with a focus on fundraising, marketing, or digital media
• Highly proficient in Python or R, or similar analytics and programming languages
• A strong foundation in relational databases and database query languages (e.g., SQL)
• Hands-on project experience with descriptive analysis, statistical methods, or predictive analysis in service of real-world business objectives
• Experience presenting prescriptive recommendations to stakeholders based on analysis
• Strong data visualization skills, and familiarity with visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau)
• Excellent communication skills; ability to synthesize quantitative results for a wide range of non-technical stakeholders across various functions and levels of an organization
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Asana)
• Comfort with ambiguity

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of testing methodologies
• Knowledge of CRM technologies such as Blackbaud and Salesforce
• Direct experience building propensity models
• Experience productionizing models or analysis for long-term usage
• Proficiency in command line tools

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.