Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. The Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) is a Dallas-based research and development lab that uses data to rethink public systems and reduce childhood poverty. The Senior Strategy Data Scientist will turn messy, ambiguous questions into actionable analysis, helping CPAL and its partners direct limited resources across areas such as housing, economic mobility, maternal health, education, and public safety. The role combines end-to-end analytical work, strategic consulting, clear communication with non-technical decision-makers, and careful use of AI-enabled tools.
Responsibilities
- You work out what decision needs to be made, what evidence would actually be useful, what can credibly be answered, and how to deliver value without overengineering the solution
- You conduct analysis end to end: combining messy data, selecting appropriate methods, testing findings, documenting sources, definitions, assumptions, and limitations
- You frame the question before you analyze it
- That means finding the decision behind the request, then defining the smallest useful first version
- And you go past the literal answer: explaining what the result means, surfacing adjacent insights, raising the questions stakeholders didn't know to ask
- Each output gets built to be reusable, so the next related question is cheaper to answer
- You work AI-natively too, using AI across research, coding, QA, and documentation
- But you verify it carefully
Skills
- You fit if you bring a strong quantitative foundation
- A STEM degree works, so does an applied quantitative social science background, economics, urban or spatial analytics, operations research, causal inference and program evaluation, population health analytics, or comparable demonstrated capability
- Add 3 to 5 years of applied analytical work, typically at a top-tier strategy, boutique data science, or analytical consulting firm
- An equivalent trajectory with unusual early responsibility, running analytics for a high-growth startup or agency, fits too
- You're professionally fluent in Python and working SQL, and you can read and adapt existing R
- What separates a strong applicant here isn't the tool list. It's sound methodological judgment paired with consultant-style pragmatism: picking the approach that fits the question, the evidence, the timeline, and the stakes
- Daily working fluency with AI-assisted analytical tools, backed by concrete examples, is part of that same judgment
- High agency and intellectual curiosity matter
- So does a serious commitment to CPAL's mission, more than prior nonprofit experience does, which isn't required
- Only completed applications that include the challenge submission will be considered
- CPAL is open to sponsoring the right candidate
- Geospatial analysis and data visualization experience is a strong plus
- Onsite is preferred, but CPAL will consider remote-first candidates with occasional time on site
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- A retirement savings plan with employer match
- Generous paid time off and holidays
- Professional development and learning support
- CPAL is open to sponsoring the right candidate
- Remote-first work may be considered for candidates with occasional time on site
Company Overview