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Introduction
The Black Equity Coalition (BEC) is excited to announce a transformational opportunity for someone to serve as a Data Justice Project Director in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The person hired will help to build an infrastructure enabling Pittsburgh residents to gain power in the decisions the City of Pittsburgh makes about data. They will also work with residents at a neighborhood level to help them use civic data to improve their communities. This opportunity will provide you with experience in establishing one of the first participatory data governance practices in an American city, and advance the mission of the BEC’s Data Justice Working Group.
This initiative will establish a “mini-public” deliberative body to engage in decisions that the City of Pittsburgh makes about data and technology, and co-design databases, data systems, data standards, processes, and policies that will serve as the foundation of the City’s emerging data governance process. In addition to building inclusive data governance practices in the early stages of the data life cycle, our initiative will also work in the later stages of the data life cycle. We’ll use data with neighborhood residents to develop and implement a plan for improving community health that incorporates data literacy opportunities and personal expression.
About Us
The work of this initiative will be guided by a planning team that consists of the BEC, public health experts at the University of Pittsburgh, UrbanKind Institute (UrbanKind), the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh, the Community Robotics Education and Technology Empowerment Lab at Carnegie Mellon (CREATE Lab), and the City of Pittsburgh. These organizations came together at the start of the pandemic through the BEC’s Data Justice Working Group, and have been actively collaborating ever since. The person hired as the Data justice Project Director will work closely with working group leaders and members. The position will be housed at UrbanKind.
The person hired for this position will enable the BEC Data Justice Working Group to advance its mission of providing, analyzing, and advocating for data to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities experienced by Black residents in Allegheny County. The Working Group members envision a public health and civic data ecosystem where systems, institutions, and individuals use data to improve the quality of life and well-being of Black communities. Data systems should be designed on anti-racist principles and be equitable and just. We value transparency, holding people, institutions, and systems accountable, taking action, acting with integrity, and encouraging public participation in data system design and data use.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Coordinating project activities.
- Supporting communication among partners.
- Facilitating a process to select members of the mini-public deliberative body, and collaboratively design engaging activities to help City staff and members of the mini-public to work toward consensus in making decisions about data and technology.
- Planning and hosting public meetings and engagements when opportunities for broader input to the deliberative process arise.
- Telling the story about how residents have meaningfully influenced City decisions through blog posts, weeknotes, social media, and other communications channels.
- Monitoring the growing number of reports, efforts and initiatives devoted to participatory data governance, and ensure that the work in Pittsburgh is visible to national and international audiences.
- Defining, tracking, and finding meaning in performance measures related to this initiative.
- Organizing neighborhood-level data literacy and planning activities to help residents collect and use data in their neighborhood.
- Handling the administrative tasks that enable all of this work to happen, including providing stipends for community participants.
- Contributing to proposals and other fundraising initiatives that will sustain and extend this effort.
- Related tasks as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
There is no one pathway into a career in civic data or public-interest technology. People from a variety of backgrounds have been able to forge impactful careers. If you have lived experience with some of the issues our work addresses and you enjoy working at the intersection of data and community, we encourage you to apply.
Must-have requirements for this position:
- You have experience both handling responsibilities independently and working collaboratively with others.
- A Master’s degree is preferred, but people with extensive community-centered experience, especially within the greater Pittsburgh area are encouraged to apply no matter the academic credentials.
- You have experience coordinating among many different partners and navigating the varied organizational and community contexts required for success.
- You understand the potential impact of shared governance between the City and community when it comes to data and technology. You also see the importance of the governance provided to the initiative by partners in the Data Justice Working Group.
- You are interested in supporting the civic data needs of people in our community, and are fluent in the language of data. You are familiar with the ways that data and technology is used by public-sector organizations.
- You are a good listener and an effective communicator, are ready to learn, and comfortable helping people find consensus through a decision-making process
- You are creative, detail-oriented and self-motivated, and can persevere when faced with a challenge.
- You have an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
- Because there will be extensive engagement with members of the Pittsburgh community, the person hired for this position will need to be based in Pittsburgh.
Benefits
Our team is an ideal place for someone interested in making an impact. You will be in a position to help lead one of the first efforts to bring meaningful public participation to City-level data systems in the U.S. You’ll also be able to build a rich personal network through collaboration with our local partners and by connecting with peers in other places through communities of practice.
Other members of the project team will be able to mentor, teach, and help you round out your experience. You’ll also have the opportunity to potentially incorporate some of your interests into your work.
Apply
For more details and to apply for this job, submit using UrbanKind’s online form: https://urbankind-institute.careerplug.com/jobs/2140062/apps/new
Compensation is competitive ($70,000-$80,000) and commensurate with experience and includes health care benefits, 401k, flextime, and PTO. This position is currently funded for three years. The position will be housed at UrbanKind with primary supervision from two members of the BEC’s Data Justice Working Group.
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