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Job Description

The Data Journalism department is looking for a statistician to contribute to data-driven coverage on a variety of topics, often collaborating with colleagues across the newsroom. 

You have familiarity with a range of statistical inference and testing methods, an imagination for how statistical models can fail, experience designing rigorous methodologies, and a fluency in translating your work into plain language. Beyond statistical techniques, you should also have excellent general data analysis skills and experience with handling thorny data issues. You are eager to help others level-up their own skills — both in statistics literacy and statistical analysis — and excited about learning from others. 

This is a hybrid position that includes regular attendance at one of our offices or bureaus and includes regular attendance in the office each week per your departmental guidance. New York is preferred, followed by Washington, D.C. We may also consider applicants from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Chicago.

Responsibilities:

• Develop methodologies and code for statistical analyses of large and complex datasets, which you’ll use to identify reporting leads, meaningful insights and newsworthy findings for use in Times stories

• Collaborate with reporters and editors across the newsroom, helping them to incorporate more advanced and nuanced statistical approaches into their reporting projects.

• Be prepared to contribute your own ideas, both off the news and based on academic research.

• Bring your data analysis skills to bear on stories with a variety of deadlines, ranging from breaking news to in-depth investigations. 

• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

• You will report to the Data Editor.

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of relevant experience

• Expertise developing statistical models and tests to answer questions of public importance

• Experience communicating statistical findings powerfully, accurately, and succinctly

• Proficiency with Python and/or R

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in journalism.

• Formal/academic statistical training

• Experience with, and a preference for, working collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and deadlines and time-management skills

• Comfort with command-line tooling, version control and other key technical skills

Please submit a cover letter that describes a statistical analysis you’ve conducted (providing a link to the code and statistical output if possible) and one pitch for an analysis you’d propose conducting in this role. In your cover letter, you are also welcome to provide a more traditi