DATA SCIENTIST/DATABASE ADMINSTRATOR

Basic Function

The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the world’s leading railroad policy, research, standard-setting, and technology organization, is focused on enhancing the safety and productivity of the U.S. freight rail industry.

The Data Scientist is responsible for cloud database administration expertise and proficiency in big data tools (e.g., SQL, Python, R and SAS), as well as experience in data visualization for the AAR. This high-impact role will drive data analytics, automation, and storytelling to enhance AAR’s internal data capabilities and support key economic and policy analyses.

Minimum Qualifications

·        M.S. in Data Science, Economics, Machine Learning, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field.

·        5+ years of experience in large-scale database management, design, and automation. Experience with Microsoft Azure (Azure Functions, Power Automate, Data Factory, Synapse, SQL Server, or related cloud technologies) is strongly preferred.

·        Proficiency in SQL (writing and optimizing queries, working with large databases).

·        Hands-on experience with Python and R for data manipulation, ETL processes, automation, and statistical modeling.

·        Strong expertise in data wrangling, cleaning, transformation, and integration across multiple sources. Expertise in data analytics and visualization.

·        Ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps and drive solutions independently.

·        Strong communication skills to collaborate across teams and present data-driven insights effectively.

Nature and Scope

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Policy & Economics, This role is an exciting opportunity for a data-driven professional to shape AAR’s analytics and data infrastructure, ensuring that data science plays a critical role in advancing freight rail policy and economic research.

Principal Accountabilities

·        Database Management & Automation: Oversee and maintain AAR’s centralized Azure database, ensuring data integrity, security, and efficiency. Automate data ingestion, transformation, and reporting workflows.

·        Data Analytics & Insights: Manage and analyze large, structured and unstructured datasets, applying advanced statistical and querying methods. Develop high-quality, data-driven insights to inform policy and economic research.

·        Technical Leadership & Collaboration: Act as the primary technical liaison between the Policy & Economics team and AAR’s IT department, aligning database architecture with business needs. Provide mentorship to data fellows.

·        Data Processing & Quality Assurance: Design and implement data validation processes to ensure accuracy and consistency in weekly and monthly reports.

·        Problem-Solving & Troubleshooting: Identify inefficiencies, optimize data workflows, and resolve issues related to scripting, automation, and big data processing.

·        Data Storytelling & Visualization: Translate complex datasets into actionable insights and develop effective data visualizations for key stakeholders.

The above description of responsibilities is representative of the position and the knowledge and experience a successful candidate is expected to have when hired but is not intended to limit or preclude other responsibilities and tasks that may be associated with or added to the position based on the needs and strategic direction of the organization.