Open Position: Senior Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Planner / Analyst / Researcher
Safe Streets has an immediate opening for a Senior Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Planner / Analyst / Researcher.
Download a PDF copy of this job description and application instructions here.
Job type: Full-time or part-time (at least 60% time)
Location: 90-100% remote within Oregon, Minnesota, or Washington, United States.
We have offices in Portland, OR, Minneapolis, MN, and Seattle, WA. While the position is 90-100% remote, successful applicants must be located in or willing to relocate to one of those three states. Strong preference for someone who lives close enough to Portland, Minneapolis, or Seattle to be willing to work in person in a coffee shop or co-working space approximately twice a month for face-to-face time.
Description
Safe Streets has an immediate opening for a Senior Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Planner / Analyst / Researcher to support our growing portfolio of transportation safety research and planning work. Specific title and level will be tailored to match the successful candidate’s skills and experience. This position is responsible for managing and contributing to a range of quantitative and qualitative analyses for Vision Zero and systemic safety plans and national (National Cooperative Highway Research Program – NCHRP) research, including descriptive and statistical analysis of roadway and crash data. Strong quantitative and writing skills are essential for this position.
In this role, you will lead cutting-edge safety research and planning projects, including a mix of data analysis and writing/planning. You will lead quantitative and qualitative analysis, helping your team communicate results both with data visualization and through written reports. For example, your work may include:
leading literature reviews to inform research project methodologies;
leading crash analyses or exposure modeling to better understand factors related to pedestrian and bicyclist safety and exposure;
designing and conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews and leading the subsequent data analysis; and/or
leading the development of policy recommendations and guidance to inform, e.g., safety and active transportation plans, countermeasure selection, and facility design.
Depending on your specific skills, you may also wrangle together disparate spatial datasets to better contextualize crash data with what’s on the ground.
Your work will ultimately help communities understand injury patterns related to pedestrian and bicyclist crashes; differences in pedestrian and bicyclist exposure; pedestrian, bicyclist, and driver perceptions and behaviors; and how various countermeasures can help improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. You will work closely with Safe Streets leadership to leverage related concepts and resources like level of traffic stress, connectivity, accessibility, and equity analysis to better support communities in achieving safety, livability, climate, equity, and other goals.
About Safe Streets Research & Consulting
Safe Streets Research & Consulting is a small, 100% women-owned business specializing in pedestrian, bicyclist, and e-scooter safety analysis, policy, and safety-adjacent work like exposure estimation and bicycle network development. Led by Drs. Rebecca Sanders and Jessica Schoner, our work is grounded in transportation and public health theory, and our projects run the gamut from national research across multiple states to local-level bicycle and pedestrian safety plans and Vision Zero Action Plans. We serve clients at every scale and across the country, from the National Academy of Sciences to state DOTs, cities, and transit agencies.
We pride ourselves on high-quality, innovative work. Our small size means that we closely collaborate on all projects in a collegial and supportive environment. You will be a good fit here if you care about improving traffic safety, strive to do excellent and meaningful work, are a self-starter who can also receive direction, and are willing to be a team player on a variety of projects, depending on the need. Consulting can be exciting and fast-paced, including occasional tight deadlines. We strive to keep overall work-life balance in check.
Skills and Qualifications
Intellectual curiosity and thoughtfulness – investigating traffic safety requires an interest in detecting and following trends in an occasionally iterative process to get to nuanced insights
At least 9 years of professional experience in transportation safety and/or transportation-related data analysis
Experience in consulting or professional/applied research is preferred.
Some portion of research led in pursuit of a graduate degree may count toward this time.
Analysis and data management of quantitative and geospatial transportation-related data
Preference for candidates with experience using open-source analysis tools like R, Python, SQL/PostGIS, and QGIS, though analytical skills and versatility are more important than specific languages or software packages
Preference for direct experience working with traffic crash data and other nonmotorized transportation-related datasets (bicycle and pedestrian counts, transportation infrastructure including OSM, land use, Census or other demographic data sources, etc.)
Experience communicating results of these analyses visually, verbally, and in writing
Subject area expertise or experience in transportation, especially transportation safety and active transportation
Strong skills in verbal and written communication, including technical and research writing
Graduate degree in urban planning, urban studies, engineering, public health, or a related field
Experience managing transportation or data analysis projects in consulting or research
Note: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for this position.
Compensation and Benefits
Remote work environment, including computing equipment and a stipend for work-related internet and cell phone expenses
Flexible schedule
This position is eligible to be full-time or part-time (60% time minimum); part-time positions will be tailored to the chosen candidate’s needs and desired workload, in consideration of the firm’s workload. Employees must work at least 75% time to be eligible for benefits.
Core working hours for consistency and predictability are 9a-3p Pacific time / 11a-5p Central time Monday through Friday, with flexibility as needed to meet the remaining hourly requirements.
Competitive salary
Retirement contributions, PTO, and stipend for health insurance
A workplace culture that values intellectual curiosity and professional growth and development, including professional association membership fees, occasional sponsorship to present research at conferences, and more
Application Process
To apply, email the following items to jobs@safestreetsresearch.com with the subject line, “Application for Senior Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Planner / Analyst / Researcher”:
Two-page resume (PDF)
One-page cover letter tailored to explain your interest in our company and this position (PDF)
Please confirm that you are able to work in the USA for any employer and that you live in or can relocate to MN, OR, or WA.
Two work samples showing quantitative analysis and writing skills/style
If you were not the sole author, please include a description of how you contributed to each project. For example, “I conducted the statistical analysis and wrote the methodological and findings sections of the report.” A simple explanation in the email or cover letter is fine.
Link to digital portfolio (optional)
Link to Github profile (optional)
We will not review applications that do not conform to these requirements.
Safe Streets Research & Consulting is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, veteran status, or national origin. We deliver high-quality work with the aim of meeting the needs of all people, regardless of age, ability, race, sexuality, and gender. As such, we value diversity of experience and perspective on our team and welcome applications from women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, disabled or differently-abled, and others who have been historically underrepresented in active transportation research.
