• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule: Hybrid Schedule (3 Days On-site)
• Salary Range: $130,000-$180,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Center on Poverty and Social Policy (CPSP) at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CSSW) produces cutting-edge research to advance our understanding of poverty and the role of social policy in reducing poverty and promoting opportunity, economic security, and individual and family well-being in New York City and the United States. CPSP offers an environment where professionals work collaboratively, think creatively, and produce work that has a social impact.

Reporting to the Director of CPSP, the Product Manager will spearhead the development of a comprehensive, publicly available policy simulation platform that will allow users to manipulate policy parameters and poverty measurement inputs to return outputs on policies' impacts on poverty and related outcomes in various formats (e.g., graphical, tabular, microdata). A unique aspect of this project is the intersection between robust policy simulations rooted in academic research and the construction of an advanced computational platform.

THIS IS A FULL-TIME, 100% GRANT-FUNDED POSITION. CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT IS CONTINGENT UPON FUNDING.

Responsibilities

• Intellectually contribute to the Center's central goal and expand the Center's technical, computational, and managerial capacity.
• Develop and deliver the overall vision for the platform's development and work with researchers and vendors to identify how to make the platform maximally effective in meeting the project's goals over at least a two-year period.
• Lead the intersection between academic researchers developing policy simulations and the vendors responsible for translating the specifications of policy simulations and poverty measurement choices into a fully functional publicly available online platform.
• Prioritize user-centered design to create a seamless user experience informed by user testing and feedback.
• Communicate and address challenges related to data structuring, algorithm optimization, and software development intricacies within the project's scope.
• Serve as the internal project team's primary liaison to the vendor. Establish and maintain effective communication channels with vendors and other project partners.
• Ensure the scalability of solutions and communicate larger project needs to vendors.
• Monitor quality assessment through regular reviews of project deliverables and continuous evaluation of processes for efficiency.
• Clearly articulate project goals, timelines, and technical requirements, ensuring external partners fully understand the expectations behind their deliverables.
• Ensure compliance with relevant university and industry standards and regulations.
• Assess and manage vendor performance against project milestones and serve as the critical link between the project's internal team and external resources, which will require a balance of technical knowledge and strong interpersonal skills for successful collaboration and problem resolution.
• Partner with the Center Director to lead the policy and poverty project team, ensuring all efforts align with the project's timelines and objectives.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive environment that encourages creativity, efficiency, and innovation.
• Monitor the project's progress. Adjust to ensure milestones are met on time and within budget, as necessary.
• Coordinate with various university departments and stakeholders to ensure seamless execution and integration of project components and facilitate review and approvals required by the university.
• Other duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required.
• A minimum of 6 years of related experience.

Other Requirements

• Experience with programming languages (Python, C++, etc.).
• Experience with data architecture and data harmonization.
• Must understand code written in R or Stata or other statistical packages and translate code into Python/C++ and/or related programming languages.
• Experience with data pipelines, data transformations, and algorithm optimization.
• Experience with Git/Version Control.
• Excellent leadership skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Must be detail-oriented with strong analytical skills and organized work habits.
• Must demonstrate excellent organizational, analytical, critical thinking, interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Work well with all levels of employees, be flexible, have sound judgment, and demonstrate an open and collaborative style that encourages teamwork and cooperation beyond the immediate team to the broader organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master's, PhD) in Computer Science, Statistics, Social Sciences or related field or equivalent experience.
• Familiar with social science and public policy. In particular, an advanced understanding of the different definitions used to measure poverty in the United States.
• An understanding of policy microsimulation.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

Commitment to Diversity

Columbia University is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce, its student body, and its educational programs. Achieving continued academic excellence and creating a vibrant university community require nothing less. In fulfilling its mission to advance diversity at the University, Columbia seeks to hire, retain, and promote exceptionally talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.