Senior Planner (Data Analysis)
Salary
$66,996.80 Annually
Location
Austin, TX
Job Type
Full Time
Remote Employment
Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number
26-10667
Department
Innovative Justice & Program Analysis
Opening Date
05/06/2026
Closing Date
6/7/2026 11:59 PM Central
Job Summary
Working as a part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team, this role conducts exploratory and evaluative data analysis, designs and implements program evaluations, and builds dashboards and reports that support decision makers to improve services and systems in the criminal justice system. This role is part of the Data, Research, and Planning (DRP) division in the Innovative Justice and Program Analysis (IJPA) department in Travis County and is funded through September 2026 with the potential to be extended.
What is your role?
As a Senior Planner, you will be part of the Data Research and Planning division (DRP) within the Innovative Justice and Program Analysis (IJPA) department, and report to the Senior Program Manager for DRP. Part of a larger, collaborative team, you will be involved in a variety of different data and research related tasks that are designed to inform the Commissioners Court and other justice system stakeholders to make data informed decisions. A typical day in this role varies considerably and may include querying and analyzing data, creating data visuals, building dashboards, or providing technical assistance on data governance and quality improvements. You will work with a variety of stakeholders in the justice system, including the County and District Attorney's Offices, Sheriff's Office, Pretrial Services, local mental health authority, Commissioners Court, Clerk's Office, Court Administration, community advocacy groups, and many more.
This position is currently hybrid, requiring a flexible schedule to meet department needs. In-person vs remote schedule balance varies weekly based on project needs but generally averages one to two in-person days per week. IJPA's offices are in downtown Austin, but in-person activities may be required at different county and community locations to accommodate specific data collection or reporting requirements.
This is a Special Project Worker position that is funded through 9/30/26 with the potential for further funding
Duties and Responsibilities
Research and Analytics:
Advanced research methodology and statistics knowledge, being able to independently develop, design, and implement appropriate methodological approaches for data acquisition, modeling, and analysis to address specific learning, evaluation, and research questions.
Strong skills and experience using a variety of tools and languages for querying and analyzing data (e.g. R, Python, SQL), as well as excel
Experience working with large administrative datasets
Experience working with sensitive data (e.g. HIPAA, CJIS) and knowledge of ethics in research
Data Management and Technical Assistance:
Assist with data governance and quality initiatives, and support continuous improvement of data processes and reporting
Catalogs existing data sources and contributes to metadata documentation
Provides feedback to team and collaborator data products and outputs
Performs initial data cleaning and compilation
Leverages strong understanding of full data product and data management lifecycle
Collaboration on contextual and primary insights gathering to support end-users of data products
Identifies opportunities to increase data quality and data use, including automation and data entry procedural training
Ability to quickly adapt and learn new domain areas and data sets to support analysis and reporting
Reporting and Dissemination:
Ability to synthesize and translate analytical findings into clear, actionable reports and communication tools (e.g. slide presentations, long and short form reporting)
Demonstratable experience with Power BI and similar data visualization tools
Experience developing and maintaining dashboards that are accessible to multiple audiences
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand data and reporting needs
Minimum Requirements
Education and Experience:
Bachelors degree in Planning, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Public Policy/Administration, Government, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Business Administration or a directly related field AND six (6) years increasingly responsible experience with strategic planning, planning, research, project management, policy research and program development, including one (1) year of supervisory experience;
OR,
Masters degree in Planning, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Public Policy/Administration, Government, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Business Administration or a directly related field AND four (4) years increasingly responsible experience strategic planning, planning, research, project management, policy research and program development, including one (1) year of supervisory experience;
OR,
Any combination of education and experience that has been achieved and is equivalent to the stated education and experience and required knowledge, skills, and abilities sufficient to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of this job.
Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements:
None required.
Preferred:
Education or formal training (e.g. certification, coursework, degree) in quantitative research methodologies, statistics, and/or data science
Knowledge of or experience with the criminal justice system
Knowledge of or experience with local, state, or federal government and/or policy making
Advanced experience with data visualization and communication tools like PowerBI and Tableau
Strong working knowledge of and experience with either R or Python
Experience working with large administrative datasets
Experience with usability, user experience, product design, or service design
Experience using multiple data science and research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of:
Skill in:
Ability to:
Work Environment & Other Information
Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 5-20 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, occasional indoor/outdoor activities, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions.
Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions.
Work Hours: 8 am - 5 pm, Monday-Friday.
Location: 700 Lavaca, Suite 1530 Austin, Texas 78701
Department: Innovative Justice & Program Analysis
Criminal, Driving, Education, and Employment Background Checks Required.
For updates or questions on this position, contact: Kristy.Cano@traviscountytx.gov
This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.
Benefits
Employment at Travis County comes with a full array of benefits. We offer comprehensive health insurance, a no-cost, on-site Health and Wellness clinic, longevity pay, paid vacations, sick time and personal holidays, not to mention an industry competitive salary structure and a friendly, stable work environment.
FY2026 Travis County Benefit Guide
In this valuable Travis County Benefits Guide you will find benefit summaries, eligibility requirements, costs, contact numbers and addresses as well as other general information on the benefits available to Travis County Employees and Retirees.
Credit Union
Employees may join the Travis County Credit Union which offers low-interest loans, savings plans through payroll deduction, safe deposit boxes and other benefits.
Deferred Compensation
Employees may enroll in a tax- free sheltered investment plan through payroll deduction.
Direct Deposit
Employees may sign up for direct bank deposit.
Employee Assistance Program
Travis County provides a confidential counseling and referral service free of charge to county employees and their family.
Employee Organizations
Membership in the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Union is available through payroll deduction.
Employee Health & Wellness Clinic
Employees may access the clinic for a variety of wellness program and health care services with no co-pay, no deductible and no co-insurance costs.
Holidays
An average of eleven paid holidays are designated by the Travis County Commissioners Court at the beginning of each fiscal year.
Insurance
Employees may select from four plans: an Exclusive Physician Organization (EPO), Choice Plus Preferred Physician Organization (PPO), Consumer Choice or a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA). All four options include a Pharmacy Plan. Travis County's current policy is to pay 100% of the employee's health insurance premium for the Consumer Choice and HDHP. Employees will pay a premium for both the EPO and PPO. Other insurance benefits include $50,000 Basic Life and AD&D paid by the County.
The following benefits are employee paid:
New employees are covered on the first day of the month following 28 calendar days of employment.
Longevity
Longevity pay is paid for each year completed after three years of continuous service. Peace Officers in a law enforcement activity, whose job requires state peace officer certification, receive pay after one year of certification.
On the regular payday on or after the employees fourth and subsequent adjusted service dates, he or she receives a single payment for the previous year.
Parking
A limited number of assigned parking spaces are available to employees in the Courthouse Complex.
Personal Holidays
Regular, full-time employees are eligible for up to three paid personal holidays each calendar year. Part-time employees shall be granted personal holidays on a prorated basis. New employees earn personal holidays for the calendar year in which he/she begins employment, based on the month in which employment begins:
January - March
3 personal holidays
April - June
2 personal holidays
July - September
1 personal holiday
October - December
None
New employees are eligible to take personal holidays after 90 days of employment.
Retirement
Travis County is a member of the Texas County & District Retirement System with mandatory participation by certain classes of employees. Seven percent (7%) of the gross salary is deducted each pay period. An employee is fully vested after eight years of service. Benefits are prorated for part-time employees.
Sick Leave
Regular employees earn sick leave at a rate of eight hours per month with unlimited accrual during employment. Part-time employees earn sick leave on a pro-rated basis.
Parental Leave
Each Full-time Paid Parental Leave Eligible (PPL) Employee is entitled to a total of 320 hours of Paid Parental Leave in a 12 month period. Paid Parental Leave for Part-time PPL Eligible Employees is prorated based on the number of hours that they are regularly scheduled to work.
Tuition Refund
Certain classes of full-time employees may receive reimbursement for fees associated with pre-approved, job related course work completed satisfactorily.
Vacation
Based on years of county service, regular, full-time employees earn vacation time at the following rates:
0 to 5 years
4.0 hours per pay period
6 to 10 years
4.5 hours per pay period
11 to 15 years
5.0 hours per pay period
16 to 20 years
5.5 hours per pay period
21 plus years
6.0 hours per pay period
Part-time employees earn vacation leave on a pro-rated basis.
Workers Compensation
The county provides all employees workers compensation coverage with benefits in accordance with state statute, if the employee sustains an injury out of, or in the course of work.
01
Please list the programming languages you know.
02
Please list the types of data visualization platforms you use.
03
Please briefly describe three different research or data science projects you have worked on and your role. Include at least one example of a project requiring the use of a large dataset.
Required Question
Employer Travis County
Address 700 Lavaca Street
Austin, Texas, 78701