Engineer - Spatial Analytics

As a Spatial Analytics Engineer, you will bridge spatial data, spatial analysis, engineering, and business intelligence to develop scalable spatial solutions that put the right data in the right place, in the right format, at the right time. Under limited supervision, you will develop and maintain spatial data and features, perform advanced spatial analyses, create reports and visualizations, and develop insights and recommendations that support strategic and operational decision-making across the agency. This position has a wide and deep scope requiring extensive knowledge and skill across spatial analysis, the Esri platform, spatial data management, and related data and reporting technologies.

This position is responsible for delivering reliable spatial data, analysis, and solutions for internal and external customers of Community Transit. The successful candidate will bring strong hands-on experience applying Esri and spatial analysis to complex business questions, while also having the ability to develop and maintain the data, workflows, and reporting products that support that work. The role requires someone who is interested in using spatial information to understand patterns, solve problems, communicate insights, and improve decision-making across the agency.

Spatial Data Engineering

• Develop and maintain spatial features.
• Design, implement, and maintain data processing workflows within the data warehouse.
• Create transformations, define dependencies, and ensure efficient, reliable execution across the pipeline.
• Develop and optimize data models that transform and prepare data for high performance and alignment with business use cases.
• Establish monitoring, testing, and validation practices, including automated data quality checks, to proactively detect and resolve errors.

Enterprise Reporting & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with departments across the agency to design and deliver curated spatial features and actionable reports and dashboards that translate business requirements into data solutions.
• Develop and publish interactive dashboards and story maps in ESRI, including creating compelling visualizations (heat maps, charts, graphs, dashboards) tailored to stakeholder needs.
• Prepare, validate, and analyze data to ensure accuracy and derive insights that inform strategic and operational decision-making.
• Explore complex datasets to uncover trends, patterns, and actionable insights, communicating findings in a clear and business-focused manner.
• Apply statistical and analytical techniques with tools such as SQL, Python, Arcade, and R to interpret data trends and generate meaningful recommendations.

Data Governance

• Enforce enterprise-wide standards for data consistency, integrity, and accuracy across all platforms and business domains.
• Adhere to governance frameworks for version control, documentation, and lifecycle management.
• Ensure work is in alignment with organizational architecture and compliance standards.
• Continuously monitor and validate reporting products, ensuring long-term fitness for business use.
• Document processes, codebases, data lineage, and reporting logic.
• Discover, document and, manage data access policies that follow security, business, and regulatory requirements.

 Influence

• Enable, support, and encourage the use of data in decision-making.
• Integrate with teams across the enterprise to understand subject matter and improve data maturity and culture change.
• Perform other duties of a similar nature or level.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three years of experience managing and querying data in a relational database environment (Snowflake, SQL Server, Oracle etc.).
• Three years of experience in data analysis using advanced tools (R, Python etc.).
• Two years of experience in spatial data creation and analysis in ESRI software.
• Two years of experience modeling data in Star Schema.
• Bachelor’s degree computer science, Geography, GIS, or a similar field.

An equivalent combination of education and experience to successfully perform the job duties is also accepted.

Knowledge Requirements

• Strong knowledge of assigned department’s work program and data sources.
• Sufficient knowledge of two other departments work programs and data sources to provide review and backup assistance as needed.
• Basic understanding of DevOps processes.

Skill Requirements

• Fostering an inclusive workplace by upholding Community Transit’s core values in support of the organization’s vision and mission.  Inspiring team commitment, pride, and trust while promoting cooperation and motivating members to achieve shared goals.  Demonstrating courtesy, sensitivity, and respect in all interactions.
• Ability to frame business questions into data analysis problems and develop solutions.
• Proficient in data manipulation (data validation, window or custom functions, pivot/unpivot) and analysis using Excel, SQL, Arcade, and Python/R.
• Strong proficiency with the Esri ArcGIS platform, including ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise/Portal, ArcGIS Online, web services, geoprocessing, spatial analysis, and web GIS.
• Data cleaning, validation, and review techniques.
• Intermediate statistical skills for more complex data analysis (regression, clustering, hypothesis testing).
• Strong problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities.
• Ability to work with limited supervision.
• Ability to write technical documentation for standard processes.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information to various audiences through reports and presentations.
• Willingness to stay updated with the latest developments in the field of spatial data analysis and engineering, and to continue learning and improving skills.
• Strong organization and prioritization skills for handling multiple tasks and projects.
• Team player: encouraging, communicative, supporting, contributing, and enthusiastic.

Certain knowledge and skill requirements may be learned or further developed after employment begins.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Experience with Snowflake or other cloud-based enterprise data platforms.
• Experience developing automated spatial workflows using Python and SQL. 
• Developing advanced ArcGIS expressions and application logic using Arcade.
• Experience with ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS REST services, APIs, and web GIS application development.
• Experience integrating GIS with data warehouses, business intelligence platforms, APIs, or other enterprise systems.
• Experience with source control and development workflows such as Git, DevOps, or CI/CD practices.
• Knowledge of spatial database design, data modeling, indexing, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• Experience developing data validation, monitoring, testing, and automated quality control processes.
• Experience with transportation, transit, public-sector, or other location-based operational data.
• Experience with business intelligence platforms such as Power BI or equivalent reporting and visualization tools.

Working Conditions

Hybrid telework may be available.  Availability is at management discretion and may not be available for this position based on the nature of the work.  Work is performed in an office environment and requires the use of office equipment and technology.  You will be required to move throughout and between different office buildings and may need to complete tasks in noisy environments.  You may also be required to lift and carry materials up to 10 pounds occasionally.  Some travel required, less than 10% of the time.

Application and Selection Process

• Only on-line applications accepted. 
• Applicants for this job may be considered for other openings up to six months after the date this position is filled.
• Applicants who meet the minimum requirements may be scheduled for an interview as well as a variety of tests to demonstrate knowledge, and skills for the position.  The evaluation process may include interviews, background check, reference checks and various performance tests.

Employee Benefits

• Employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance.
• Employees participate in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and have the option to enroll in the agency’s deferred compensation plan.
• In addition to WA Paid Sick Leave, employees in this position, accrue of 24 days of Paid Time off (192 hours) in their first year and ten (10) paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Full list of all benefits and details can be found here. 

If you are related to or share the same living quarters of a current Community Transit employee, please let your Recruiter know as your eligibility for this position may be affected.

Community Transit provides a tobacco-free and drug-free work environment.  As a recipient of federal funds, Community Transit is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on a basis prohibited by Federal, State or Local law.  We value and encourage diversity in our workforce.  EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, protected veteran status or disability.