Economic Data Analyst (Transportation & Infrastructure)

Opportunity Overview

This consulting assignment supports the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in advancing strategic planning, transportation research, economic forecasting, and infrastructure investment decisions. The work is tied to one of the largest transportation organizations in the United States and centers on turning complex data into practical planning and policy insights.

The position is suited to early-career analysts with a background in economics, transportation planning, statistics, public policy, or another quantitative field. The selected consultant will help build evidence used in capital planning, investment evaluation, and agency-level policy analysis.

Assignment Details

• Client: Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ)
• Work location: World Trade Center, New York, NY
• Work arrangement: Hybrid, with 4 days onsite
• Assignment length: 12 months
• Start timing: Immediate
• Security requirement: Candidate must be eligible to receive a SWAC ID and Port Authority security clearance

Key Responsibilities

The role involves combining quantitative research, economic analysis, and reporting to support agency planning teams and executive decision-making.

• Gather, clean, verify, and analyze sizable datasets covering economics, demographics, and transportation.
• Work with public data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Economic Data, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Spot and explain patterns affecting travel demand, infrastructure spending, inflation, labor trends, and remote work behavior.
• Build analytical datasets and dashboards in Excel and Power BI, and use statistical tools to support reporting.
• Help automate repetitive data collection and reporting tasks with Python or R.
• Carry out statistical and econometric studies that inform planning work and leadership decisions.
• Perform market research using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Review published research and prepare concise summaries of findings.
• Track economic releases and draft commentary for internal use.
• Create reports, slides, briefing notes, and executive summaries that turn analysis into actionable recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Finance, Transportation Planning, Public Policy, Data Analytics, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Between 1 and 3 years of professional experience in economic analysis, transportation analysis, statistical research, public-sector analytics, or infrastructure planning.
• Strong command of Microsoft Excel, along with working knowledge of Power BI, Word, PowerPoint, and Access.
• Experience with analytical tools such as R, Python, Stata, EViews, or equivalent software.
• Ability to produce clear data visualizations and structured reports.
• Working knowledge of statistics, econometrics, forecasting, benefit-cost analysis, economic impact analysis, and transportation activity analysis.

Preferred Background

• Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Transportation Planning, Public Policy, Data Science, or a related area.
• Prior exposure to transportation agencies, infrastructure organizations, consulting firms, MPOs, airports, rail, transit, ports, or other public-sector environments.
• Experience handling large, complex datasets and database queries.
• Background in automating data extraction and recurring reporting processes.
• Familiarity with transportation policy evaluation and infrastructure capital planning.

What Strengthens a Profile

• Hands-on analytics experience in transportation or infrastructure.
• Advanced econometric and statistical modeling ability.
• Practical use of Census, BLS, FRED, and USDOT data.
• Strong command of Excel and Power BI.
• Programming experience in Python or R.
• Clear report writing and executive presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-moving project setting.

Additional Notes

This assignment is structured as a consulting engagement rather than a permanent role. Candidates should be prepared for an immediate start and for on-site attendance at the World Trade Center location for four days each week.