Open County job combines data analysis, hazards to personal safety & occasional moped use

At first glance, the description of the open Statistical Analyst job for San Juan County seems unremarkable.

Based out of the Assessor’s office, the position generates data-driven valuations for residential and commercial real estate. It uses approaches such as sales studies, neighborhood analysis, and regression analysis to help the Assessor recommend appropriate changes to assessed property values.

As you might expect, the job requires a Bachelor’s degree, with coursework related to mathematics, statistics, and geographic information systems. The County also expects five years of experience related to knowledge areas such real estate appraisal, construction management, statistical analysis, or GIS spatial analysis.

The practical skills required of the Statistical Analyst aren’t surprising — working with computers, printers, copiers, fax machines, calculators, cameras, maps, aerial photos, measuring tools, and Microfiche. Neither is the fact that 75 percent of the work is performed in what the job description calls a “normal office environment.”

But then there’s that other 25 percent.

It’s generally described as “time spent in the field conducting on-site inspections”, but in this case the details turn out to matter quite a lot.

According to the job description, “Work includes daily exposure to members of the public who may be angry and/or hostile and possible exposure to other hazardous situations including adverse weather, dangerous animals, dog attacks, construction sites, neglected buildings, and drug operations.”

If you run into a drug operation, it’s important to keep your wits about you. “Unreliable cell phone coverage may provide the only means of outside contact in remote areas of the county,” the description says.

And then there are the means of transportation. As with many County jobs, regular travel between the islands is part of the work. But for the next Statistical Analyst that means “travel by small airplane, small boat, and ferry, with occasional use of moped, ATV, or other form of transportation, is required.”

The position pays between $73,000 and $93,000 per year and has been open since the end of December. It’s unclear if candidates who have applied so far have the requisite moped experience.

Applications are still being accepted.

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