Lead Specialist

Are you interested in urban research and using registry data in research work? We are seeking a Lead Specialist for the City Hall Strategy Department, City Information Services unit, for a fixed-term parental leave replacement from 19 October 2026 to 7 January 2028. The role will advance research and evaluation based on registry data to support city decision-making. The main duty is to coordinate and manage the municipal data rooms’ operations, and to support researchers and data room users as well as supervise research projects. The data room is a joint research environment for the City of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, Aalto University and the Finnish Municipal Association, enabling utilization of individual-level registry data in research, evaluation and reporting. It is a central part of the metropolitan area's city research and data-driven governance reform. The successful candidate will play a key role in this important reform, with opportunity to gain insight into central questions of Finnish urban research and to strengthen the use of research knowledge in city governance. The job’s primary duties include coordinating and administering the data room, supporting researchers and users, and developing data room activities in collaboration with city actors and stakeholders. Depending on the candidate’s qualifications, the role may also include independent research and analysis work based on registry data in urban research themes. The position suits a person who is enthusiastic about research, information governance, and coordinating research activities, and who wants to help build a new operating model for research and data-driven governance in the public sector. Strong presentation, communication and collaboration skills and ability to work on long-term projects as well as on rapid data requests are required. We are a multidisciplinary community of about 45 experts and researchers. Our aim is to produce impactful knowledge to support city decision-making. We offer good work wellbeing and diverse personnel benefits as Finland’s largest employer.

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