Research/Data Analyst | Volunteer

Position Title: Research/Data Analyst
Level: Mid-Level
Time Commitment: 4–6 hours per week
Duration: August–November 2026
Meeting Frequency: Weekly
Start Date: Immediate
Note: We are seeking at least two volunteers for this role.

About the Role

We are seeking detail-oriented Research/Data Analysts to support evidence gathering, demographic analysis, spatial/community research, and synthesis of information from multiple sources.

The successful candidates will help build a reliable evidence base by combining quantitative data, planning information, publicly available records, and community-level research.

This role requires strong research judgment and the ability to turn large amounts of information into concise, well-structured insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct demographic and socioeconomic research using publicly available datasets.
• Analyze census, municipal, geographic, planning, and other relevant data sources.
• Research neighbourhood-level characteristics, accessibility, mobility, and community conditions.
• Review publicly available planning documents, policy materials, development applications, and infrastructure information.
• Research relevant land-use, ownership, and public-asset information.
• Identify community organizations, resident-led initiatives, networks, and local partnerships.
• Conduct desktop research using organizational websites, directories, public records, local media, and government sources.
• Maintain organized research notes, source lists, datasets, and documentation.
• Identify trends, gaps, relationships, and emerging themes across multiple data sources.
• Contribute to community and neighbourhood profiles.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative information into concise research outputs.
• Support the development of evidence-based recommendations.
• Work collaboratively with GIS and community engagement team members.
• Participate in weekly meetings and communicate research progress, findings, and challenges.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 3–7 years of relevant experience in research, data analysis, urban research, policy research, community research, planning, or a related field.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills.
• Experience working with demographic and socioeconomic datasets.
• Experience using publicly available government and institutional data.
• Strong desktop research and information-gathering abilities.
• Ability to assess source quality and identify reliable information.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to organize large amounts of information systematically.
• Strong written communication and synthesis skills.
• Experience with GIS or spatial data analysis.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Comfort working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.

Assets

• Experience with City of Toronto Open Data, Statistics Canada, census datasets, or similar sources.
• Experience researching urban planning, transportation, land use, community development, or infrastructure.
• Experience with planning applications and municipal planning documents.
• Experience with ArcGIS, QGIS, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, R, Python, SQL, or similar tools.
• Experience conducting community asset mapping.
• Experience with community-based research or participatory research.
• Knowledge of Toronto neighbourhoods and municipal planning processes.
• Experience working with nonprofit, community, or public-sector organizations.

Ideal Candidate

This position would suit a research analyst, policy analyst, urban researcher, planning professional, GIS analyst, data analyst, graduate student, or community research professional with strong research and analytical capabilities.