Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Join the Education and Child Development Department at NORC at the University of Chicago as the newest Research Scientist focusing on postsecondary issues, including career pathways, campus climate research, evaluation studies, statistical methods, data science, and analysis across a broad range of education and social policy issues with a special focus on diversity and equity.

The position is based in our Chicago or Bethesda office or could be remote. There is also the opportunity to work in a hybrid setting (i.e., part remote, part in-office).

DEPARTMENT: Education and Child Development

For more than 40 years, NORC has been committed to conducting high quality education research. Our department\'s research covers the full array of education-relevant populations, from birth across the life course. NORC is a leader in conducting large national surveys, as well as more targeted state and local studies, harvesting reliable, actionable data. The scope of our education research methodologies is wide-ranging, as well - including primary data collection, analysis and reporting of existing data, transcript abstraction, classroom observations, qualitative analysis, and experimental and quasi-experimental designs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Conduct quantitative and qualitative data collection, or source extant data.
Design program evaluations in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and program partners.
Serve as project or task leader on large projects, overseeing staff responsibilities, monitoring budgets, and coordinating schedules.
Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Review, synthesize, and describe existing evidence.
Guide programs and policymakers in using evidence to make decisions.
Author white papers, briefs, and reports; submit articles for publication in refereed journals.
Synthesize and present research findings to policy, practitioner, and researcher audiences at professional meetings.
Engage in business development activities including idea generation, outreach, grant writing, and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs)
Occasional travel to client meetings and conferences.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Bachelor\'s Degree is required, PhD is strongly preferred.
At least 7 years of experience in positions of increasing responsibility in research or related field (or equivalent education) including at least 3 years of social science project management as well as experience with the design and execution of social science research and in publishing research results, with a strong career-appropriate record of peer-reviewed technical publications.
NORC will possibly hire at the Senior Research Scientist level for more qualified candidates.
Interest and experience in postsecondary education programs, including institutional research, career outcomes studies, and longitudinal follow up research, as well as diversity and equity issues a plus.
Advanced quantitative and/or qualitative skills
Strong written and oral communication skills, including an ability to translate complex research methods and findings for a practitioner and policy audience.
Strong problem solving, project management, relationship management skills.
Ability to manage time to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience in survey development, administration, and analysis.
Experience in mixed method research, including interviews, observations, and document analysis.
Some experience in client communications and relationship management; solid technical writing skills.
Strong proficiency with statistical analysis packages such as such as SAS, SPSS, STATA, or R.
Outstanding interpersonal and critical reasoning skills.

WHAT WE DO:

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

WHO WE ARE:

For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we\'re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

EEO STATEMENT:

NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally- protected characteristics.

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