Qualitative Project Associate

UL Urban Crime Lab
Who We Are: In cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, under-resourced schools, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system - all of which disproportionately impact people of color. These inequalities have profound consequences on public safety and opportunity. As a society we have failed to address these challenges, in part, because of our lack of understanding of the most effective and cost-effective solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We believe that rigorous research can help. The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab partner with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice. Our mission is to combine world-class data science and research, in partnership with government agencies, to substantially improve the effectiveness of the public sector and achieve impact at scale. To learn more about the Crime Lab and Education Lab, visit https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime. The Role: The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Qualitative Project Associate with strong project management skills to be involved in planning, data collection, and preliminary analysis of surveys, interviews, observations, and other qualitative work as needed. This position requires an individual who is able to work as part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and government agency staff, as well as an experienced team of analysts, data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers.
The job performs routine assignments related to scientific research projects. Ensures compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives and mandates. Analyzes possible solutions using standard procedures. Writes articles, reports and manuscripts. Assists in drafting presentations on research findings.

• Assists with the coordination of research activities, communications with partner agencies, and managing project deliverables.
• Assists in writing grant proposals and preparing presentations targeting both policymakers and academic audiences.
• Writes human subjects permission protocols and amendments for IRB permission, and obtains other research permits as needed.
• Documents discussions and research activities with detailed notes and project logs.
• Conducts thorough and critical reviews of relevant literature.
• Assists editing research protocols, such as interview scripts.
• Conducts field research as needed, which might include observations, interviews, surveys, and focus groups.
• Prepares sections of research results, including proofing, formatting, and creating tables and graphs.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Analyzes and maintains data and/or specimens. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

• Bachelor’s degree in sociology, public policy, economics, or other relevant field.

• Knowledge and skills developed through experience in a related job discipline.
• Some relevant research experience in qualitative methods; experienced gained in school counts towards requirement.
• Experience working on field experiments.
• Experience working on large projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with qualitative coding software.

• Strong and demonstrated interest in social policy strongly preferred.
• Knowledge and understanding of criminal justice and/or education policy literature strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership skills strongly preferred.
• Evidence of effective communication skills – including interpersonal, oral, and written strongly preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and to collaborate with others – both on internal teams and with external partners – strongly preferred.
• Ability to work discretely with sensitive and confidential data strongly preferred.
• Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills strongly preferred.

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References (required)

Research
Individual Contributor
Exempt
Monthly
37.5
Yes
No
No
No