Research Analyst I

Department

Consortium Research Nagoaka

About the Department

As one of the first schools of social work in the United States, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has shaped the field for more than 100 years. As part of the University of Chicago, the Crown Family School shares the University's core values and distinctive intellectual culture. Crown Family School faculty, staff, and students focus on identifying solutions to complex social problems through research, training, and direct community engagement. Guided by an interdisciplinary tradition, Crown Family School scholars conduct innovative research to address interconnected social challenges such as educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare—working at multiple scales, from individual to policy-level interventions. More than 10,000 Crown Family School graduates in the US and globally hold leadership positions in academia, at nonprofits, in business, and at governmental agencies. The Crown Family School is the home of four academic centers: These include the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development, Chicago Center for HIV Elimination (CCHE), the Kersten Institute for Urban Education, and the Center for Climate, Health, and Society (CHAS),. More information may be found at https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/.

For 35 years, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (UChicago Consortium), a unit of the Kersten Institute for Urban Education at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has worked to address some of the most pressing challenges in urban education. We conduct high-quality research on the practices and conditions that improve student learning, promote educational attainment, and foster equity through rigorous research. Our research informs policy and practice in Chicago Public Schools and in districts across the nation. A central part of our work is engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and fostering evidence-driven conversations about the critical issues facing schools. The UChicago Consortium is widely recognized as a national model for research-practice partnerships, combining rigorous analysis with real-world impact.

For more information about the UChicago Consortium, see consortium.uchicago.edu.

Job Summary

The Research Analyst I will support the work of Consortium research teams as they design and implement studies. The successful candidate will contribute to the organization’s capacity to conduct highly-rigorous quantitative research on the Chicago Public Schools. The position requires someone with data manipulation, quantitative research, and programming skills and a passion for doing meaningful work to improve schools The Research Analyst I will be responsible for cleaning and building large-scale data bases and creating data documentation for new projects, as well as conducting detailed statistical analyses for research studies. The Research Analyst I would provide data and analytic support across Consortium projects and may also be assigned to provide on-going support to one or two projects. The successful candidate will have a commitment to equity and urban education, be deeply curious, and be willing to learn new methods and topics. The Research Analyst I position requires someone who is able to handle multiple concurrent tasks and projects and work in a highly collaborative environment.

This position is grant-funded through 8/31/2028. This position will end 8/31/28 unless replacement funding is secured.

Responsibilities

• Create specialized databases by merging multiple, complex data sources, including school-, student-, teacher-, community-, and neighborhood-based files.
• Conduct data quality control procedures and update and create internal processes and data documentation for Consortium projects and data library.
• Contribute to conceptualizing, designing, and planning research projects, framing research questions, and particularly identifying appropriate data sources from the Consortium library. 
• Conduct statistical analysis of large-scale databases using R, SAS, or STATA, including both simple descriptive group comparisons and advanced statistical modeling.
• Review pertinent literature and write literature summaries.
• Create effective displays of findings.
• Contribute to the writing of Consortium reports, academic journal articles, and grant proposals.
• Help manage project timelines, schedule meetings, and other project administrative tasks.
• Actively participate in organization-wide activities, including serving on committees, attending weekly Consortium-wide meetings, and providing feedback on others’ work.
• Participate and present findings in team and organization-wide meetings of researchers.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Maintains recruiting and scheduling research subjects; assisting with developing or amending study protocols; assisting with developing data collection tools; assisting with building databases; and providing general administrative support. Has general awareness in research techniques or methods, regulatory policies and procedures, and relevant scientific field.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

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

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in education, policy studies, psychology, or other relevant social science or mathematical discipline.

Experience:

• Experience in urban education, education research, policy, and practice.

Preferred Competencies

• Experience with and demonstrated use of descriptive and multivariate statistics.
• Experience with manipulating data and building data sets.
• Familiarity with one or more programming languages (e.g., R, SAS, Stata, Python) and the ability to use or learn to use R and/or Stata.
• Ability to take initiative and a proactive approach to tasks and projects.
• Passion for improving educational outcomes and supporting actionable uses of research evidence.
• Commitment to understanding and improving outcomes for students of all backgrounds and experiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work independently, with supervision, and in collaboration as a team member.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.

Working Conditions

• This position is grant-funded through 8/31/2028.  This position will end 8/31/28 unless replacement funding is secured.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Writing Sample (required)

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

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FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

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Pay Range

$48,000.00 - $58,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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