Research Analyst I-1

Job Information

Job Summary:

The Research Analyst I will support the work of Consortium researchers 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 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 creating large-scale data bases and conducting detailed statistical analyses for research studies. The successful candidate will have a commitment to 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. The Lawrence A. Kimpton Fellows Program provides paid, year-long employment fellowships for recent graduates of the College. These full-time, substantive opportunities will give students the skills and experience they need to launch a fulfilling career in their field of choice.

Responsibilities:

Contribute to conceptualizing, designing, and planning research projects, framing research questions, and identifying appropriate data and methods.
Conduct statistical analysis of large-scale databases using SAS, including both simple descriptive group comparisons and advanced statistical modeling.
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.
Help develop survey questions for a districtwide survey of students and teachers.
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.
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 weekly meetings of researchers.

Competencies:

Knowledge and demonstrated use of multivariate statistics required.
Familiarity with one or more programming languages (e.g., SAS, Stata, R, Python) required and the ability to use or learn to use SAS in a UNIX environment.
Ability to take initiative and a proactive approach to tasks and projects required.
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.

Additional Requirements

Education, Experiences, and Certifications:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in education, policy studies, psychology, or other relevant social science or mathematical discipline preferred; Bachelor’s degree obtained by June 2018 required.

Experience: