Research Assistant (Early Childhood Practice Area)

About Urban Institute: The Urban Institute is a research-to-impact institution founded on one simple idea: To improve lives and strengthen communities, we need practices and policies that work. From advancing well-being to fostering shared prosperity, leaders across sectors are working every day to create brighter futures for all people and communities. For more than 50 years, Urban has delivered evidence and solutions that drive meaningful change, and this remains our charge today. Our Mission To drive impact by equipping changemakers with evidence and solutions. Our Values Collaboration, Fairness, Inclusivity, Independence, and Integrity For more information on the Urban Institute, please visit https://www.urban.org. The Opportunity: The Family and Financial Well-Being Division seeks a research assistant (Step 1/ Research track) with a strong interest in child care, early education, and family support programs to join the Early Childhood Practice Area. Ideal candidates will have interest in child care and early education policy and will have some past experience working on relevant qualitative and/or quantitative research projects. Our team has a strong reputation for rigorous, non-partisan, and fact-based research. What You’ll Do: Assist with qualitative research projects that involve interviews or focus groups by contributing to research protocols, study recruitment and scheduling, and documenting responses. Assist with data cleaning and performing quantitative and/or qualitative analysis tasks. Contribute to literature reviews and proposal development. Summarize findings and present data effectively in multiple formats, including contributing to briefs, blog posts, articles, and presentations for a variety of audiences. Support senior staff by planning and developing talking points, background memos, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials to share with practitioners, policymakers, and other external audiences. Support with project and practice area operations and management tasks, such as scheduling, budgeting, notetaking, and general project management. Who You Are: The successful candidate will: Possess a bachelor’s degree in a field related to public policy, economics, psychology, sociology, statistics, social sciences, or another related field. Have some training in research methods and prior research experience through school coursework, internships, or research assistantships. Have coding and analysis experience with Stata, R, or another statistical analysis package (required) . Prior experience with NVivo or other qualitative coding software is a plus. Show proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Have strong interest in policy solutions related to child care, early education, and other early childhood programs and services. Be interested in a position that requires highly detailed work and project management. Be detailed-oriented and self-motivated with the ability to work on multiple priorities, work independently and collaboratively as part of a team, and communicate effectively. Have excellent organization, analytical, and communication skills. * DC-based candidates are preferred Applications must include all of the following: Resume Cover letter Undergraduate transcript (can be unofficial copy) The interview process for the selected candidates is as follows: Phone screen Panel interview(s), if selected to proceed Review of coding and writing samples What You’ll Experience: No matter your role with Urban, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference for people and communities across the country. We are committed to working in a manner defined by our mission and values. Urban’s greatest asset is our people. The target salary range for this position is Min $52,000 - Mid $58,500- Max $65,000 and median $53,963.90. Salary offered is commensurate with experience and considers internal comparisons. Salaries are just one component of Urban Institute’s total compensation package. Urban is committed to supporting our staff’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being through a robust benefits package for yourself, eligible dependents, and domestic partners. It includes generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays, medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance, and transit benefits. Urban is unique in that we offer 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately after you’re hired and a generous employer contribution after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting. You’ll also have access to a health advocate, personal finance coaching, an Employee Assistance Program, and educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The Urban Institute has formally recognized the Urban Institute Employees’ Union, which is part of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). Urban management and the Union work together in good faith and are motivated by a shared commitment to this institution. This position is included in the Union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned. This posting is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Urban management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary. The Urban Institute is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender or gender identity, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, pregnancy or family responsibilities, matriculation, disability, political affiliation, or any other protected status under applicable law. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you have a physical and/or mental disability and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@urban.org. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Our Values We believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. Public policies work best when they are rooted in facts, and our research sparks solutions in programs and practice. Our analyses and recommendations help expand opportunities for all people, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the fiscal health of governments and effectiveness of public policies. How We Work We conduct sophisticated research to understand and solve real-world challenges in a rapidly urbanizing environment. Our work engages communities at multiple levels—city, state, and country—as we gather data and evaluate programs. Urban Institute scholars blend academic rigor with on-the-ground collaboration, teaming with policymakers, community leaders, practitioners, and the private sector to diagnose problems and find solutions. Founded in 1968 to understand the problems facing America’s cities and assess the programs of the War on Poverty, the Urban Institute brings decades of objective analysis and expertise to policy debates—in city halls and state houses, Congress and the White House, and emerging democracies around the world. Today, our research portfolio ranges from the social safety net to health and tax policies; the well-being of families and neighborhoods; and trends in work, earnings, and wealth building. Our scholars have a distinguished track record of turning evidence into solutions. As an organization, the Urban Institute does not take positions on issues. Scholars are independent and empowered to share their evidence-based views and recommendations shaped by research. Our work environment encourages intellectual honesty, innovation, and mutual respect. Our analysis elevates debate, wherever it takes place. Learn more about who we are and what we do.

Salary : $53,964