Research Assistant

Role Description

WELD is seeking a junior quantitative and/or qualitative researcher (Step 1/ Research track) to work on a range of education and workforce projects, including apprenticeships, postsecondary student success, and career pathways in K12. We are looking for individuals with a background in public policy (especially education policy) and strong data management and analysis skills.

A substantial amount of the successful candidate’s time will be spent organizing and analyzing education datasets, including the following types of tasks:

• Write computer programs that clean, merge, and efficiently store education datasets.
• Standardize variable definitions to create panel datasets.
• Write computer programs that analyze datasets for a variety of research projects, ranging from blogs to major reports.
• Conduct background research (including literature reviews) and contribute to original data collection efforts (e.g., collecting information on states’ education policies).
• Support qualitative site visits and observations.

Qualifications

• Possess a bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, mathematics, statistics, or related disciplines, and possess 0-2 years of experience.
• Exhibit analytical skills with demonstrated interest in education policy, superior attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and strong skills in mathematics, statistics as well as oral and written communication.
• Be a self-motivated individual with the ability to prioritize workload and to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrate prior research experience—including experience working with federal survey data, other large data sets, or detailed state-level policy data.
• Display course/college experience using statistical packages such as Stata (preferred) or R to analyze datasets and research methods or econometrics.
• Have the ability to download, clean, and do basic analysis of large datasets.
• Have experience with qualitative data collection and analysis of survey and site visit findings.
• Be able to coordinate logistics with external partners with professionalism.
• Possess subject/content specific knowledge of education and/or workforce systems to build from; this could be in K12, higher ed, apprenticeships or other types of career pathways work.
• Individuals with lived experience with the research and policy issues the WELD teams addresses are strongly encouraged to apply.

Requirements

• Applications must include all of the following:
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• The recruitment process for the selected candidates is as follows:
• Phone Screen
• Panel interviews with a small group of Urban team members (if selected to proceed)
• Final interview with Director level staff member (if selected to proceed)
• Note: Candidates in the Washington, DC metropolitan area are preferred; however, we also welcome remote applicants.

Benefits

• The target salary range for this position is Min $52,520 - Mid $59,085 - Max $65,650 and the current median $55,336.33. 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.
• Includes generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays, medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance, and transit benefits.
• Urban offers 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.