Assistant Director of Research Operations

Department: UL Inclusive Economy Lab We partner with policymakers, community-based organizations and others to identify their most urgent and pressing challenges, co-generate evidence about what works, and translate findings into policy changes that end intergenerational poverty. By identifying barriers to social mobility and racial equity and highlighting the programs and policies that have the most positive impact, our work aims to create greater economic opportunity. We specialize in evaluating programs with the potential to improve lives in three main areas: College and Career Success Basic Needs Quality Jobs Job Summary The role manages academic, research, clinical or administrative programs and involves overseeing knowledge management, onboarding, project selection, research coordination, training, and the integration of AI and mixed-methods research into the Lab’s workflow. Responsibilities Develop and maintain clear guidelines for how research teams create, organize, store, and access research knowledge and resources, including building out and maintaining the organizational wiki. Centralize and streamline IEL's existing research repository, ensuring that prior work and methodological resources are easy to reference. Build and manage best practices for onboarding new research team members to IEL's previously published research, so that institutional knowledge transfers effectively as the team grows. Coordinate with the Scientific Director to refine project selection, ensuring completeness and timeliness of materials shared with LOT and following up on next steps for provisionally approved projects. Support the Scientific Director in formalizing the onboarding of new affiliates and identify potential new affiliates as the Lab builds out new bodies of work. Maintain list of current research affiliates and ensure external and internal communication is up to date. Support planning and execution of the IEL affiliate speaker series, working closely with the Scientific Director. Identify areas for Affiliate Research engagement with the Lab outside of project work. Develop and manage annual 360 feedback process for research affiliates. Assist the Scientific Director in launching an academic conference focused on applied policy research. Identify areas to expand the Lab’s visibility with academic audiences. Lead design and execution of IEL's internal program evaluation curriculum to build RM team capacity in causal inference and impact evaluation methods. Manage lab-wide research learning and trainings, including topic planning, speaker coordination, and content development, taking ownership of training Tuesdays and research training components of Town Hall meetings. Identify research-related training gaps across the team and develop programming to address them. Support the Director of Analytics in launching an internal AI working group across the Lab. Develop practical guidance, tools, and standards for incorporating AI responsibly into research workflows, from literature reviews to coding to writing. Launch and support pilots aimed at increasing the efficiency of our work without compromising research quality, rigor, and integrity. Collaborate with the Scientific Director and Qualitative Research Director to support development of a protocol for mixed‑methods research. Help the lab navigate its integration into Rustandy and Booth by developing clear frameworks and expectations around Rustandy‑driven, non‑IEL projects that IEL staff will support. Field inquiries for research support from Booth faculty, scope involvement, and provide direct research support as necessary. Establish norms, intake processes, and documentation standards that allow both streams of work to coexist productively. Develop and communicate program priorities and performance standards and assess operations using these criteria. Plan and conduct quality assurance reviews and recommend changes as appropriate. Perform other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: College or university degree in a related field. Work Experience: Knowledge and skills developed through 5‑7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Preferred Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in public policy, social science, economics, education, or a related field is a plus. Applicants with equivalent professional or lived experience will also be considered. Experience: Five or more years of experience in applied research, policy, or research operations, with demonstrated ability to manage complex, cross‑functional projects independently. Experience in a research coordination, program management, or chief‑of‑staff‑type role, ideally within a university, think tank, or policy research organization. Strong working knowledge of program evaluation methods, including randomized controlled trials and quasi‑experimental designs, and the ability to communicate methodological concepts to diverse audiences. Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training or capacity‑building programs, particularly related to research methods or evidence use. Experience developing knowledge management systems, research repositories, or institutional learning infrastructure. Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to synthesize complex information and translate it into clear guidance, documentation, and presentations. Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills; comfort working across teams and in a matrixed organizational structure. Genuine commitment to racial equity and economic inclusion, with experience working in or alongside communities affected by poverty, segregation, or disinvestment. First‑generation college students and those with lived experience in communities experiencing poverty and disinvestment are encouraged to apply. Experience supporting or coordinating academic affiliates, visiting scholars, or research fellows. Prior experience planning academic convenings, workshops, or speaker series. Familiarity with administrative data partnerships, IRB processes, or research compliance. Interest in and experience with responsible AI use in research or policy contexts. Experience in workforce development, housing stability, education, or social safety net policy areas. Job Specific Information Job Family: Administration & Management Role: Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours: 37.5 Drug Test Required: Yes Health Screen Required: No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required: No Pay Rate Type: Salary FLSA Status: Exempt Salary Range: $89,250.00 – $115,500.00 Benefits Eligible: Yes Benefits: Health, retirement, and paid time off available for eligible employees. EEO 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr The University Of Chicago