Research Assistant (Work, Education & Labor Division)

The Opportunity WELD is seeking a junior quantitative and/or qualitative researcher (Step1/Research track) to work on a range of education and workforce projects, including apprenticeships, postsecondary student success, and career pathways in K12. The role involves organizing and analyzing education datasets, writing computer programs for data cleaning and analysis, conducting literature reviews, gathering state education policy data, and supporting qualitative site visits. What You’ll Do 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. Who You Are Possess a bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, mathematics, statistics, or related disciplines, and 0–2 years of experience. Demonstrate analytical skills with an interest in education policy, and have superior attention to detail, organizational skills, and strong mathematics/statistics and written/ oral communication skills. Be a self‑motivated individual able to prioritize workload and work independently as well as part of a team. Have prior research experience, including work with federal survey data, other large data sets, or detailed state‑level policy data. Have coursework or experience using statistical packages such as Stata (preferred) or R for data analysis and research methods/econometrics. Be able to download, clean, and conduct basic analysis of large data sets. Have experience with qualitative data collection and analysis of survey and site visit findings. Be able to coordinate logistics with external partners professionally. Possess subject/content‑specific knowledge of education and/or workforce systems (e.g., K12, higher ed, apprenticeships, career pathways). Individuals with lived experience with the research and policy issues the WELD teams addresses are strongly encouraged to apply. Application Requirements Applications must include: Resume Cover letter Recruitment Process Phone screen Panel interview with Urban team members (if selected to proceed) Final interview with Director‑level staff member (if selected to proceed) Salary & Benefits Target salary range: Min $52,520 – Mid $59,085 – Max $65,650 (current median $55,336.33). Salary offered is commensurate with experience and considers internal comparisons. Compensation includes a robust benefits package: paid time off (including nine federal holidays), medical/dental/vision insurance, transit benefits, 403(b) retirement plan with immediate enrollment and generous employer contribution after six months, health advocate, personal finance coaching, employee assistance program, and educational assistance for undergraduate/graduate degree programs. This position is Union‑represented; specific terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations. Equal Employment Opportunity 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 mental disabilities. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Urban Institute