Research Associate I

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute (UI) is the primary applied research and public service arm of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Its mission is to meet the community research and technical support needs of the state’s urban and developing areas. A primary geographic focus of the Institute’s activities is the Charlotte Region, the 14-county area surrounding the City of Charlotte, the largest city in the Carolinas.

Primary Purpose of Position

The primary purpose of the position is to coordinate Gambrell-funded initiatives through the Urban Institute, including the Faculty & Student Fellows programs. The position also develops, conducts, and translates applied and engaged research with a range of stakeholders including staff, faculty, and community partners. This position helps carry out the Institute’s public service mission by conducting community-based research projects on behalf of local organizations from across the region. This also includes disseminating findings from the Institute’s research as well as that of others to the public through reports, articles, and data visualizations.

Summary of Position Responsibilities

This position will work on social science research projects. The employee will conduct day-to-day activities for multiple UI research projects, and take an active role in project design and review across the institute. This includes community and client engagement, project planning and project administration, data collection and management, statistical analysis, qualitative analysis, data visualization, and preparing publications and reports and related communication products.

Required Education

• Master’s degree in the social sciences including urban planning, sociology, social work, public health, education, geography, public policy, or other social science field

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience conducting social science research projects
• Experience with maintaining relationships with community partners and other community engagement activities
• Experience with data collection and management, statistical and qualitative analysis, and reporting
• Familiarity with large databases at the national, state, and local levels, such as Census and American Community Survey
• Track record of effectively working independently with minimal direct supervision
• Experience with statistical analysis software (e.g., SAS , SPSS , R, or STATA ) for program evaluation models, multivariate and other analyses

Preferred knowledge and expertise:

• Knowledge and expertise in one or more of the following areas: Education, Housing & Homelessness, Public Health, Youth Development, Career & Workforce Development, Economic Development, Urban & Regional Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Welfare

Substantive methodological expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Ability to collect, analyze, and visualize secondary data using a variety of sources (local administrative data, Census data, and other federal and state data sources) and techniques (descriptive and inferential, spatial analysis, mapping)

Preferred skills:

• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity (also known as cultural humility in the literature), and a curiosity to learn about backgrounds and contexts other than their own and to consider implications for research and analysis
• Strong organizational as well as oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Data visualization – Ability to convey data to a variety of audiences as well as use software like Tableau or R Shiny.
• Proficiency in SAS , R, or STATA

Necessary Certifications/Licenses

Preferred Certifications/Licenses

If time-limited please indicate appointment end date

If time-limited please indicate appointment end date 12/31/2029

Contact Information

9201 University City BlvdCharlotte, NC 28223

Required Documents

• Resume / Curriculum Vitae
• Cover Letter / Letter of Interest
• Contact Information for References