Research Assistant (Work, Education & Labor Division)

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:

Central to Urban’s mission is fostering a truly collaborative environment that ensures ongoing relevance to a changing world. The Work, Education and Labor Division (WELD) undertakes policy-relevant research on issues from prekindergarten through postsecondary education as well as workforce systems, apprenticeships, job quality, and labor market trends. Our experts shape education and workforce systems that lead to lifelong success and a labor market that delivers economic security, dignity, and voice.

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.

What You’ll Do:

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.

Who You Are:

The successful candidate will:

• 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.

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.

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 $52,520 - 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. 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 [email protected]. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.