Department

Harris CHPPP/BIP Lab Research Sub Group (1)

About the Department

Why policy? For a better world. Why Harris Public Policy? Because when it comes to better policymaking, evidence matters. We work at the frontiers of data collection and analysis, using the latest technology and social science methods to design policies that work for society. We conduct rigorous inquiry in an environment of innovation and risk taking, fearlessly questioning the status quo. We collaborate across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, adopting new methodologies to drive better solutions. We engage with our city, our world, and our leaders every day to evaluate and test our ideas. And we lead with our passion for driving social change, knowing that passion alone does not equal impact. With passion and precision, we figure out what’s best for society—and get it done. This is Harris Public Policy: Social impact, down to a science.

Job Summary

Organization Overview:

The Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab (BIP Lab) at the University of Chicago brings together interdisciplinary scholars to design, evaluate, and disseminate programs to help children from low-income families to achieve their full potential by improving caregivers’ engagement in their learning.

The BIP Lab’s team of full-time staff, post-doc and PhD scholars, and student research assistants have worked with over 500 community partners serving low-income families with young children in Chicago and across the US. All the BIP Lab’s research and research informed programs are informed by the systematic data collection and analysis conducted in partnership with these institutions and the 15,000+ families they serve who participated in the BIP Lab’s research programs over 10 years.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Project Manager, the Research Coordinator at the BIP Lab will perform routine assignments related to the implementation of research projects. The Research Coordinator will work in coordination with the research team to provide support in designing, operationalizing, managing data collection, and providing technical assistance for large-scale projects related to the BIP Lab’s research goals.

This support can include creating protocols around field work and data collection, data management and cleaning, management of a team of student Research Assistants, ensuring compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, writing literature reviews, and assisting in drafting presentations. We seek a strong multi-tasker with excellent communication skills who will thrive in a dynamic project based environment. Priority will be given to candidates who are fluent in both English and Spanish. The BIP Lab team has a hybrid work policy; the days team members are expected to be in the office are set and will be communicated by managers.

Primary responsibilities include support with research site recruitment and communication, hiring, training and coordination of student research assistant team schedules, communication with research participants, quality assurance of data collection, data management, research activity reporting, logistics coordination of field implementation, maintaining research protocols and other duties as assigned.

This position is grant-funded for one year with the potential for future renewal.

Responsibilities

• Support relationship management between the BIP Lab and the research partner organizations.
• Curate research materials including digital devices, tools and assessments.
• Lead the interview and onboarding process for research assistants.
• Provide ongoing coaching to research assistants.
• Review and approve research assistant time.
• Oversee communication with research participants.
• Respond to inquiries from research sites about research activities.
• Respond to technical questions from research assistants.
• Support study design and preparation efforts.
• Recruit research participants on site and remotely.
• Support logistics of implementing all data collection in the field.
• Track and process payments for research participants per study and University protocol.
• Support development of prospective research projects.
• Support project budget and timeline development.
• Clean, format and audit data files.
• Transcribe and code qualitative data.
• Monitor and report on progress of research projects.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Installs, sets up and performs experiments, interacting with students and other research staff under the direction of the principal investigator.
• Maintains recruiting and scheduling research subjects; assisting with developing or amending study protocols; assisting with developing data collection tools; assisting with building databases; and providing general administrative support. Has general awareness in research techniques or methods, regulatory policies and procedures, and relevant scientific field.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the research being conducted (e.g., public policy, economics, psychology, education).

Experience:

• Relevant research experience.

• Experience coding in Stata and/or R.

Certifications:

• Driver’s license.

• Willingness to travel to research sites.

• Ownership of a vehicle is not required.

Preferred Competencies

• Experience working with Qualtrics.

• Experience working with low-income communities.

• Organized, resourceful, detail-oriented, effective time manager.

• Team player – collaborative, reliable, ability to receive and give constructive feedback, flexible, supportive.

• Comfortable working with remote collaboration tools.

• Independent – able to problem solve, prioritize and exercise good judgment under time pressure.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$52,000.00 - $62,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting 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.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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