Lead Research Associate

$90,000 - $110,000/Yr

Westat - Rockville, MD

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Rockville, MD

1,001-5,000 employees

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

Westat is seeking a Lead Research Associate to join its Education Studies Practice, focusing on evaluating educational interventions. The ideal candidate will possess a doctoral degree in social sciences and have strong quantitative, analytic, and communication skills. This role involves conducting research, collaborating with teams, and mentoring junior staff, with a strong emphasis on special education research.

Responsibilities

• Conduct quantitative analyses to evaluate education policies and programs.
• Contribute to the design of research and evaluation studies.
• Communicate results to broad audiences including policymakers and practitioners through written and oral presentations.
• Contribute to proposals for new projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, state and local governments, foundations, and other funders.
• Collaborate with senior researchers, with latitude for independent action and decision-making.
• Mentor junior staff.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in social sciences (completed or expected by June 2025).
• Experience manipulating data and conducting advanced statistical analyses with software packages (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, or Stata).
• Typically requires MA/MS in a social science field with 2-4 years of relevant experience, or a PhD with 1-3 years of relevant experience.
• Dissertation on an education policy topic.
• US Citizenship is required by contract.

Nice-to-haves

• Demonstrated quantitative and analytic skills.
• Knowledge of K-12 education research, data sets, policies, and programs.
• Strong interest or experience with special education research, policies, or programs.
• Ability to communicate complex technical material to non-technical audiences through written and oral communication.
• Knowledge of experimental and quasi-experimental designs.
• Ability to work well on interdisciplinary teams.

Benefits

• Paid parental leave
• Health savings account
• AD&D insurance
• Disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• 401(k)
• Flexible spending account
• Employee assistance program
• Vision insurance
• Employee stock ownership plan
• Flexible schedule
• Life insurance