Research Analyst

$56,000 - $66,000/Yr

State of Kansas

Part-time,Full-time - Mid Level

Hybrid

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The Research Analyst position at the Kansas Sentencing Commission is essential for managing and analyzing sentencing data related to adult felonies and probation revocations. The role involves designing and maintaining databases, ensuring data quality, conducting statistical analyses, and producing reports that inform policy decisions. The analyst will also oversee grant management and collaborate with various stakeholders to support evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and manage KSSC's databases for adult felony and probation revocation data.
• Ensure data quality and perform thorough analyses to maintain database integrity.
• Merge, clean, update, and reprogram data files annually according to sentencing policy changes.
• Conduct statistical analyses to produce KSSC's Annual Report on Sentencing.
• Assist with projections for adult prison populations and custody classifications.
• Perform data analysis for various reports and draft data requests and legislative impact assessments.
• Utilize current and historical sentencing trends to generate assumptions and translate proposed policy changes into quantifiable metrics.
• Apply simulation methodology to statistically project the impact of policy changes on the adult justice systems.
• Serve as the Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) Director, managing activities such as collecting, analyzing, and distributing criminal justice data.
• Oversee grant fund management and project progress, tracking and reporting grant expenditures quarterly.

Requirements

• Master's degree in a relevant field such as criminal justice, social sciences, education, or economics.
• One year of experience in collecting, evaluating, studying, and reporting on statistical data.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and statistical software (SPSS or similar).
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Experience in database design and management.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience developing, designing, and conducting research evaluations including data collections and analyses.
• Familiarity with criminal justice terminology.
• Understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research designs.
• Experience with cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cohort studies.
• Strong SPSS syntax writing and problem-solving skills.

Benefits

• Paid holidays
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Military leave
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance
• Employee discount
• Bereavement leave