Research Manager; Health Lab, Urban Labs

University of Chicago - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Mid Level

Chicago, IL

Educational Services

About the position

The University of Chicago Health Lab is seeking a Research Manager to work on large-scale social policy research, data science, and program evaluation projects to support the development of effective policy interventions in the domain of 911 and crisis response. The Research Manager will work on several program evaluations, implementation evaluations, randomized controlled trials, and technical assistance projects in our 911 portfolio, which includes projects focusing on 911, other three-digit hotlines, and crisis response. We are currently working on these projects in Chicago and other cities nationwide. The Research Manager will have the opportunity to manage various stakeholder relationships and contribute to all aspects of research design, methods, and evaluation of research projects. Duties will include managing both quantitative and qualitative research projects, managing relationships and communication between Health Lab and external stakeholders, conducting literature reviews and other research-related activities, and engaging in a variety of project-related writing. The ideal candidate will be organized and able to execute multiple project work plans, including setting project timelines and meeting key milestones. This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of a small research team simultaneously running a variety of data and research collection endeavors as well as facilitating communication with key stakeholders in the 911 field. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago, research partners, governmental agencies, community-based organizations, and others, as well as a team of administrative staff, project managers, and student research assistants. The Research Manager will also collaborate closely with the UChicago Urban Labs' partners in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Responsibilities

• Manages day-to-day implementation of several social policy research projects, including secondary data and research collection, while ensuring fidelity to research ethics and study design.
• Ensures that project deliverables are developed in a satisfactory and timely manner.
• Manages multiple project aims simultaneously and meets tight deadlines.
• Contributes to research design and coordinates implementation with program partners and collaborators in the public and nonprofit sectors.
• Oversees quality control of data collection, including developing and maintaining the study's research and dissemination processes.
• Coordinates project development and deliverables among all internal and external partners.
• Facilitates integration of feedback into research process and generated products.
• Prepares IRB proposals, grant proposals, progress reports, and works with internal and external partners to obtain data use agreements and project scopes of work.
• Performs literature reviews and assists in writing, proofreading, and fact-checking academic papers, reports, and presentations.
• Supports fundraising efforts through identifying opportunities, developing potential partnerships, writing and coordinating proposal development efforts.
• Prepares research summaries for memos, spreadsheets, and presentations targeting both technical and non-technical audiences, including policymakers, academic researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Supervise other part-time or full-time Urban Labs research staff or interns, with special emphasis on mentoring junior research staff.
• Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects. Conducts literature reviews and helps write reports and manuscripts. Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
• Takes responsibility for the following non-laboratory duties: transcribing and coding data; developing data collection instruments; presenting research; and recruiting and scheduling research subjects. Acquires higher-level skills and knowledge in the process.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice-to-haves

• Master's degree in criminal justice, economics, sociology, public health, public policy or another relevant field. Will consider applicants with equivalent lived experience.
• Knowledge and skills developed through at least two years of relevant research experience. Experience gained in school counts towards this.
• Experience managing complex projects with numerous stakeholders.
• Experience collecting and managing qualitative and quantitative datasets.
• Experience working on field experiments and/or randomized controlled trials.
• Experience working with law enforcement or in emergency response.
• Coursework in econometrics and/or mathematical statistics.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets strongly.
• Experience with health and claims data highly appreciated.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid holidays
• Flexible scheduling
• Professional development opportunities