Assistant Director of Research Operations

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•$89,250 - $115,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Research Operations manages academic, research, clinical, or administrative programs within the UL Inclusive Economy Lab. This department partners with policymakers, community-based organizations, and others to address urgent challenges, generate evidence on effective solutions, and translate findings into policy changes aimed at ending intergenerational poverty. The Lab focuses on identifying barriers to social mobility and racial equity and highlighting impactful programs and policies to foster greater economic opportunity, with specializations in College and Career Success, Basic Needs, and Quality Jobs.

Requirements

College or university degree in a related field.
5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Deep understanding when interacting with faculty, researchers, and staff for committee work or information.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in public policy, social science, economics, education, or a related field is a plus.
Equivalent professional or lived experience will be considered.
Five or more years of experience in applied research, policy, or research operations.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex, cross-functional projects independently.
Experience in a research coordination, program management, or chief-of-staff-type role, ideally within a university, think tank, or policy research organization.
Strong working knowledge of program evaluation methods, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs.
Ability to communicate methodological concepts to diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training or capacity-building programs, particularly related to research methods or evidence use.
Experience developing knowledge management systems, research repositories, or institutional learning infrastructure.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to synthesize complex information and translate it into clear guidance, documentation, and presentations.
Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills; comfort working across teams and in a matrixed organizational structure.
Genuine commitment to racial equity and economic inclusion, with experience working in or alongside communities affected by poverty, segregation, or disinvestment.
First-generation college students and those with lived experience in communities experiencing poverty and disinvestment are encouraged to apply.
Experience supporting or coordinating academic affiliates, visiting scholars, or research fellows.
Prior experience planning academic convenings, workshops, or speaker series.
Familiarity with administrative data partnerships, IRB processes, or research compliance.
Interest in and experience with responsible AI use in research or policy contexts.
Experience in workforce development, housing stability, education, or social safety net policy areas.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain clear guidelines for research knowledge management, including building and maintaining an organizational wiki.
Centralize and streamline the existing research repository to ensure easy referencing of past work and methodological resources.
Build and manage best practices for onboarding new research team members to the lab's published research to ensure effective knowledge transfer.
Manage project selection in coordination with the Scientific Director, ensuring timely material sharing, follow-up on approved projects, and providing project updates.
Support the Scientific Director in formalizing the onboarding of new affiliates and identifying potential new affiliates, with a focus on engaging Booth faculty.
Maintain a list of current research affiliates and ensure up-to-date communication.
Support the planning and execution of the IEL affiliate speaker series.
Identify areas for affiliate research engagement outside of project work.
Develop and manage the annual 360 feedback process for research affiliates.
Support the Scientific Director in launching an academic conference focused on applied policy research.
Identify opportunities to expand the Lab’s visibility with academic audiences.
Lead the design and execution of the internal program evaluation curriculum to build Research Management team capacity in causal inference and impact evaluation methods.
Manage lab-wide research learning and trainings, including topic planning, speaker coordination, and content development, taking ownership of 'Training Tuesdays' and research training components of Town Hall meetings.
Identify research-related training gaps and develop programming to address them.
Support the Director of Analytics in launching an internal AI working group.
Develop practical guidance, tools, and standards for incorporating AI responsibly into research workflows.
Launch and support pilots to increase work efficiency without compromising research quality, rigor, and integrity.
Support the development of a protocol for mixed methods research.
Help the lab navigate its integration into Rustandy and Booth by developing clear frameworks and expectations for supporting non-IEL projects.
Field inquiries for research support from Booth faculty, scope involvement, identify relevant staff support, and provide direct research support as necessary.
Establish norms, intake processes, and documentation standards for productive coexistence of different work streams.
Develop and communicate program priorities and performance standards, and assess operations using these criteria.
Plan and conduct quality assurance reviews and recommend changes.
Perform other related work as needed.