Associate Researcher Senior

University of Kansas•Lawrence, KS

6d•Remote

About The Position

The Center for Research to Transform Systems (CRTS), within the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, seeks an Associate Researcher Senior to support large, multi-partner research, evaluation, and implementation projects focused on community-engaged research and improving child and family outcomes. The role works closely with CRTS researchers, human service agencies, federal partners, funders, court and legal collaborators, and community members. The position contributes to research design and implementation, human-subjects protocols, project evaluation, data management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, continuous quality improvement, and dissemination. It may involve serving as a liaison with other departments; developing and conducting large research efforts; reviewing progress and evaluating results; formulating research methods; and serving as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator. The role may oversee daily research operations, prepare funding applications and IRB protocols, train researchers, supervise students or staff, coordinate data collection, and analyze and interpret results. It also includes authoring or co-authoring publications and presenting at meetings or conferences. The position is remote with occasional in-person meetings. Because of state employment laws, the University may be unable to hire fully remote workers outside Kansas and cannot currently employ candidates residing in California, Delaware, Idaho, or Minnesota. Applications require a cover letter addressing qualifications, a resume or CV, and three professional references. Review begins October 30 and continues until a qualified applicant pool is identified.

Requirements

PhD in social work or a closely related field, plus five years of additional postdoctoral experience in or closely related to the field or area of research.
Advanced quantitative statistical analysis skills and proficiency in Stata, R, or comparable quantitative software, with 6–12 months of professional experience writing data-analysis code as a core responsibility or a graduate-level quantitative methods course.
High proficiency in statistical software such as Stata, SPSS, or R, with 6–12 months of professional experience writing data-analysis code as a core responsibility or a graduate-level quantitative methods course.
Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills, demonstrated in application materials.
Strong written communication skills, demonstrated in application materials.
Experience working with large, complex datasets.
Experience managing large data collection efforts using REDCap, Qualtrics, or similar software.
Experience explaining methods to research staff, providing guidance, and interpreting and presenting output.
Experience presenting research to varied audiences, including developing infographics, PowerPoint presentations, briefs, and fact sheets.
Experience developing, building, and maintaining data dashboards using Tableau, Power BI, or similar software.
Experience writing and submitting peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Experience preparing funding applications for projects involving research or evaluation.
Strong knowledge of preparing human-subjects research protocols and the Institutional Review Board process.
Experience multitasking across multiple projects.
Demonstrated commitment to social work values and the KUSSW mission, vision, guiding principles, and values.

Responsibilities

Design, plan, implement, and evaluate research, including developing protocols, standardized measures, surveys, and interviews.
Organize research teams and activities with internal, external, and community partners, and monitor project timelines.
Prepare institutional review board materials and secure approval for human-subjects research.
Contribute to interpretation of findings and identify implications for research, policy, practice, and systems change.
Organize and manage quantitative and qualitative research data; create data procedures, databases, and continuous quality improvement processes.
Create and manage data dashboards and conduct advanced quantitative analysis and qualitative coding and analysis.
Prepare and contribute to reports, conference presentations, peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, and other dissemination products.
Supervise and train staff or students as needed, support meetings and workgroups, and collaborate with research and community partners.
Identify research opportunities, funding, and partners; support grant proposal submissions; and participate in professional development and knowledge-sharing.
Potentially serve as principal investigator or co-principal investigator, oversee day-to-day research operations, coordinate data collection, and analyze and interpret project results.
Author or co-author research publications and present at meetings or conferences.