Junior MEL Research Analyst

Connecticut Rise Network Inc•New Haven, CT

12h•$65,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The RISE Network’s mission is to ensure all high school students graduate with a plan and the skills and confidence to achieve college and career success. Founded in 2016, RISE partners with public high schools to lead networks where communities work together to use data to learn and improve. Through its core and most comprehensive network, RISE partners with nine high schools and eight districts, serving over 13,000 students in historically marginalized communities. RISE high schools work together to ensure all students experience success as they transition to, through, and beyond high school by using data to pinpoint needs, form hypotheses, and pursue ideas to advance student achievement. Partner schools have improved Grade 9 promotion rates by nearly 20 percentage points, while also decreasing subgroup gaps and increasing schoolwide graduation and college access rates. In 2021, the RISE Network was honored to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s annual Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement recognition. Increasingly, RISE is pursuing opportunities to scale its impact through research publications, consulting partnerships, professional development experiences, and other avenues to drive excellent student outcomes. RISE is seeking a detail-oriented and collaborative Junior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Research Analyst to support data collection, analysis, reporting, and learning activities across organizational initiatives. This role will assist in maintaining high-quality datasets, conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, and developing reports, dashboards, and presentations that help inform program improvement and decision-making. The Junior MEL Research Analyst will work closely with the MEL team and network staff to support MEL projects, track performance metrics, contribute to learning and reflection activities, and ensure accurate documentation of findings and processes. The ideal candidate is talented, organized, motivated, analytical, and passionate about using data to drive social change. The role will report to the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager and sit on the MEL team.

Requirements

2-3 years of professional experience in education research, program evaluation, or a related field; or 1 year of relevant professional experience and a Master's degree in statistics, economics, education, public policy, data science, or a related quantitative field.
Bachelor's degree in statistics, economics, data science, public policy, education research, or another related quantitative field (Master's preferred).
Familiarity or exposure to data visualization tools, such as Tableau.
Foundational knowledge or exposure to statistical analysis tools such as R, Python, or Stata
Experience designing and implementing quantitative research and evaluation studies.
Experience in building survey data collection forms via tools such as Google Forms
Excellent data visualization and communication skills
Ability to translate complex data into insights for diverse audiences
Strong organizational and project management skills.
Strong sense of accountability and responsibility for results.
Ability to work in an independent and self-motivated manner.
Demonstrated proficiency with Google Workspace.
Commitment to equity, ethics, and learning in a nonprofit or mission-driven context.
Positive attitude and willingness to work in a collaborative environment.
Commitment to continuous learning for improvement.
Strong belief that all students can learn and achieve at high levels.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on a monitoring, evaluation, and learning team.
Strong knowledge of developing and maintaining Tableau dashboards
Strong knowledge of statistical analysis tools such as R, Python, or Stata
Strong knowledge of building survey data collection forms via tools such as Google Forms, Qualtrics, Key Survey, etc.
Familiarity with school data systems and prior experience working in a school, district, or similar K-12 educational context preferred.
Experience working with survey data (e.g., DHS, LSMS), administrative datasets, or real-time digital data sources.
Working knowledge of data engineering or database management (SQL, cloud-based platforms).

Responsibilities

Support in the development, administration, and monitoring of surveys, interviews, and other data collection activities.
Clean, organize, validate, and maintain quantitative and qualitative datasets to ensure accuracy and integrity of data.
Create data contracts to request data from the engineering team for analysis.
Conduct quality assurance activities to ensure data products are accurate and reliable.
Maintain organized files, data dictionaries, and documentation to support transparency and reproducibility of analyses by other MEL team members.
Ensure compliance with data protection, security, and ethical standards.
Utilize datasets provided by the data engineering team to create compelling analyses using descriptive statistics, as well as correlation and regression analysis.
Create compelling charts and dashboards in Tableau Dashboards and Google Sheets.
Implement dashboard building workflows, from creating wireframes of dashboards, to gathering stakeholder feedback, to conducting quality assurance of dashboards.
Assist in identifying trends, patterns, and key insights to inform improvement and decision-making.
Translate technical findings into accessible language for non-technical stakeholders.
Support complex projects to build novel tools for internal or external stakeholders.
Provide technical input on monitoring frameworks and indicator selection for programs.
Contribute to the design and implementation of M&E plans and learning agendas.
Assist with literature reviews and background research to inform evaluation activities.
Develop & support writing, research, and analysis for RISE learning and issue briefs
Create written reports, presentations, publications, and communications pieces.
Participate & support in learning sessions and continuous improvement discussions.
Help document lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations.
Help manage timelines, task tracking, and deliverables across multiple MEL projects.
Prepare meeting notes, action items, and follow-up materials related to MEL projects.
Respond to requests for data, reporting support, and analytical assistance in a timely manner.
Uphold confidentiality, ethical research standards, and organizational policies.
Alongside the MEL team, work with non-technical stakeholders to improve data products.