Research Assistant/Sr. Research Assistant, Early Childhood

CHILD TRENDSORPORATED•Baltimore, MD

8d•Remote

About The Position

Child Trends is seeking a Research Assistant or Sr. Research Assistant in its Early Childhood research area. Research Assistants are expected to work on multiple projects simultaneously to support project teams. Under the supervision of Early Childhood staff, the Research Assistant supports social science research projects by helping to gather data and other information from study participants and stakeholders; helping to develop project materials and data collection tools; administering surveys and questionnaires, conducting interviews, and compiling results; helping organize meetings; note taking; and performing other duties as necessary. The Early Childhood team at Child Trends studies programs and systems affecting young children from birth through early elementary school. Our team studies how early childhood programs and systems affect outcomes for children and families, including those facing structural and economic barriers. We are committed to methodologically sound research that accurately represents the populations and communities our findings affect. Our team works with the federal government, state agencies, communities, and foundations on research, evaluation, and policy projects that address important issues for policymakers, practitioners, and families. We develop resources and reports that address complex topics in easy-to-understand terms. We are strong thought partners in addressing a range of early childhood issues and help policymakers and practitioners translate research into actions that can improve the lives of young children. This position requires strong writing and organization skills, logical thinking, great attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to ethics and equity in research and the workplace. The ideal candidate will have experience conducting research projects and be knowledgeable about designing and conducting research rooted in equitable principles. The ideal candidate will have also experience and/or interest in early childhood research or policy. Candidates will be considered for an assistant level or senior assistant level depending on skills, qualifications, and experience. We encourage candidates across this range to apply and will discuss level placement during the interview process.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree, preferably in one of the social sciences, and the demonstrated ability to perform beginning level research in a social science field.
Strong detail-orientation, written and verbal communication skills, and experience with literature reviews.
Excellent writing skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex information for general audiences.
Excellent task management and organizational skills.
Strong communication skills to support a collaborative working environment.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Strong critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to both provide and take direction.

Nice To Haves

Experience with early childhood research or policy.
Experience conducting research in applied settings.
Ability to speak Spanish and conduct research in Spanish.
Experience with a statistical package such as Stata and/or R.
Two to three years of applied research experience outside of college courses may be considered for a Senior Research Assistant position.

Responsibilities

Recruit and follow-up with study participants, and schedule interviews, focus groups, and meetings.
Take notes during meetings with clients or other project stakeholders.
Summarizes notes to distribute to team, clients, and others.
Assist with administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, distributing participant incentives, tracking project budgets, preparing progress reports, and mailings.
Conduct data collection through observations, interviews, surveys, and other methods as needed.
Support literature reviews on specified topics by collecting relevant research and synthesizing information according to instructions.
Tabulate and maintain study data; assist with data entry; clean data and perform quality checks; develop tables and graphs.
Process and conduct basic analyses of quantitative data using Stata/R or other statistical packages.
Analyze qualitative data using tools such as Dedoose or NVivo and basic thematic coding methods.
Organize project files and track important project deadlines.