Research Assistant | Water
About The Position
Research assistants meaningfully contribute to Metropolitan Planning Council’s equity-focused urban planning and public policy initiatives. This entry-level role provides high-quality research, writing, analytical, and project support across policy areas such as zoning and land use, transportation, housing and community development, green infrastructure and water use. This role will support MPC’s water policy initiatives, including research related to water governance, and regionalization in Illinois. This role will contribute to policy briefs, stakeholder convening, and other exploratory research to inform MPC’s program and partner initiatives. This position requires approximately 24-30 hours per week, running from April to September 2026, based on a mutually agreed upon schedule. Staff work in-office at least twice a week from our Chicago Headquarters, with remote work on other days.
Requirements
- Strong research, analytical, and writing skills
- Ability to clearly communicate complex policy issues to diverse audiences
- Effective project management and multitasking skills
- Able to work independently and collaboratively
- Strong attention to detail
- Interest in water resources, infrastructure systems, governance, or environmental and public policy
- A bachelor's degree in public policy, public administration, urban planning, other relevant field, or depth of equivalent experience is preferred.
Nice To Haves
- Experience collecting, organizing, or managing datasets
- Familiarity with basic data analysis, mapping, or visualization tools (such as R or Python) is a plus
Responsibilities
- Conduct background and comparative policy research
- Analyze and synthesize complex planning and infrastructure topics
- Identify best practices and implementation models
- Prepare concise research briefs, memos, and presentation materials
- Support stakeholder engagement, meeting preparation, and coordination
- Contribute to implementation planning and evaluation efforts
Benefits
- Compensation for this independent contractor position is $18 per hour and a monthly $35 transportation subsidy.
- We welcome students with federal work-study and those seeking course credit to apply.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Part-time
Career Level
Entry Level
