Research Associate

$68,100 - $111,500/Yr

Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health - Cambridge, MA

Full-time - Entry Level

Remote - Cambridge, MA

About the position

The Research Associate (RA) at Harvard Kennedy School will collaborate with a diverse team at The People Lab to conduct applied, data-driven research on critical government priorities. The role involves managing relationships with government partners, designing and implementing rigorous research methodologies, and performing statistical analysis on various data sets. The position is a full-time, benefits-eligible term appointment ending June 30, 2025, with the possibility of renewal.

Responsibilities

• Support management of relationships with government partners, including regular engagement and troubleshooting issues.
• Assist in the design and implementation of rigorous research designs, including randomized control trials (RCTs), survey experiments, and behavioral interventions.
• Conduct basic statistical and econometric analysis using Stata and R on administrative data sets and other incoming data.
• Clean data correctly, conduct analysis in accordance with pre-analysis plans, and present and visualize results in various formats.
• Support authorship of academic papers, policy reports, grant reports, and other publications by conducting literature reviews, editing or drafting text, and preparing manuscripts for submission and publication.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or a closely related field with 2+ years of relevant post-baccalaureate research experience, or a graduate degree in the same fields with 1+ year of relevant experience.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including exceptional writing skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Eagerness and ability to learn new skills quickly on the job.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience working in the public sector or on public sector challenges.
• Experience designing and conducting online surveys.
• Experience working on randomized controlled trials preferred.
• Demonstrated experience meeting project timelines across multiple projects and communicating with stakeholders in a productive manner.
• Ability to work with streams of qualitative and quantitative data across multiple projects.
• Experience handling sensitive data securely preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative data analysis, including cleaning new data sets and presenting data in various formats preferred.

Benefits

• 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year, 12 accrued sick days, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess, 3 personal days per year, and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs.
• Child and elder/adult care resources, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs.
• University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation.
• Tuition Assistance Program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement Program providing 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses.
• Professional Development programs and classes at little or no cost.
• Various commuter options including discounted parking and public transportation passes.
• Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, and discounts to various services and activities.