Part-time Undergraduate Research Assistant supporting Public Affairs Media and Research – Hybrid Chicago Loop Office

NORC at the University of Chicago • Chicago, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

NORC at the University of Chicago seeks a qualified part-time Undergraduate Research Assistant to support its Public Affairs and Media Research Department in its Chicago Loop office. This department provides data-driven insights for top media, policymaking, and philanthropic organizations. The undergraduate Research Assistant will provide general support on research projects, including NORC’s Civic Health & Election Project, which aims to understand the electorate’s experiences, attitudes, and policy priorities across all 50 states. The ideal candidate is curious, detail-oriented, and possesses a strong understanding of social science research concepts. The successful candidate will provide general research support and contribute to various facets of the research process, from conducting background research, testing survey instruments, cleaning data, fact-checking, and supporting reporting activities. This role requires the candidate to be a current undergraduate student available to work in a hybrid office setting 16-24 hours per week, including at least one day per week at NORC’s office in the Chicago Loop. This position is expected to begin in mid-July and candidates must be available to work through mid-November, with the possibility for the role to be extended beyond that time. All eligible students are encouraged to apply; however, preference may be given to University of Chicago students due to NORC’s campus employment designation. NORC is unable to provide additional work-authorization sponsorship for student roles. This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago Loop office, with a minimum of one day per week in the office.

Requirements

• Enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program in a relevant field including—but not limited to—political science, sociology, public policy, statistics, survey methodology, or other social science discipline.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including MS Teams.
• Experience or willingness to learn new computer skills and computer-based data analysis (e.g. Stata, SAS, and/or R).
• Outstanding interpersonal, critical reasoning, analytic, and writing skills.
• Demonstrated attentiveness to detailed tasks, strong organizational skills, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities.

Nice To Haves

• Upper-level coursework in relevant fields preferred.
• Interest in election polling preferred.
• Preference may be given to University of Chicago students.

Responsibilities

• Provide general research support on quantitative and qualitative projects on a range of topics.
• Prepare background research including literature reviews and environmental scans.
• Test data collection instruments and systems.
• Assist with data preparation, data cleaning, and coding.
• Conduct statistical analyses of survey data for research reports or ad-hoc as needed.
• Contribute to the preparation of reports, tables, and graphs based on survey findings.
• Conduct quality control tasks including fact checking.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Eligible to participate in NORC’s retirement program.
• NORC contributes directly to retirement account without required employee contributions.
• Eligible to make pre-tax or post-tax contributions to NORC’s Supplemental Retirement Plan.
• Eligible for three days of holiday pay (intermittent staff who meet tenure requirements).
• Free counseling and referrals through NORC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff, significant others, and dependent children who live at home.
• World-class benefits.
• Business casual environment.
• Emphasis on continuous learning.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed