Jobs

Research Assistant

Posted on: January 14, 2021 Apply Now
Part-Time Expires April 1, 2021

Research Assistant (temporary, paid opportunity)

Remote

April – August 2021

Imagine if we could bring the same innovations that pervade every other part of our lives to child welfare. This is Foster America’s vision. Foster America recruits diverse talented professionals who have the skills needed to address old, persistent problems in our child welfare system in new ways: skills in data and technology, design and marketing, strategy and planning, and finance. We prepare these professionals to serve as full-time fellows at public agencies across the country, where they lead major child welfare reform projects. For example, our fellows with marketing and human-centered design backgrounds help agencies improve the recruitment of foster parents, and our fellows with technology and data analytics backgrounds help agencies leverage data to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Since launching three years ago, Foster America has supported four cohorts of fellows, who have served in 30 agencies across 14 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. In the long-term, we aim to scale the reforms of our fellows, build a pipeline of transformative leaders for our field, and develop new experiments to change the outcomes of our country’s most vulnerable children and families.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Research Assistant will support the Director of Planning & Operations with the execution of a comprehensive measurement and learning plan for a cohort of graduating fellows. This person will participate in all aspects of Foster America’s measurement and learning plan, including developing survey and interview protocols, conducting interviews of key stakeholders, analyzing data, and drafting reports and dashboards for internal learning and communications purposes.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Design measurement tools, such as surveys, interview protocols, and rubrics
  • Conduct interviews of key fellowship program stakeholders, such as fellows and child welfare agency partners
  • Research and analyze child welfare data available from public sources
  • Analyze qualitative data from surveys, interviews, and rubrics
  • Organize and clean data
  • Draft dashboard, case studies, and reports to be used for internal learning, as well as external communication of our programmatic impact
  • Administrative support, such as interview scheduling and note-taking

Other Responsibilities:

  • There may be an opportunity to support other team members in other areas of work, such as funder research and interviewing potential fellowship candidates

WHO YOU ARE

  • Committed to equity – You are passionate about social justice and are committed to racial equity.
  • Organized and detail-oriented – You have a stellar track record for execution and ability to keep up with complex and changing details.
  • Analytic – You synthesize complex and diverse information, research and collect data, and use data to drive decision-making.
  • Growth-minded – You are open to receiving and giving productive and impactful feedback for the betterment of our programs and our most vulnerable children and families.
  • Open and communicative – You are good at expressing yourself and at capturing ideas, expressed in email, written materials, and interpersonal connection.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

  • Current graduate student preferred, but will consider candidates with demonstrated volunteer, professional, or academic experience with designing and implementing research, measurement, or program evaluation projects
  • Comfort and experience working with both quantitative and qualitative data
  • Prior writing experience in an academic, professional, or volunteer capacity
  • Knowledge of the child welfare system is a plus, but not required

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The Research Assistant will work remotely on their own computer. Accommodations can be provided, if needed.

SCHEDULE AND COMPENSATION

The Research Assistant position is a temporary, non-exempt, non-benefits eligible position. The Research Assistant is expected to work up to 30 hours per week.

The pay for the position is $15-$19 per hour. The Research Assistant will be offered professional development opportunities, including the ability to attend training sessions we offer to our fellowship program participants. Trainings are offered on a range of topics including stakeholder mapping and listening, adaptive leadership, and current child welfare initiatives and developments.

APPLICATION

Please submit your resume and cover letter: https://www.tfaforms.com/4874444

Apply Now