Research Assistant, Education Systems (Waltham, MA) – Telework Eligible

at  American Institutes for Research

Overview:
Join AIR as a Research Assistant with AIR’s Education Systems team and be involved in our longstanding legacy of providing rigorous, impartial evidence-based research and resources on pressing and perennial education issues. Our Education Systems team studies and supports organizations and infrastructure at the local, state, and national levels focusing on the people who operate PK-12 education systems to improve the organization of schooling and advance the organizations within those systems.
Our Education Systems team is driven by our mission to make the world a better, more equitable place through education.
This position will be expected to attend events at AIR’s Waltham, Massachusetts office when requested. These events typically occur twice a quarter. Additionally, candidates should be prepared to travel to various sites across Massachusetts to conduct observations. This travel is expected to occur twice a week, depending on need.
The preferred candidate would be based in Massachusetts and may work remotely or from AIR’s office in Waltham.

EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in social science related fields
• Experience with and/or knowledge of data collection and analysis methodologies and techniques, such as survey design, and conducting structured interviews, observations, and focus groups
• Experience with or inclination to learn and use software programs such as NVivo, R, SPSS, or Stata to analyze data

Skills:

• Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy when writing
• Effective communicator in a virtual work environment
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite or the equivalent (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software)
• Comfortable working independently and as a member of a team with individuals from diverse backgrounds and at all levels

• Travel to local K-12 schools across Massachusetts to conduct classroom observations, interviews, and focus groups
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative research data and contribute to the reporting and interpretation of findings
• Support communication with school and district leaders
• Develop spreadsheets and data bases to support project activities
• Provide new business and proposal development support by engaging in such tasks as researching funding opportunities, conducting literature reviews, writing proposal sections, etc.
• Assist staff in the review, identification and development of scholarly information describing research finding