Part-time Senior Research Associate
About us: NYC Labor Market Information Service (LMIS) produces workforce development and educational opportunity-focused research, evaluations, and strategic guidance. Comprised of expert researchers with diverse backgrounds and skillsets, from economics and data science, to program evaluation, education, and public policy, LMIS is the only New York City-based entity devoted to conducting mixed-methods labor market research and making the findings relevant and actionable to mission-driven organizations nationwide.
Housed within The Center for Urban Research at The CUNY Graduate Center and fiscally sponsored by The Research Foundation of CUNY, our partners include CUNY colleges and programs, city and state agencies, nonprofits, research organizations, unions, and philanthropies, as well as employers and internship/apprenticeship programs. To learn more about LMIS, visit our website at https://gc.cuny.edu/lmis.
Benefits of being a part-time LMISer include:
- Flexible work hours & hybrid work schedule
- Friendly, collegial, intellectually stimulating work culture –
- Individual professional development budget of $1,000 per year
- Discounts at cultural institutions across New York City
About the role: We seek a part-time Senior Research Associate (SRA) to join our team, leading research initiatives and contributing to organizational goals.
The salary range for the SRA is $50,000 – $65,000 for half-time hours (19 hours/ week, a maximum of 38 hours per two-week period) depending on experience and qualifications.
- 70% – Lead and collaborate on research projects:
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- Engage in research project planning, including the development of research questions and an appropriate (typically mixed methods) research methodology to respond to them;
- Access and analyze economic, labor market, demographic, and other secondary data sets;
- Conduct primary data collection, including developing & disseminating electronic surveys and summarizing their results, conducting and documenting interviews, and planning focus groups;
- Draft compelling and accessible project materials and deliverables, such as research briefs, presentations, and summary handouts for a diverse array of audiences and stakeholder groups.
- 15% – Client engagement and support:
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- Participate in or lead meetings with research partners and stakeholders to define scopes, agenda set, present findings, and determine next steps;
- Draft or manage email correspondence with clients.
- 15% – Other organizational activities:
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- The SRA will contribute to other priorities as needed, such as joining our weekly Team Meetings and bi-annual half-day strategic planning retreats, capacities, and supporting grant applications.
About you: We’re excited to welcome a new LMIS tam member who, like us, is intellectually curious and inspired by using research to benefit mission-driven organizations seeking someone who shares our organizational orientation, which includes being collaborative with each other and our research partners, team-oriented, feedback-seeking, and emotionally intelligent. Below are the skills and experience that are a good fit for this role:
Technical skills/ credentials:
- Master’s degree or PhD in a social science or related area, and 15-20 years of professional experience in a research, policy, or consultancy setting;
- Facility with labor market data and its applications;
- Fluency analyzing quantitative data sets and descriptive statistics, and conducting data manipulations (e.g., using statistical software to compute and recode variables, merge files);
- Experience conducting qualitative research (e.g., focus groups, semi-structured interviews), and analyzing data using qualitative methods;
- Skill applying data analysis findings to research questions in ways that are accessible and useable to audiences with a variety of backgrounds and expertise;
- Strong writing skills and experience drafting research briefs and presentations for a wide array of audiences;
Approach to work:
- Intentional and deliberate in your words and actions;
- Collaborative, curious, and generous in how you engage your professional ecosystem;
- Committed to excellence and accuracy in your work;
- Able to effectively give and receive feedback;
- Responsible, dependable, and detail-oriented; and
- Excited by working within a project-based and client-centered environment.
Next steps: Interested candidates may contact LMIS Director Jaclyn Kelly at JKelly@gc.cuny.edu or apply at https://www.rfcuny.org/careers/postings?pvnID=GS-2409-006442