Research Associate

About Us:

The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies is an academic research center that conducts rigorous policy relevant research about Jewish life and the Jewish community. We are a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary group of nearly 30 scholars and research staff at Brandeis University. Our areas of research include Jewish education, Israel, and the socio-demography of Jews around the world.

Position Overview:

The Research Associate's primary responsibility is to work, as part of a team, to conduct analyses that support the work of CMJS. The ideal candidate will have an educational and employment background in conducting social science and evaluation research, experience working in a fast-paced environment, and will be a self-motivated and independent worker. Interest in and knowledge of the Jewish community is highly desired. Research Associates may specialize in quantitative research, qualitative research, or a combination. This is a full-time role with potential for growth.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Participate in all phases of complex research projects including design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results
• Communicate with internal and external audiences
• Assist in the writing and editing of reports, journal articles, and presentations for both academic and lay audiences
• Summarize study results through charts, graphs, and presentations
• Assist in proposal development
• Assist with survey writing, programming, testing, and administration
• Conduct literature searches and reviews
• For qualitative researchers: Schedule and conduct telephone and in-person interviews, focus groups, and site visits. Travel may be required for site visits.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree (required). Master's degree in a social science or humanities field with a research focus, such as psychology, sociology, or public policy preferred, or equivalent work experience
• For quantitative researchers: Expertise in statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Stata, R). Familiarity with Stata statistical software and its syntax language is strongly preferred
• For quantitative researchers: Demonstrated research experience in survey design, administration, and analysis
• For qualitative researchers: Demonstrated research experience conducting interviews, focus groups and/or participant observation
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team, foster consensus, and collaborate with individuals and organizations with a range of interests and perspectives.
• Well-organized, self-motivated, flexible, and able to work independently on multiple projects at one time
• Eagerness to learn new skills and take on responsibility
• Attentive to time management and detail-oriented
• Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor
• Strong and effective written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Familiarity with current issues and concerns related to the Jewish community
• Knowledge of Jewish and Hebrew words, terms and concepts
• Experience with cleaning, validating, and manipulating data
• Experience as a task and project supervisor and/or manager
• Knowledge of human subjects research protocols and IRB applications
• Survey programming in LimeSurvey or Qualtrics
• Advanced skills in Excel, Publisher, GoogleApps, and other software packages

Benefits:

Brandeis offers a comprehensive benefit program, including health and dental insurance, life and long-term disability insurance plans, flexible-reimbursement accounts, a retirement plan and other benefits designed to support employee wellness and work-life balance. Tuition remission for Brandeis University classes is available.