Senior Research Associate

New Editions Consulting, Inc., a disability and health services consulting firm, seeks a Senior Research Associate experienced in mixed methods design with particular expertise in quantitative analysis and modeling to join a multidisciplinary research and data analysis team working on a variety of Federal contracts. New team member will provide research and analytic support by leading study design, instrumentation development, data collection, data analysis and report-writing for a variety of tasks supporting the Administration for Community Living.

The Senior Research Associate will apply a high level of attention to detail and organization to play a primary role in designing and conducting data collection, cleaning and validation, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis as needed to support ACL program and policy needs. For both types of activities, the senior research associate will design and implement procedures for document management and tracking and report and presentation development. The successful candidate will take an active role in continually developing/refining procedures and analytic approaches to maintain methodological rigor while maximizing responsiveness to client information needs. The successful candidate will enjoy a collaborative work environment while also having the ability to work independently.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Actively contributes to the design of mixed method evaluations and research studies, from conceptualization and logic model development to developing research questions, designing data collection instruments and protocols, designing and implementing analysis plans and preparing written descriptions of findings and implications suitable for client review.
• Provides leadership to other members of research/evaluation team on all matters involving quantitative analysis and modeling; provides oversight to ensure quality and accuracy of data extraction, analysis and reporting conducted by junior team members.
• Collects, cleans, and maintains project-specific quantitative data, ensuring adherence to relevant federal data security standards; conducts quantitative analysis using analytic software (e.g., SPSS, Stata) and interprets findings; prepares clear and concise written reports of findings suitable for client review.
• Leads the extraction of data from primary and/or secondary data sources (e.g. surveys, performance measure databases, census, CMS files, etc.) based on familiarity with a broad range of agency datasets and performance measures as well as Census and other federal datasets.
• Conducts site visits as needed
• Collects, cleans, and maintains project-specific qualitative data, codes qualitative data, conducts qualitative analysis using analytic software (e.g., Atlas.ti) and interprets findings
• Researches and develops analytical strategies to examine issues, trends, patterns, and relationships in the data that provide answers to questions posed by project administrators, staff, or clients
• Conducts qualitative analysis with minimal supervision
• Attends project-related meetings
• When requested, serves as a representative for the project in workgroups
• May give presentations at meetings, trainings, and conferences
• Prepares high-quality materials for clients (e.g., written reports, PowerPoint presentations), including ensuring that materials meet section 508 standards for accessibility
• Responds verbally and in writing as needed to questions and concerns
• Converts data outputs to charts, tables, infographics, and text for use in presentations and reports
• Participates in the development of issue briefs, case studies, and other materials to convey study findings, best practices, and recommendations to a wide audience
• Conducts literature reviews and synthesizes information for use in study protocols or other deliverables
• Supports business proposal development efforts drafting and/or finalizing proposal documents, (e.g. staffing, understanding, and technical sections).

 MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Master’s degree; preferably in research and evaluation, psychology, gerontology or public health.   Ph.D. strongly preferred.

Language: English Fluency (oral and written)

Experience: A minimum of 3 years of research and evaluation experience involving with an emphasis on study design and quantitative analysis of state/federal data. A minimum of 3 years of experience collecting and analyzing quantitative data, including work with large federal datasets.

Knowledge: Demonstrated ability to clearly communicate research and evaluation findings to a variety of audiences both orally and in writing. Unedited writing sample required.

Software Proficiency: Microsoft Office Suite, data analytic software (SPSS, Stata, and Atlas.ti), data visualization software.

Location: Falls Church, VA

PREFERRED JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Experience: Experience conducting literature reviews and designing/implementing evaluations of grantees/state programs for Federal clients; experience in state/local programs focused on aging and/or disability a plus.

Knowledge: Knowledge of federal or state programs and/or database/surveys for older Americans and/or people with disabilities.

New Editions provides equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.