What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research and Evaluation Lead (Contractor) position at ideas42?
Role : Research and Evaluation Lead (Contract basis)
Location
Remote within the United States.
Work authorization : Candidates should be authorized to work in the United States
Compensation : $80-$120 per hour (based on experience) and up to 20-30 hours per week.
Deadline To Apply : January 15, 2025 at 11pm ET, applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Who we are :
ideas42 is a nonprofit that applies insights from behavioral sciencethe study of how people make decisions and act in the real worldto improve lives and drive social change. Working globally, we reinvent the practices of institutions and create more effective products and policies that can be scaled for maximum impact.
For the past 15 years, we've been at the forefront of applying behavioral science to create a more equitable world. As we've developed our expertise, we've helped define an entire field. Our efforts have extended to 50 countries as we've partnered with hundreds of governments, foundations, NGOs, private sector entities, and philanthropic leaders.
About the role :
Our Research & Evaluation (R&E) team provides critical data-related expertise to the organization and this role supports our (Un)warranted initiative in which we reform court date communications to help courts and system partners across the country effectively reduce missed court appearances and their harmful consequences.
We are seeking a motivated researcher to join our R&E team and lead multiple research and evaluation efforts for our (Un)warranted initiative. The ideal candidate has demonstrated success in leading all phases of field research, from development of new projects (refining research questions, identifying and developing relationships with government partners, designing evaluation methodology, etc.) through to management, analysis, and write up of results.
This research will directly inform policy and grow the evidence as we scale proven solutions, such as court date notifications, to improve the legal system and specifically outcomes for involved individuals. Much of the work will be evaluating the impact of behaviorally informed interventions on court appearance, warrant and jail rates, with an initial focus on court date communications (i.e. state citation forms, court reminders, etc.). These evaluations are typically quasi-experimental (RDiT, DiD), with occasional randomized evaluations where possible.
Candidates should be self-starters with excellent communication skills and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively. We are looking for someone who is inquisitive, detail-oriented, resourceful, and thoughtful, and who can be relied on to be organized and lead this body of work.
This position is a part-time commitment, with a minimum of 24 months of work and opportunity for longer term. We anticipate this role will be up to 20-30 hours per week, with periods of higher and lower intensity.
Candidates with lived experience and / or having been personally affected by the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged to apply.
Key responsibilities :
- Partner development and management : Develop and manage relationships with government (courts, sheriffs, etc.) and academic partners. This includes proposing new research to potential partners, assessing partner viability, gathering and reviewing relevant data, running power calculations, and building and maintaining strong ongoing relationships for current and future work.
- Evaluation planning : Develop rigorous quasi-experimental research methodology, draft pre-analysis plans, register the evaluation, obtain necessary IRB approvals, and ensure compliance with ethical and research standards. Develop language for proposals detailing research plans, as needed.
- Data management : Coordinate with government partners to understand local variables and definitions, develop research datasets and pull timelines from administrative data, and reviewing data and logic to ensure accuracy, quality, and adherence to protocols. Perform rigorous cleaning and management of large, complex datasets, ensuring data integrity and preparing data for in-depth analysis.
- Data analysis and interpretation : Execute statistical analyses as outlined in the pre-analysis plan using Stata and / or R. Work collaboratively with the research team to refine analysis. Ensure replication analysis, sharing of early results with reviewers, and incorporation of external feedback for robust results.
- Results write-up and dissemination
Lead write up of results briefs / reports on the research and effectively communicate findings for policymakers and practitioners. Support academics with development of journal articles. Work with ideas42 communications team, partners, and funders to disseminate publications. Present research at convenings, conferences, and webinars.
Minimum qualifications :
Preferred qualifications :
Working with Us
We are a culture-first organization where rules or processes do not take precedence - people and their ability to make well-reasoned decisions do. You'll find that our team members are deeply caring, wicked smart, and both tenacious and rigorous in their work.
Our core values are at the heart of everything at ideas42 :
Application Process Overview
The ideas42 application process has four stages :
Salary : $80 - $120