Overview:
The United Way of Northern New Jersey (UWNNJ), United for ALICE department is looking for a Research Assistant to work on a set of groundbreaking projects to gather new data and improve policy for low-income Americans. The position will be supervised by the National Director. The Research Assistant will be responsible for United For ALICE local and national work.
United For ALICE is a driver of innovation, shining a light on the challenges faced by ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households and working with stakeholders across the country to find collaborative solutions. Through a standardized methodology that assesses the gap in income and cost of living for households in every county, United for ALICE provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across the U.S. Our Reports, Tools, and interactive dashboards provide high quality, unbiased data and analysis that is used by governments, nonprofits, academics, and the media to better understand and support ALICE families in local communities and nationwide.
Broad Function/Purpose:
The Research Assistant will provide research and administrative support for the United for ALICE team, working with us to uphold our methodological and statistical standards while assisting in coordination with key stakeholders. Specific responsibilities are outlined below but include research and data analysis and support for relevant UFA activities that may include surveys, reports, blog posts, website development, special projects, and more. This position requires someone with strong statistical and organizational skills, good communication, confidence to ask questions, and comfort working as part of a team. Timelines and project needs may change throughout the year, so flexibility is important.
Responsibilities and Essential Functions:
· Support data collection for United for ALICE Reports and Data Dashboards, including:
• The ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard (a tool that explores the economic conditions for ALICE households, with variables related to housing, jobs, and household basics)
• Updating of the ALICE Household Survival Budget (our core measure of the cost of living at the county level) and ALICE Essentials Index (an index that captures the change over time in the cost of household basics)
• Biennial review of the United For ALICE methodology, in collaboration with Research Advisory Members from across the country
· Support the development of a new ALICE initiative to democratize data on low-wage maintenance work in the United States
· Assist with program development and evaluation for ALICE@Work, a pilot project aimed at educating employers on the needs of ALICE workers and incentivizing strategies that help ALICE in the workplace
· Provide administrative support for ALICE@Work, including organizing leadership committee meetings, setting up logistics for course delivery, adding resources to the course curriculum
· Help coordinate a new ALICE Lived Experience Council, consisting of people who are ALICE, that will help inform our work
· Participate in efforts to seek external funding, including data collection for grant writing purposes
Qualifications: · Passion for the mission and vision of UWNNJ and United For ALICE and a champion of our message and brand
· Understanding of income insufficiency, its causes, and consequences, and a desire to learn more
· Undergraduate or master’s degree in public policy, public administration, statistics, political science, social welfare, social work, community psychology, or a similar related field
· A strong desire to learn. We don’t expect you to be brilliant in everything and we know that everyone starts somewhere!
The ideal candidate will also have:
· Comfort working with large, messy datasets
· Methodological knowledge and experience, including of study design, program evaluation, and survey development
· Ability to work independently and shift priorities as needed in an evolving environment
· Experience in project planning and administration
· Skill and experience with Excel
· Knowledge of GIS or Tableau
· Applied statistical knowledge and experience, including proficiency in R, Stata, SAS, SPSS, or a similar statistical software package
· Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Job Type:
· 35+ hrs. per week
Compensation
· $40,000 base salary
· Benefits: Health, Vision, Dental, 401k, 401k match, Paid Holidays and Paid Time Off (PTO)
Work Environment:
· This job function uses standard office equipment, such as computers, phones, printer, and photocopiers
· Much of the work will be remote, though there will be occasional meetings in Morristown, NJ or Wilmington, DE
UNITED WAY CORE COMPETENCIES FOR ALL STAFF
● Mission-Focused: Catalyze others’ commitment to mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities. This drives their performance and professional motivations.
● Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people come before process and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
● Collaborator: understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement.
● Results-Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good; creating, resourcing, scaling, and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.
● Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network.