Portfolio Director, Qualitative Research

UL Urban Crime Lab Analysts
Who We Are:
In cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, under-resourced schools, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system - all of which disproportionately impact people of color. These inequalities have profound consequences on public safety and opportunity. As a society we have failed to address these challenges, in part, because of our lack of understanding of the most effective and cost-effective solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We believe that rigorous research can help.
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab partner with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice. Our mission is to combine world-class data science and research, in partnership with government agencies, to substantially improve the effectiveness of the public sector and achieve impact at scale.
To learn more about the Crime Lab and Education Lab, visit https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime.
The Role:
Across the Crime Lab and Education Lab, qualitative work buttresses many of our flagship evaluations. This work supports hypothesis-generation for many of our most technical projects as well as two post-intervention needs: providing material for detailed project narratives and investigating mechanisms to scale successful programs. In support of this important work, the Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Portfolio Director who would develop and direct proposals to answer qualitative inquiries, function as a technical lead for qualitative research, advise project teams in building and maintaining infrastructure for qualitative work, and collaborate with organizational partners on projects involving qualitative data collection. This position requires an experienced qualitative researcher who has the knowledge to design the methodological approach and the passion to conduct the work directly, depending on the needs and scope of each project.
The job independently designs, performs analysis, and publishes results from research projects, applying statistical methods from proposal phase through report phase. Develops objectives, designing sampling, randomization, and data collection procedures. Develops and implements new innovative procedures in the areas of data collection, quality control, statistical analyses, and presentation of results.

• Performs other related work as needed.
• Develops new and innovative procedures in the areas of data collection, quality control, statistical analyses, and presentation of results. Review and improves statistical computer programs.
• Oversees qualitative resource bank, including: Advising research staff on archiving research protocols, Creating and maintaining standardized practices for various types of work (interviews, focus groups, etc.).
• In collaboration with the Fundraising team, contributes to grant proposals that would fund qualitative research.
• Attends and meaningfully contributes to partner meetings when qualitative work activities are being planned, reviewed, and iterated.
• Advises Research Directors, Principal Investigators, and/or project partners on options to answer qualitative questions. This could include standardized measures, methods from recent literature, or novel approaches.
• Manages and oversees high-level timelines and scopes of work for a variety of qualitative projects, directing the day-to-day work of project staff working on qualitative tasks.
• Advises internal and external Principal Investigators, at their request, on qualitative research questions that will generate hypotheses, test hypotheses, and/or inform scaling successful interventions.
• Collaborates with researchers in designing, conducting, and publishing results from research projects and assumes primary responsibility for writing statistical design, methods, and analysis for research proposals.
• Oversees the quality assurance process for all projects engaged in qualitative research methods.
• In collaboration with research staff and under the direction of Principal Investigators, develops data collection instruments (interview guides, survey drafts, etc.).
• Regularly meets with qualitative research staff to: Check in on individual skill development plan, Provide guidance on adjustments to workplans, Facilitate cross-project learning, Facilitate professional development opportunities related to qualitative work, in collaboration with the senior project management staff.
• Presents interim or final analysis of qualitative research to partner organizations.
• During the onboarding of new qualitative research staff, will lead trainings on topics such as: Creating and maintaining training materials, Preparing staff on sensitivities of different populations, Supporting emotional intelligence development, preparing mock interviews and feedback, observing staff to ensure consistency and maturity, Teaching technical skills, such as NVivo or project-specific coding schemes to ensure inter-coder reliability.
• Based on qualitative research plans, works with Principal Investigators to identify staff and intern needs. Including, but not limited to: assisting with job descriptions, participating in interview processes, and advising on staffing decisions.
• For each project engaging in qualitative research methods, creates an analysis plan, under the direction of Principal Investigators, to guide the qualitative work. As necessary, plans will outline how qualitative data will be incorporated into project pipeline.
• Engages with research advisory committees and other key stakeholders when qualitative research proposals, methodologies, or analysis are being discussed.
• Advises Research Managers when completing IRB submissions related specifically to qualitative research data collection.
• Supports Principal Investigators on publications, external reports, and other written materials.

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

• Master's degree in economics, public policy, or a closely related field.

• Experience managing the work of others in a team-based environment.
• Experience providing on the job training to staff.
• Experience leading the design, implementation, and analysis of qualitative research projects.

• Familiarity with qualitative coding software.
• Familiarity with randomized control trials and large-scale public policy projects.

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

Research
Individual Contributor
Exempt
Monthly
37.5
Yes
No
No
No