Research Project Coordinator - Education Policy Research

If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of people with low incomes, being part of a diverse and multidisciplinary staff, and having hands-on involvement in building better programs, then consider an opportunity with our client to be on the cutting edge of social research methodology.

Client is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization that works to find solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation—from reducing poverty and bolstering economic self-sufficiency to improving public education and college graduation rates. They design promising new interventions, evaluate existing programs using the highest research standards, and provide technical assistance to build better programs and deliver effective interventions at scale.

Candidates with immediate availability are highly encouraged to apply. Resource Management Assistants support the day-to-day management needs of client's policy areas for current and potential new projects, under the direction of a Resource Manager/Project Manager.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Knowledge and interest in social policy issues is highly desirable. The position provides the successful candidate an opportunity to:

• Coordinate the proposal development process and assist with the creation of proposal materials
• Track and manage current and potential proposal opportunities
• Develop project update memos/reports summarizing progress on project work plans
• Organize and participate in management and strategy planning meetings and reviews
• Coordinate and prepare management and status reports for resource managers, project directors, and policy area leadership
• Support resource managers in monitoring project work plans, staffing levels of efforts, budgets, and expenditures for projects for Education Policy Research (K-12)
• When needed, serve as a member of project and proposal teams providing generalist research assistant support, such as participating in project task meetings, coordinating publication development, fact-checking, summarizing literature searches, participating in site visits, and collecting evaluation information
• Assist resource managers, project directors, and task leads in their efforts to develop new project work plans, staffing levels of effort, and budgets
• Assist with creating project management guidance and tools under the direction of a resource manager
• Support day-to-day policy area resource management, including efforts to monitor and coordinate policy area staffing needs and deployment strategies
• Collaborate with staff from various departments, including development, fiscal, legal, and human resources to meet project management needs related to fundraising, contract development, financial reporting, invoice payment, and staff recruitment and hiring

Qualifications:

Prospective candidates should possess the following qualifications 1-3 years of experience:

• Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Word and Excel)
• Ability to collaborate and work with diverse program teams
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to multitask and work efficiently
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines
• Understanding of research and evaluation processes
• Demonstrated interest in education and social policy issues
• Strong organizational skills
• Excellent written, oral, analytical, and interpersonal communication skills
• Comfort working in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment
• BA/BS in nonprofit management, public administration, public policy, social science, or a related field