JOB OPPORTUNITY
Job title: Associate Director of Economic Mobility (The Kinder Institute for Urban Research)
Hiring institution: The Kinder Institute for Urban Research
Location: HOUSTON, Texas | United States
Application deadline: 01/12/2024
Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in a PDF format to avoid formatting issues.
Position Summary
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action. The institute is currently working to build out five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will research housing, education, public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center will investigate its particular topic area and will work across centers. To achieve this, each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a research-practice partnership (RPP) model to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing some of the most pressing questions and challenges facing Houston to inform decision-making and bring about change in the region.
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research is seeking a full-time Associate Director of Economic Mobility to oversee research produced in cooperation with a set of partner organizations in and around the Houston region on topics such as labor economics, economic development, discrimination, income and wealth inequality, financial security,?and inter- and intra-generational mobility. The Associate Director is responsible for establishing, building, and maintaining partnerships with organizations and entities in the Houston area, utilizing research-practice partnership principles. In addition to externally-facing work, the Associate Director of Economic Mobility will assist in building internal capacity by mentoring, leading, and motivating a team of researchers to develop projects with appropriate methodological rigor while implementing data quality standards and practices. The Associate Director is responsible for improving and sustaining the quality of research at KIUR by providing review and input on research products, communicating findings to wide and varying audiences, and helping lead and strategically plan the development of the Economic Mobility research center. The Associate Director of Economic Mobility will work collaboratively with the Director of Economic Mobility and other center directors, the Senior Director of Research, the Executive Director, and other leadership throughout the institute. The ideal candidate thrives in a team environment, actively leading, collaborating, and motivating others. They will have superior interpersonal, scientific, and numerical skills with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy.
Optional hybrid work schedule (3/2) within Harris County and surrounding counties.
Hiring Salary: $100,000 +
Requirements
- Ph.D. or other Doctoral Degree in economic-related fields, such as sociology, public health, civil engineering, human development, or other social science areas
- Five years of postdoctoral experience leading and mentoring research staff and conducting quantitative, qualitative, and/or GIS research projects
- Skills
- High proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of information management, knowledge management, and publication management
- Excellent listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills
- Ability to work in a team environment, participate actively, collaborate, and motivate others
- Demonstrated ability to have patience, flexibility, determination, and decisiveness
- Ability to manage community-engaged or other types of collaborative or partnership research
Essential Functions
- Establishes, builds, and maintains relationships and partnerships with community organizations and other external stakeholders in the Houston area
- Leads the research design and supervises the analysis of multiple projects
- Performs research by conducting independent studies, facilitating other ongoing research, and developing and validating new protocols, methodologies, and/or theories
- Assists and oversees by producing research products (e.g., research briefs, presentations, interactive data tools) for partner organizations, foundations, and broader audiences, including the general public and conference presentations
- Actively works to improve the institute’s reputation and research capabilities
- Seeks new research grant opportunities
- Must be an adept leader who can mentor, supervise, and train a team of researchers at various stages in their career
- Performs all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions
- Locates new data and acquires any necessary permissions needed to use, extract, and merge data with data from other sources
- Collects, organizes, manages, and maintains original data as needed, as well as works with KIUR’s data team to secure original and existing data products
- Analyzes data according to the research agenda
- Consults and plans with the Senior Director of Research, Economic Mobility research center director, and other staff to develop, strategize, and facilitate the research process
- Professional development through travel to conferences and seminars for networking, training, and presentation of grant-related research
- Directs and distributes the workload of staff researchers
- Co-presents grant-related research findings at appropriate professional conferences
- Establishes a communication strategy, including setting regular meetings with community partners
- Attends weekly staff and research team meetings
Preferences
- Five or more years of experience developing and managing research projects, managing data, and conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, such as multilevel modeling, causal modeling, quasi-experimental methods, survey design, interviews
- Five or more years of experience leading a team and supervising others
- Adaptable to change and able to think creatively to address issues
- Works well in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
Kinder Institute for Urban Research
https://kinder.rice.edu/
Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits
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