Research Specialist
Research Specialist
Job Overview
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is seeking applications from qualified individuals for the position of Research Specialist. The Research Specialist will support research activities associated with the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) and the activities of the Institute strategic plan. Responsibilities will include research and evaluation planning, data collection, data management, analyses, and writing. The PDG is a three-year award (subject to availability of federal funds) to implement projects that support alignment of Nebraska's early care and education system with a priority on providing equitable access to quality programs for all children and families. The funding agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with oversight by Nebraska DHHS and other state partners.
Buffett Early Childhood Institute Profile
Envisioned as a new model for how public higher education is engaged in the first years of life, the Buffett Early Childhood Institute (https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu) is a four-campus, university-wide, multidisciplinary research, education, outreach, and policy institute of the University of Nebraska committed to helping transform early childhood development and education in Nebraska and across the nation. A long-term goal of the Institute is to be a leading center where scholars, practitioners, community members, and policymakers collaborate to advance a unified approach that can improve the lives of young children and families and the systems that support them.
Applicants should note that the goals of the Institute are university-, state-, and nation-wide, but the location of the Institute administration is in Omaha. This position will work primarily out of the Omaha office.
Job Responsibilities
This section describes major responsibilities for the position but is not an exhaustive or exclusive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Employees may be required to perform other job-related instructions as requested.
* Work closely with Buffett Institute personnel to plan and prioritize evaluation needs.
* Contribute to the development of research and/or evaluation plans for current and fu* Conduct literature reviews and contribute to products, including research briefs, reports, and presentations.
* Collaborate with cross-disciplinary partners (program, research and evaluation) at the university, local, and state levels for evaluation planning and implementation.
* Engage with stakeholders across Nebraska to develop and implement context-appropriate evaluation, and communicate findings.
* Lead and coordinate data collection efforts, including collecting and analyzing (qualitative and quantitative) data (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, document reviews).
* Train and support graduate students in evaluation and research processes.
* Develop and maintain analytic datasets.
* Analyze data to identify patterns and trends.
* Integrate data from multiple data sources, using Excel and related software.
* Present evaluation content (data, findings, etc.) to stakeholders and other evaluators.
Required Qualifications
* A master's degree in education, psychology, research methodology, or a related discipline that included advanced coursework in research methods and statistics; PLUS four years related research work experience
* Experience in using data analysis software such as SAS, SPSS, R, STATA, NVivo, Atlas TI
* Knowledge of advanced quantitative methods (e.g., multi-level models, HLM, SEM)
* Training and/or experience with qualitative methods
Preferred Qualifications
* A doctoral degree in education, psychology, research methodology, or a related discipline that included advanced coursework in research methods, statistics, and/or program evaluation
* Experience conducting secondary data analyses
* Experience working with multiple data sources, such as state-, school-, and community-level data systems
* Excellent analytical and quantitative skills
* Experience with production of data visualizations (e.g., charts or maps)
* Knowledge of early childhood development and learning
An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities is acquired may be considered.
The University of Nebraska is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status.