NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research organization headquartered in downtown Chicago with additional offices on The University of Chicago's campus and in Washington, D.C. and Bethesda, Maryland. NORC also supports a nationwide field staff as well as international research operations. With clients throughout the world, NORC collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and businesses to provide the data and analysis that supports informed decision making in key areas including health, education, economics, crime, justice, energy, security, and the environment. NORC’s 70 years of leadership and experience in data collection, analysis, and dissemination—coupled with deep subject matter expertise—provides the foundation for effective solutions.

Job Description

NORC at the University of Chicago is always seeking qualified Research Scientists in Chicago, Illinois.

Responsibilities

Providing substantive input and direction to task leaders and project directors;
Analyze data collected during pretests and main components of studies in accordance with professional standards;
Assisting with the design of experiments and other methodological research for data collection efforts;
Working on questionnaire content and design, bringing an understanding of the literature and seminal research of the substantive field to the design of the instrument, and participate in writing publication quality research reports.
This position also has responsibilities for developing grant applications and contract proposals, generally contributing to sections in which understanding of the substantive area is vital, in assisting communications with clients, consultants, and members of the research community, and obtaining information about and interpreting upcoming and issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Applications, Program Announcements, and other solicitation information.

Qualifications

Bachelors' in social or behavioral sciences, Masters' or Doctoral degree preferred.
Candidates should have experience with the design and execution of social science research and in publishing research results, with a strong career-appropriate record of peer-reviewed technical publications.
Training in an array of social science disciplines will be considered.
Knowledge of the principles, methods, and procedures of survey research is required.
Knowledge and experience in the substantive field is highly desirable.
In addition to a substantive background in a relevant discipline, the ideal candidate will have experience and knowledge of the basic principles of the survey design, regression analysis and causal modeling in the social sciences, sampling, standard statistical software packages (SAS or SPSS), and quantitative data file construction.
Experience with estimating project and proposal costs is a plus.
The candidate must have very good oral and written communication skills and a strong orientation toward working in teams and coordinating work with other teams.