Research Coordinator - DEADLINE June 17 - Urban Strategies Council

URBAN STRATEGIES COUNCIL
Research Coordinator
FULL-TIME POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Posting Date: May 17, 2011, Application Deadline: June 17, 2011

ABOUT URBAN STRATEGIES COUNCIL
Urban Strategies Council (the Council) is a community building support and advocacy organization located in Oakland, California. Founded as a non-profit organization in 1987, the Council’s mission is to eliminate persistent poverty by working with partners to transform low-income neighborhoods into vibrant, healthy communities. The Council works locally and regionally to provide research, data and policy analysis, strategic planning, program development, capacity building and advocacy in service of low-income communities. The Council maintains three operating programs: economic opportunity (housing, income and asset development, workforce and economic development, community benefits agreements); community safety and justice (prison reentry, violence prevention and community policing); and education excellence (full service community schools, African-American male achievement, public school strategic planning, community engagement and after school programs). We also conduct two support program including research and technology (data warehousing, online GIS/mapping, research and evaluation analysis to support community change, access to technology); and community capacity building (tools, program development, training and consulting services for community building initiatives). www.urbanstrategies.org.

The Council offers a dynamic, exciting environment to apply your skills and to further develop your experience in an organization with a strong reputation for quality research and collaboration. Our work ranges from grassroots organizing support to local government consulting and advocacy for decision makers on behalf of our communities. Our work is varied and rewarding and suits people who can work both autonomously and with a close-knit team. As a nonprofit we offer an informal, professional work environment with a team of passionate, experienced staff committed to their work and to our goals.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The duties of the Research Coordinator are varied, challenging, and integral to the work of the Council. Intellectual curiosity, solution-driven orientation, commitment to the organization’s mission, flexibility and creativity within the specifications of the position are assets, as is knowledge of the Oakland/Bay Area. This position requires someone with a combination of training, skills and experience in social sciences, database development/management; spatial analysis using GIS, applied social research and community engagement. The ideal candidate will be a highly proficient social researcher with demonstrated commitment and experience in applied analysis and demonstrated skill with spatial analysis tools. The Research Coordinator will be responsible for quality control and guidance of all research carried out by the Council, under the leadership of the Research Director.

This position offers a very exciting opportunity to combine strong research and data skills in an applied environment with high level GIS analysts and traditional researchers working in collaboration. This role will require managing internal research and supervision of external consulting research work along with frequent public presentations of our work. A successful candidate will need to demonstrate an ability to synthesize complex issues and to connect data to social issues in a pragmatic way.
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SPECIFIC DUTIES INCLUDE:
• Design and implement research studies, conduct data analysis and generate reports
• Form partnerships with public, private, and non-profit data custodians
• Collect, analyze and interpret administrative, survey and other data through statistical programs such as SPSS, Excel and Access
• Supervise and coordinate the work of staff research associates and assistants
• Represent the Council and InfoAlamedaCounty in partnerships with other agencies and organizations and with the general public
• Manage primary and secondary research in such areas as demographics, housing, health, criminal justice, education, employment and economic development
• Interpret data and prepare narrative descriptions of analyses to inform strategic discussions
• Respond to organizational and community requests for data, analyses, maps and other information
• Participate in policy analysis on local, regional and national issues impacting low-income families and communities
• Provide research assistance to support projects of Council staff and partner organizations
• Work with community-based organizations and neighborhood residents in building their capacities to collect, analyze, interpret and use data and information for planning and implementation activities
• Work with police agency staff to develop investigative approaches, product deliverables and plan for future analyses
• Participate in process planning and data collection design to improve the quality and flow of data within local government agencies and nonprofits
• Perform other duties as required
• Resource development including managing and negotiating research contracts and grant writing

QUALIFICATIONS:
Education Requirements:
• Masters degree in a relevant field of study including Geography, GIS, Sociology, Public Health, Public Policy, Planning or other social sciences.
Experience:
• 5+ years of relevant experience in urban planning, geographic information science, economic development, social science research, public policy analysis and/or advocacy, public health, or related field
• 4+ years experience in research, data analysis and interpretation and report preparation
• 2+ years leading and coordinating research teams/analytical work groups
• Proven track record of intergovernmental relations and collaboration with other organizations
Training, Experience and Proficiency in:
• Excellent written and oral communications
• Research project design and management
• Creating and maintaining databases (Excel & Access required)
• Theories of social change
• Working with GIS software (ArcGIS 9.x/10 required, spatial database experience desirable)
• Network analysis, advanced spatial analysis within ArcGIS environment
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• Using various administrative datasets including census, employment, education, health, criminal justice and social services
• Research methods and quantitative analysis using statistical packages (SPSS preferred, STATA, or SAS)
• Data analysis, interpretation, report preparation and presentation
• Group facilitation, meeting management and multi-stakeholder partnerships
• Supervising staff
• Experience leading workshops, making public presentations, or designing and implementing community-based participatory research
• Facilitation, training and research support for people without backgrounds in research (preferably in support of community planning and action)
• Working with people from diverse ethnic, linguistic economic and professional backgrounds
Additional qualifications
• Good organizational skills. Must be self-starter and be able to work as part of a team
• Bi-lingual a plus
• Ability to pass Level 3 Police Clearance check.

SALARY:
This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week) regular position with an attractive benefits package. Salary: $55,000-$65,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please submit a cover letter highlighting your qualifications for the position, including salary requirements, and a resume via email only to admindir@UrbanStrategies.org by June 17, 2011. In subject line, enter the words “Research Coordinator”. No telephone inquiries, please.
The Urban Strategies Council is an equal opportunity employer.