The Organization
Woodstock Institute’s mission is to create a just financial system in which lower-wealth persons and communities and people and communities of color can achieve economic security and community prosperity. Since its foundation in 1973, Woodstock Institute has been a recognized leader in building bridges between low- and moderate-income communities, financial institutions, regulators and policymakers. We conduct high-quality research on financial products, services, investments, and policies at the local, state, and national levels. Our findings and recommendations inform and influence efforts to build a more equitable financial system.
The Position
The Research Associate reports to the Woodstock Institute Director of Research and is responsible for technical assistance requests, data management, and assisting in creating research reports. The Research Associate works as a team with any other Research Associate(s) and/or Research Assistant(s) in producing the organization’s research reports and developing and disseminating data for the Institute’s online Data Portal and interactive mapping tool. This is a full-time position located in Chicago.
Key Organizational Relationships
- Reports to the Director of Research
- Works closely with Woodstock’s policy, development, communications, and administrative staff
- May collaborate with local and national colleagues on research projects
Duties and Responsibilities
- Data acquisition, cleaning, dissemination, and visualization
- Data analysis and drafting of reports and fact sheets
- Produce statistics and visualizations for online Data Portal
- Assist communications staff by occasionally writing blogs and contributing to Woodstock’s web and social media presence
- Perform various mapping analyses to assist in dissemination of research findings
- Other duties, as assigned
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in geography, economics, urban planning, or related field
- At least two years’ experience in research, SPSS, GIS, Tableau, and/or data analysis tools
- Demonstrated experience in research design and implementation
- Experience working with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop a plus
- Excellent written and spoken English language communications skills
- Must be self-motivated, show initiative and leadership, and have the ability to work independently and juggle multiple tasks and deadlines effectively
- Able to learn new skills quickly
- Able to work collaboratively with people at all levels, internally and externally, and in an organized manner in a fast-paced environment
- Punctual, reliable, and willing to put in extra hours, when necessary
- Strong commitment to economic and social justice issues, as evidenced by previous professional or volunteer work
- Willing and able to occasionally travel and attend work-related events outside regular work hours in evenings and on weekends
- Master’s degree
- Familiarity with CSS/HTML and basic web development
- Spanish language skills a plus
- Send resume, cover letter, writing sample and list of three professional references to Amber S. Hendley at research@woodstockinst.org. Open until filled, for best consideration apply by January 19, 2024.