Senior Research Associate (Qualitative), Redefining Public Safety

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. For more information, visit vera.org.

Vera has a staff of 240 people, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

About the role:

The Senior Research Associate (Qualitative) will work at the intersection of research and systems change, and manage multiple large applied research projects. This requires working collaboratively with staff to identify research needs responsive to program strategy and theory of change; and leading or managing design and implementation of research projects responsive to these needs. The Senior Research Associate manages the planning, design, data collection, and analyses for specific research projects, and the creation of products and tools to communicate findings. Day-to-day job duties will include:

• Identify strategic research priorities and develop research project proposals; 
• Select appropriate analytic strategies, and effectively communicate rationale (including strengths and limitations) for these decisions to team leadership and staff; 
• Conduct and/or oversee the design, conducting, coding, and analysis of interviews, focus groups, surveys, and other forms of qualitative data collection; 
• Interpret quantitative data from surveys and administrative datasets; 
• Review and interpret existing research, write literature reviews; 
• Create and oversee project plans, including identifying project tasks, assignees, and deadlines; 
• Develop and present IRB applications and ensure that research is conducted to the highest ethical standards; 
• Oversee data storage protocols to maintain alignment with research ethics and data security protocols; 
• Lead the drafting and editing of reports, briefs, proposals, presentation and memoranda; 
• Present research proposals and findings to internal and external audiences;  
• Support and mentor staff and interns in research activities and research project management strategies;  
• Support hiring, recruitment, and management of research associates, analysts, assistants, and/or interns, as needed; and  
• Lead, train and supervise others on qualitative and mixed-methods data collection and analysis. 

What qualifications are we looking for?

The position requires a master’s degree in criminal justice, criminology, political science, public policy, public health, or a related field or foreign equivalent, plus 4 years of experience in any occupation in which applied social science, public health, or criminal legal system research experience is gained. Experience must include:

• 4 years of experience with qualitative and mixed-methods research; 
• 4 years of experience leading design and implementation of qualitative and mixed-methods research projects, including original data collection, instrument development, and analysis; 
• 4 years of experience conducting research related to criminal legal system reform, racial equity, and/or community-based approaches to public safety and public health; 
• 4 years of experience communicating research findings by delivering presentations, and drafting written reports and other collateral (i.e.,