Principal Research Associate (Income and Benefits Policy Center)

About Urban Institute:

At the Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. As a nonprofit focusing on social and economic policy, our researchers and policy entrepreneurs open minds, shape decisions, and identify transformative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.

Our Mission

To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.

Our Values

Collaboration, Equity, Inclusivity, Independence, and Integrity

For more information on the Urban Institute, please visit https://www.urban.org.

The Opportunity:

The Income and Benefits Policy Center seeks a principal research associate within the Income, Benefits, and Poverty practice area.  The principal research associate will contribute to and help lead research on social safety net programs and policies and their impacts on economic wellbeing.  Projects will include a variety of research topics and analytical methods, with a particular focus on microsimulation modeling.

The Income and Benefits Policy Center (IBP) at the Urban Institute analyzes family economic well-being from childhood through retirement and undertakes research on a wide range of issues.  The Income, Benefits, and Poverty practice area carries out research on a range of topics, including the social safety net, social insurance, taxes, and child support.  The team’s research includes projects that use microsimulation modeling to analyze the effects of different programs and policy alternatives, projects that track state policies for select safety net programs, and projects using program administrative data, survey data, and other methods.  The team works with federal and state agencies as well as non-profits and philanthropies, and has a strong reputation for fact-based, non-partisan research.

What You’ll Do:

Research and Policy

• Conduct social policy research, using a variety of research methods.

• Work with large simulation models (ATTIS and TRIM3) to estimate how changes to safety net policies affect families’ economic well-being.

• Provide subject matter expertise related to social safety net programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child care subsidies, public and subsidized housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

• Author reports and present data and findings to internal and external audiences.

• Bring in-depth knowledge of methods and limitations for the analysis of survey data and program administrative data

Project Direction and Management

• Serve as project director and manager on research projects.

• Ensure the successful completion of projects, including overseeing project budgets, workplans, deliverables, and staffing.

• Supervise project teams and early career staff.

• Communicate with funders and other stakeholders.

Strategic Planning

• Contribute to the development of research ideas.

• Contribute to and lead proposals for new research projects and funding.

• Train and contribute to the development of early and mid-career staff.

Who You Are:

The successful candidate will

• Possess a graduate degree (master’s degree or PhD), or equivalent, in a field related to social science (e.g. public policy, political science, sociology, or economics).

• Have at least 10 years (with a master’s degree) or at least 8 years (with a PhD) of professional work experience in the area of social policy research, including leading research projects and teams.

• Have demonstrated knowledge of the key programs that make up the US social safety net, with extensive research experience related to one or more social safety net programs and how they operate at the federal and state levels.

• Have prior experience with direct use of microsimulation models.  Prior experience with Current Population Survey or American Community Survey-based modeling is a plus.

• Have demonstrated ability to think