Child Welfare and Education Research Analyst

ICF's Child Welfare and Education Line of Business is currently seeking a Child Welfare and Education Research Analyst. As an Analyst, you will apply your academic knowledge and work experience and gain exposure to major research and evaluation projects related to child welfare, technical assistance, implementation, and K-20 education. Analysts are involved in development of data collection instruments, survey administration, interviews and focus groups, data synthesis and analysis, writing reports, literature reviews, data visualization, and other tasks as required. This position will contribute to research and evaluation work as well as continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts for large technical assistance and information dissemination projects for the Department of Education and for the Department of Health and Human Service’s Administration for Children and Families as well as to smaller projects for a variety of federal, state, and local agencies and foundations.

The position is full-time and remote. 

Key Responsibilities:

The Analyst will be responsible for the collection, management and analysis of data including surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, on-site visits, administrative data management, learning management systems, and observations.  Additionally, the analyst will contribute to use of collected data through data storytelling, data visualizations, report writing, and presentations. Analysts will immediately assume active roles on project teams and will quickly gain responsibility commensurate with their success in the position. Candidates must be able to work on projects that include multiple tasks with competing deadlines, be well-versed in research/evaluation strategies, methodologies and analytic approaches, be able to maintain positive relationships with clients and colleagues, and play an integral role in proposal development.

Areas of responsibility may include:

• Assisting with focus groups, including management of recruitment, logistics, note-taking, and reporting.

• Designing and conducting surveys.

• Analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data.

• Producing user friendly and meaningful reports and presentations for a variety of audiences.

• Creating data visualizations, presentations  and supporting regular staff use of data

• Developing literature reviews and writing research briefs

• Conducting one-on-one interviews and focus groups.

• Conducting occasional observations or visits to locations nationwide.

• Willingness to travel occasionally for face-to-face interviews or site visits

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Public Policy, Social Science, or related discipline required.

• 2+ years of experience conducting qualitative and/or quantitative data collection, research analysis, or evaluation

• Demonstrated experience in producing high-quality, professionally written products is required.

Preferred Skills:

• Master's Degree

• Strong ability to multi-task

• Experience using a statistical package such as SPSS, SAS, STATA, or R

• Experience developing on-line surveys and using software such as Qualtrics

• Experience conducting qualitative analysis using software such as Dedoose, NVivo, or Atlas.ti

• Demonstrated experience in data analysis and visualization techniques and principles, including use of software such as Tableau, PowerBI, or Excel

• Experience applying analytic skills in a working environment (such as merging, cleaning, manipulating datasets)

• Prior work experience in a consulting environment

Professional Skills:

• Proficient in MS Office Applications: Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel (advanced.)

• Demonstrated experience in producing high-quality, professionally written products is required.

• Excellent verbal, oral, interpersonal and written communication skills, including experience with developing and delivering presentations and technical writing

• Strong team player with the ability to take initiative and work well independently.

• Effective communication skills for working with project teams regarding issues, needs and/or priority setting for projects

• Strong interest in topics such as child welfare, K-12 education, capacity building, implementation science and/or continuous quality improvement (CQI)

• Superior attention to detail and the ability to meet stringent deadlines.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.

• Strong ability to prioritize and manage multiple activities simultaneously in a fast-paced,