Research Assistant

ROLE:​ Research Assistant 

LOCATION:​ Remote

POSITION TYPE: Part-Time Non-Exempt, Temporary, 9-month commitment aligning to election season

START DATE: March 4th, 2024 or ASAP

REPORTS TO:  Senior Data and Advocacy Analyst 

ROLE OVERVIEW

DFER is seeking a Research Assistant to join our team!  This includes:

• Conducting research on candidates and various state races
• Managing data sets through SPSS, Excel, and Tableau 
• Developing data results into a format easily understandable for  other employees

Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States and will be required to submit proof of eligibility.  We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

WHO WE ARE 

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a national political organization that supports elected Democrats and candidates for office who seek to expand policies and practices that work well for America’s students and confront those that do not. We are education progressives who prioritize students and families, especially low-income students and students of color who should be better served by our country’s public education system.   

DFER partner Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA) is an advocacy group that advances education reform measures through empowering community leaders to support our legislative and political advocacy work. ERNA keeps constant pressure on legislators to champion high-quality public education. 

DFER partner Education Reform Now (ERN) is a nonpartisan think tank that promotes increased resources and innovative reforms in K-16 public education, particularly for students of color and students from low-income families. 

WHAT WE DO 

1. Support for Progressive Education Leaders — In an approach that is markedly different from our peers and partners in the field, DFER engages directly with candidates and elected officials to empower them to advocate for education policies that focus foremost on serving students. Our partner organization, Education Reform Now, does work that involves policy research, analysis and education that helps policy makers at all levels understand complex education issues and make informed decisions. 

2. Informing the Education Debate — Our coalition work reflects the breadth of our policy priorities. We work collaboratively with organizations and our community networks to create an education system that is held accountable to all kids and families.

3. Targeted Interventions and Rapid Response — DFER’s reach from the most local district relationships to state and federal policymakers, enables us to respond quickly to the changing landscape and policy trends. Activities vary significantly from project to project and may include training, policy analysis, public engagement, electoral and issue advocacy, and policy guidance for elected officials and local advocates.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Present analysis results to internal audiences.
•  Drive the development of dashboards, their automation and deployment, to be used by key stakeholders within the organization.
• Construct and consolidate internal databases to be used in visualizations.
• Set up and run custom surveys and experiments.
• Create and edit custom charts in Tableau and SPSS.
• Monitor data and surveys for quality. 

Requirements

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and skills:

• Comfortable with managing multiple data sets at a time across many softwares
• Proficient in charting visualization and producing crosstab charts
• Adaptable to researching candidates in multiple states and able to conduct preliminary research of new political landscapes
• Ability to work in a small team environment, take ownership of your projects, and effectively advocate for your ideas.
• Capable of providing and receiving constructive feedback.
• Familiar with any of the following:  SPSS, Tableau or TargetsmartVAN.

Benefits

COMPENSATION AND COMMITMENT 

The base pay for this position is $30/hr, with hours ranging from 15-20 hours of work per week. We are looking for someone who can commit to this part time role for 9 months. This role is not eligible for benefits (health and dental coverage; life insurance; short- and long-term disability; 401K with a match plan; flexible spending/benefits plan) nor paid time off.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Democrats for Education Reform welcomes applications from all, and strongly encourages women, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees & LGBTQ people to apply for this position