Research Manager; Health Lab, Urban Labs

Department
UL Public Safety Portfolio 911

About the Department
Persistent disparities in health outcomes across segments of the United States and the soaring cost of health care have created an urgent need to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the nation’s health care system. Our health care system remains compartmentalized and often fails vulnerable patients—particularly those with multiple chronic health problems—in addition to straining government resources. The University of Chicago Health Lab was created to help advance our understanding of how to sustainably and reliably improve health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations, including the homeless, the elderly, and those involved with the criminal legal system.

Health Lab tests promising health and mental health programs and interventions by leveraging rigorous research methods such as randomized controlled trials, data science, and close partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits. We place deep emphasis on partnering with city and state agencies, as well as communities and persons with lived experiences, to learn directly from them about their challenges. Our partners include local government agencies, social service providers, community-based organizations, community leaders, medical providers, and first responder organizations. As a part of the Urban Labs, we conduct applied research projects at the intersections of health, mental/behavioral health, homelessness, and criminal justice. We also actively work with the Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS) at the University of Chicago, focusing on reducing healthcare costs and improving outcomes.

Our goal is to combine world-class research and data science to rigorously answer questions our partners have about public health programs and policies, to advance the effectiveness of the public sector in order to improve human life at scale.

Job Summary
The University of Chicago Health Lab is seeking a Research Manager to work on large-scale social policy research, data science, and program evaluation projects to support the development of effective policy interventions in the domain of 911 and crisis response. The Research Manager will work on several program evaluations, implementation evaluations, randomized controlled trials, and technical assistance projects in our 911 portfolio, which includes projects focusing on 911, other three-digit hotlines, and crisis response. We are currently working on these projects in Chicago and other cities nationwide.

The Research Manager will have the opportunity to manage various stakeholder relationships and contribute to all aspects of research design, methods, and evaluation of research projects. Duties will include managing both quantitative and qualitative research projects, managing relationships and communication between Health Lab and external stakeholders, conducting literature reviews and other research-related activities, and engaging in a variety of project-related writing. The ideal candidate will be organized and able to execute multiple project work plans, including setting project timelines and meeting key milestones.

Responsibilities

• Manages day-to-day implementation of several social policy research projects, including secondary data and research collection, while ensuring fidelity to research ethics and study design.
• Ensures that project deliverables are developed in a satisfactory and timely manner.
• Manages multiple project aims simultaneously and meets tight deadlines.
• Contributes to research design and coordinates implementation with program partners and collaborators in the public and nonprofit sectors.
• Oversees quality control of data collection, including developing and maintaining the study’s research and dissemination processes.
• Coordinates project development and deliverables among all internal and external partners.
• Facilitates integration of feedback into research process and generated products.
• Prepares IRB proposals, grant proposals, progress reports, and works with internal and external partners to obtain data use agreements and project scopes of work.
• Performs literature reviews and assists in writing, proofreading, and fact-checking academic papers, reports, and presentations.
• Supports fundraising efforts through identifying opportunities, developing potential partnerships, writing and coordinating proposal development efforts.
• Prepares research summaries for memos, spreadsheets, and presentations targeting both technical and non-technical audiences, including policymakers, academic researchers, and other stakeholders.

• Supervise other part-time or full-time Urban Labs research staff or interns, with special emphasis on mentoring junior research staff.
• Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects. Conducts literature reviews and helps write reports and manuscripts. Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
• Takes responsibility for the following non-laboratory duties: transcribing and coding data; developing data collection instruments; presenting research; and recruiting and scheduling research subjects. Acquires higher-level skills and knowledge in the process.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in a related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications: None required.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master's degree in criminal justice, economics, sociology, public health, public policy or another relevant field. Will consider applicants with equivalent lived experience.

Experience:

• Knowledge and skills developed through at least two years of relevant research experience. Experience gained in school counts towards this.
• Experience managing complex projects with numerous stakeholders.
• Experience collecting and managing qualitative and quantitative datasets.
• Experience working on field experiments and/or randomized controlled trials.
• Experience working with law enforcement or in emergency response.
• Coursework in econometrics and/or mathematical statistics.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets.
• Experience with health and claims data highly appreciated.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong interest in social policy.
• Experience with applied statistics, data analysis, or machine learning/predictive analytics preferred. Proficiency with one or more languages such as R, Stata, Python, or SAS.
• Experience in qualitative research and analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas in a simple straightforward way and develop positive relationships with a broad array of partners.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently in an organized, detailed manner, while maintaining a collaborative team environment. Self-starter with ability to take initiative to move projects forward.
• Excellent data visualization ability.
• Ability to work discretely with sensitive and confidential data.
• Knowledge and understanding of criminal justice and 911 emergency crisis response.
• Strong computer skills including the ability to effectively use software applications such as Microsoft Office suite.

Working Conditions

• This role will be indoors, at computer, on phone, Zoom, email, and other digital formats - working in-office at Industrious (24 E. Washington Ave, Suite 875, Chicago, IL 60602) and remotely.
• Requires the ability to work independently and virtually with teams for periods of eight (8) hours or more.

Application Documents:

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (required)
• Writing sample (required)
• Transcript (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Research

Role Impact
Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
Exempt

Pay Frequency
Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5

Benefits Eligible
Yes

Drug Test Required
No

Health Screen Required
No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No