Research and Evaluation Associate, UCP - Research, Evaluation, & Data Analytics (Any Location)

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grassroots organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.

Vera has a staff of almost 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, 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.

Who you are:

Vera seeks a Research and Evaluation Associate to work with the Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics (REDA) unit of its Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) – a national network that provides legal information and pro bono assistance to unaccompanied children in immigration removal proceedings, both in and released from federal custody. Vera’s Unaccompanied Children Program is responsible for managing a network of over 50 legal service provider organizations (LSPs), where the REDA unit works in conjunction with other UCP program units and subcontractor LSPs to deliver high quality research, evaluation, performance monitoring, and data analytics.

The Research and Evaluation Associate will support the REDA team by taking ownership of research, evaluation, performance monitoring, and data analytics tasks that are components of broader projects. The Research and Evaluation Associate will support evaluation and performance monitoring both internally and for external partners and produce analysis and manage routine reporting of program statistics under the supervision of senior research staff. They will have fluency in the team’s core subject areas and, over time, specialization and growth of skills that would allow them to manage products, supervise analysts or interns, and represent UCP in conversations with external partners.

The Research and Evaluation Associate also collaborates with team members to advance project or initiative goals, by actively engaging in team meetings and program activities, and supports efforts to ensure UCP's race equity and inclusion priorities are a core aspect of research, including in methodological approaches, publications, hiring and staffing, and external and internal research communications.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Data analysis, research, and evaluation

• Partner with senior REDA and program staff in development and implementation of evaluation and performance monitoring using quantitative and qualitative methods.  
• Implement performance measurement/KPIs using statistical methods, in collaboration with senior research staff to measure progress toward program goals.   
• Contribute to the senior research and evaluation staff in data organization and discrete analyses for quantitative analyses 
• Build and maintain shared scripts in R to generate reports and summary program statistics.

Data reporting and analytics management

• Project manage routine and ad hoc reporting for immigration programs. 
• Oversee performance indicators/KPIs feedback loop in collaboration with program staff and subcontractors. 
• Identify opportunities to use data to support, and be responsive to, ongoing program management and oversight data needs.
• Manage relationships with external data engineers and data infrastructure subcontractors. 

Communication and presentation of research

• Present summary program statistics as data visualizations and dashboards to inform program management and service delivery and policy and programmatic recommendations.
• Prepare data or background research for public-facing products including reports, fact sheets, or other publications. 
• Lead background research and literature reviews and integrate into public-facing products including reports, advocacy documents, or other publications under the supervision of senior researchers. 

Data collection management

• Conduct data collection (program service data, quantitative instruments, etc.) in consultation with internal senior research and programs staff and external partners. 
• Maintain an understanding of developments in program support, program administration, and federal policy to inform data collection quality control and to contextualize trends. 

Training and mentorship

• Supervise and mentor research assistants, analysts, and/or interns on tasks as needed. 
• Training other staff members on new data management approaches being implemented. 
• Training and providing on-going technical support to internal and external database users, particularly as changes occur.  
• Participating in new database design and modifying existing databases. 
• Developing codebooks and database guides. 

Responding to ad hoc requests and needs of internal staff and stakeholders

• Support senior research staff in preparing and/or presenting projects for IRB review.
• Draft sections of research proposals in support of senior staff for the purposes of fundraising.
• Creatively use available data and statistics to answer programmatic and policy questions. 

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• Commitment to using research and analysis to address and undo racism and inequity in the immigration legal system required; lived experience preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including Excel and Word 
• Fluency in at least one analytical programming language (e.g. R, Python), R preferred; ability to learn R while in the role required  
• Excellent communication skills; must be able to manage requests and needs of external funders, support partners in providing program services data to Vera, and work across interdisciplinary  project teams

Preferred:

• Bachelors degree + 3-5 years of relevant experience.  In lieu of a Bachelors degree, applicable work or life experience may be considered. 
• Master’s degree in a relevant field + 1-2 years of relevant experience 
• Fluency in a language other than English spoken by people impacted by immigration enforcement in the United States 
• Ability to work collaboratively using Git/GitHub

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation range for this position is $71,900 - $74,100. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff—both personally and professionally—is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time and remote work schedules. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People Resources / Research and Evaluation Associate, UCP- Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics (REDA)
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org