The Chief Research Methodologist on Data Collection for the RAND American Life Panel (ALP)

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The Chief Research Methodologist on Data Collection will have principal responsibility for leading and transforming the RAND American Life Panel (ALP), a nationally-representative panel of approximately 6,000 Americans who have agreed to take regular online surveys on a variety of research topics.  The position will also take the lead on other panels developed at RAND such as the American Educators Panel, and the American Veterans Panel, as well as other surveys programmed and hosted using RAND’s Multimode Interviewing Capability (MMIC) survey software.  This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with survey research methodology expertise and interest in leading an innovative research portfolio that expands the frontier of the panel survey research field. At the helm of multiple, high profile, high quality national surveys at RAND, the Chief Research Methodologist will disseminate findings to leading media outlets and to policy makers.   

Responsibilities include:

* Provide strategic oversight of  survey projects and hosting operations, including supervising staff responsible for implementation and quality assurance activities;

* Actively participate in research as PI, co-PI, or team member on research projects, with a particular focus on survey methodology topics;

* Provide leadership and technical advice on statistical and methodological issues for internal and external clients and researchers; 

* Consult on survey design, including sampling and questionnaire design; 

* Oversee sample integrity and provide sample weighting advice; design experiments; 

* Analyze data collected during pretests or methodological components of ongoing studies; 

* Author sections of technical reports, methodology reports, and other document deliverables; 

* Monitor survey participation and oversee panel member retention efforts; 

* Prepare or review deliverables, communicating with the client and subcontractor(s) about project requirements, and developing financial business plans related to data collection;  

* Interface with external stakeholders such as media outlets to disseminate findings on special survey projects.

* Publish journal articles to advance RAND’s contribution to science and to contribute to the field of survey research

Qualifications 

* Strong quantitative capability, especially in quantitative survey methodologies 

* Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, able to work with multiple stakeholders

* Significant experience in large scale survey operations, preferably in a management position 

* Demonstrated ability to secure funding 

* Demonstrated ability to be flexible, creative, and innovative 

* Experience with institutional review board regulations and processes 

* Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

Education Requirements:  Ph.D. in survey methodology, statistics, sociology, demography, economics, or related discipline is required

Experience:  Prefer 7 years of experience, with 3 years of leadership experience, though will consider exceptional candidates with fewer years of experience

Location:  Santa Monica preferred