Research Assistant Position: The California Policy Lab, UCLA

The California Policy Lab (CPL) is a new initiative at UCLA whose mission is to establish lasting research partnerships with government partners to improve policies and social outcomes through rigorous data analysis and scientific research.

CPL is seeking a Research Assistant with strong research, methodological, and programming skills to support social policy research projects. The Research Assistant will have the opportunity to apply tools and approaches from methodologies in traditional econometrics, statistics, and modern data science to original projects impacting homelessness, financial empowerment, workforce development, education, or criminal justice policy. In addition to supporting field-based randomized controlled trials, the Research Assistant will contribute to a growing practice of advanced analytical solutions to provide data-driven technical assistance to governmental partners.

The successful candidate will have experience in applying a variety of statistical modeling approaches to large datasets in real-world settings. From project inception to delivery, the Research Assistant will contribute to all facets of data collection & cleaning, model development, and implementation. This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at UCLA and possibly Berkeley and local government agency staff, as well as the executive management team at CPL.

CPL UCLA is run by an Executive Director, Janey Rountree, with nearly a decade experience in executive management in government, and by a Faculty Director, Till von Wachter. Prof. von Wachter is widely recognized as one of the leading experts on the question of the relationship between wages, family outcomes, and economic development. He has been involved in dozens of applied studies using administrative data written to inform policy decisions, has testified before U.S. Congress numerous times, advised the U.S. Department of Labor, and advised the City on minimum wage policy.

Bachelors Degree in economics, public policy, statistics or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.-Required

Demonstrated quantitative skills and experience in data/statistical analysis; including analyzing large governmental data sets.-Required

Strong STATA programming skills or knowledge of another, similar language with commitment to learning STATA.-Required

Ability to take initiative and management projects with minimal supervision, including strong time management skills and ability to meet tight deadlines.-Required

Ability to communicate complex information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and written.- Required

Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills, including strong writing skills.-Required

Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail-Required

Ability to work both independently and as a team member-Required

Ability to work discreetly with sensitive and confidential data required.-Required

Some professional work experience preferred, including experience gained in graduate school-Preferred

Experience working with large and complex datasets strongly preferred.-Preferred

Proficiency with additional languages such as R, Python, or SAS preferred.-Preferred

Experience with relational databases a plus.-Preferred

Experience working on field experiments preferred.-Preferred

Experience working with GIS and UNIX servers- Preferred.

Please include the following: Resume, Cover Letter, Writing Sample, Other: School Transcripts

Apply here: hr.mycareer.ucla.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=70098 

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