Impactful Human Services Researcher (ESOP)

Mathematica, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Mathematica, Inc. seeks researchers to join our Human Services team to tackle complex policy questions with evidence- and data-driven methods. The role supports projects for clients such as the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, state and local agencies, and foundations. You will design and carry out research and evaluation, provide technical assistance, advise on strategy and policy, and help translate findings into accessible briefs and dashboards. A Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Masters with equivalent experience in public policy, social work, sociology, psychology, education, economics, statistics, data science/data analytics, demography, or a related field.
• Candidates with evidence of strong quantitative research skills will be prioritized.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to translate complex research methods and findings for a practitioner and policy audience.
• Williness to learn and apply new techniques or technology, including AI.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and contribute flexibly.

Responsibilities

• Providing technical assistance to programs serving youth and families to build evaluation capacity, use data, support continuous quality improvement, or engage in rapid cycle evaluation.
• Learning and applying new methods, tools, and technologies, including AI-enabled tools, data visualization platforms, and emerging analytic approaches.
• Designing rigorous mixed-methods evaluations, including primary and secondary data collection.
• Assessing the strength of study designs and summarizing large and diverse sets of existing research through systematic evidence reviews and meta-analyses.
• Applying innovative research approaches and advanced statistical methods to answer policy-relevant questions.
• Working with data scientists to link and analyze administrative data.
• Guiding program staff and policymakers in the use of evidence to make decisions about program selection and adaptation.
• Synthesizing and presenting data in accessible formats for a variety of audiences, including writing briefs, reports, blogs, and articles; and developing interactive data dashboard and visualizations.

Skills

Quantitative research

Research design

Data analysis

Communication skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

AI familiarity

Education

Ph.D. or Master’s in public policy, social work, sociology, psychology, education, economics, statistics, data science, demography, or related field

Tools

AI-enabled tools

Data visualization platforms

Job description

Mathematica, Inc. seeks researchers to join our Human Services team to tackle complex policy questions with evidence- and data-driven methods. The role supports projects for clients such as the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, state and local agencies, and foundations. You will design and carry out research and evaluation, provide technical assistance, advise on strategy and policy, and help translate findings into accessible briefs and dashboards. A Ph.D.