Policy Research Specialist

Rice University; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy seeks a Policy Research Specialist to support empirical research on U.S.-Mexico issues. The role works closely with fellows and staff to turn data into policy insights, reporting to center leadership on rigorous, policy-relevant analyses.

The position requires a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of research experience, strong data analysis skills, and the ability to present findings clearly to policy and academic audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Two years of professional research experience in policy research, quantitative analysis, or applied social science research.
• Proficiency in at least one statistical/programming environment (R, Python, Stata).
• Experience cleaning and analyzing structured datasets.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and implement quantitative policy research projects.
• Clean, merge, validate, and document datasets from US and Mexico sources.
• Perform descriptive and inferential analyses and visualize data.
• Draft analytical sections of briefs and reports.

Skills

R

Python

Stata

Data analysis

Data visualization

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

ArcGIS

Job description

About the Baker Institute

Founded in 1993, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy is one of the premier nonpartisan public policy research organizations in the country. As an integral part of Rice University, the Baker Institute has a strong track record of achievement based on the work of its fellows, scholars, and staff. The institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations.

Job Description

About the Baker Institute

Founded in 1993, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy is one of the premier nonpartisan public policy research organizations in the country. As an integral part of Rice University, the Baker Institute has a strong track record of achievement based on the work of its fellows, scholars, and staff. The institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations.

Position Summary

The Claudio X. González Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy seeks a Policy Research Specialist to support rigorous, policy-relevant research on U.S.-Mexico issues. Reporting to the Center’s leadership and working closely with fellows, scholars, and research staff, the Policy Research Specialist will help design, execute, and communicate empirical research projects related to trade, migration, public security and the rule of law, economic development, governance, and related binational policy issues. In short, the successful candidate will be able to turn empirical research into clear, compelling policy insights.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate will have strong applied analytical experience and will be able to move confidently from raw data collection to clear and insightful data presentation. The successful candidate will not only crunch numbers but also translate complex empirical findings into accurate, accessible products for policy, academic, institutional, and public audiences.

Workplace Location

This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed in person on campus. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.

Annual Hiring Range

$60,000 - $65,000. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Two years of professional research experience in policy research, quantitative analysis, or applied social science research
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Skills

• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one statistical or programming environment such as R, Python, Stata, or similar tools
• Experience managing, cleaning, and analyzing structured datasets
• Ability to accurately interpret quantitative findings and communicate them clearly in writing
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced policy research environment

Preferences

• Master’s degree in a relevant field
• Experience working with cross-national, economic, demographic, trade, governance, crime, or public opinion datasets
• Experience supporting publication-quality policy reports or academic research
• Knowledge of U.S.-Mexico relations, Mexican public policy, or Latin American political economy
• Spanish-language reading proficiency, with professional working proficiency preferred
• Familiarity with reproducible research practices, version control, and documentation standards

Essential Functions

• Support the design, planning, and implementation of Center research projects, with an emphasis on quantitative data analysis and mixed-method policy research
• Clean, merge, validate, document, and maintain datasets from public, administrative, survey, economic, legal, and institutional sources in the U.S. and Mexico through ETL (Extract, Transform, Load), data wrangling, and automated data pipelines
• Perform descriptive, inferential, and exploratory statistical analyses using appropriate analytical tools and research design principles
• Conduct data visualization projects for public and stakeholder audiences using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, ArcGIS, Canva, or similar platforms
• Produce charts, maps, dashboards, tables, briefs, memos, backgrounders, and other data products that support publications, presentations, grant reporting, and public-facing outputs
• Build and maintain reproducible research workflows, codebooks, methodological notes, and internal documentation
• Draft and edit analytical sections of issue briefs, reports, presentations, talking points, and other written products
• Conduct literature reviews and background research to contextualize empirical findings within relevant policy debates
• Present findings internally to Center leadership and contribute to external presentations as needed

Additional Functions

• Collaborate with faculty, fellows, research scholars, students, and external partners on interdisciplinary projects
• Perform all other duties as assigned

Rice University HR

Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values

Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at [e-mail] for support.

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