Research Assistant, Housing & Communities Policy

Urban Institute; Institute (NC); Hybrid; USD 52,520 - 65,650; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Urban Institute seeks a DC-based research assistant (Step 1 / Research track) for the Housing and Communities Division. The role emphasizes data analysis, coding, and producing clear results across multiple practice areas, with hybrid work two+ days in the office near L’Enfant Plaza.

You will assist senior researchers, manage large datasets, and help prepare literature reviews, publications, and project deliverables while using AI responsibly when appropriate.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated quantitative research skills and data cleaning.
• Experience managing, cleaning, merging, and analyzing large datasets.
• Proficiency writing and reviewing code in R, Stata, SAS, or Python.
• Ability to produce clear tables, charts, and maps for nontechnical audiences.
• Willingness to learn new tools and follow coding standards.

Responsibilities

• Collect, clean, manage, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data.
• Write, run, and document reproducible code in R, Stata, SAS, or Python.
• Produce tables, charts, maps, and descriptive statistics.
• Support quality assurance by checking code and data outputs.
• Collaborate across practice areas and assist with literature reviews.

Skills

Quantitative data analysis

Coding in R/Stata/SAS/Python

Data management

Education

Bachelor's degree or associate’s degree with equivalent experience

Tools

R

Stata

SAS

Python

Job description

Urban Institute seeks a DC-based research assistant (Step 1 / Research track) for the Housing and Communities Division. The role emphasizes data analysis, coding, and producing clear results across multiple practice areas, with hybrid work two+ days in the office near L’Enfant Plaza.

You will assist senior researchers, manage large datasets, and help prepare literature reviews, publications, and project deliverables while using AI responsibly when appropriate.