Senior Disability Policy & Research Lead

Loyola Marymount University; United States; On-site; USD 89,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation at Loyola Marymount University seeks a Senior Associate for Research and Policy to support and advance its research, policy, and public-facing work. This role collaborates with the Faculty Director to shape the research agenda, produce policy briefs, and translate scholarship into policy interventions.

The ideal candidate brings strong research, writing, project management, and policy analysis skills with experience in disability law,

Qualifications

• Typically, a J.D. or Ph.D in public policy, political science, or sociolegal studies, or equivalent advanced degree in law, public policy, disability studies, social work, sociology, public health, political science, psychology, gender studies, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience conducting research, policy analysis, legal analysis, program evaluation, or community-engaged research in an academic, nonprofit, legal, governmental, advocacy, or policy setting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of disability law, disability policy, disability studies, disability justice, or related fields.
• Excellent writing skills, including the ability to translate complex research, legal, and policy material for multiple audiences.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, collaborators, and deliverables.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, exercise sound judgment, and make consistent progress without close day-to-day supervision.
• Experience supervising, mentoring, or coordinating the work of students, research assistants, junior staff, fellows, or interns.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work respectfully with diverse communities, including disabled people, families, advocates, service providers, scholars, and institutional partners.
• Demonstrated commitment to accessibility, disability inclusion, ethical research practices, and equity.
• Computer competency, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and research/project management tools.
• Familiarity with Qualtrics, Zotero, SPSS, SmartSheet, or similar tools is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate, and manage research and policy projects in collaboration with the Faculty Director.
• Conduct legal, policy, qualitative, and/or mixed-methods research related to disability law, disability rights, care infrastructure, public benefits, health care, employment, housing, and related areas.
• Draft, revise, and edit policy briefs, white papers, research reports, public-facing explainers, grant materials, presentations, and other TCC publications.
• Track and synthesize relevant developments in federal, state, and local disability law and policy, including California-specific developments where applicable.
• Support the design and implementation of community-engaged research projects, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, landscape scans, literature reviews, and policy analyses.
• Maintain a research infrastructure, including project timelines, databases, bibliographies, codebooks, interview protocols, data management systems, and publication workflows.
• Supervise and mentor associate research staff, graduate research fellows, undergraduate research assistants, and/or student workers on TCC projects.
• Coordinate research assignments, review work product, provide feedback, and ensure timely completion of deliverables.
• Assist with planning and execution of TCC convenings, workshops, public programs, stakeholder meetings, and policy roundtables.
• Collaborate with disability advocates, service providers, scholars, legal professionals, policymakers, community organizations, and people with lived experience.
• Support grant writing, fundraising proposals, donor reports, and other development-related materials in partnership with the Faculty Director and university staff.
• Prepare sophisticated presentations, briefing materials, public reports, and visual summaries of research findings.
• Represent TCC in relevant university, professional, community, policy, and advocacy settings, including public meetings, briefings, coalition spaces, stakeholder conversations, and conferences.
• Ensure that TCC research and programming reflect strong commitments to accessibility, disability inclusion, ethical research practices, and community accountability.
• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

Skills

Research

Writing

Project management

Policy analysis

Education

JD or PhD in public policy, political science, or related field

Tools

Qualtrics

Zotero

SPSS

SmartSheet

Job description

The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation at Loyola Marymount University seeks a Senior Associate for Research and Policy to support and advance its research, policy, and public-facing work. This role collaborates with the Faculty Director to shape the research agenda, produce policy briefs, and translate scholarship into policy interventions.

The ideal candidate brings strong research, writing, project management, and policy analysis skills with experience in disability law,