Senior Research Associate

University at Albany, SUNY; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc. is seeking a Senior Research Associate to support research efforts at the NY State Youth Justice Institute. The role involves leading qualitative and quantitative research projects, including program evaluations and data management.

Candidates should hold an MA or MS in a related field and have at least 10 years of relevant experience. The expected salary range is $105,000–$115,000, and the position is funded through at least 2028.

Qualifications

• 10 years of relevant full-time professional experience in data-rich environments.
• Substantive knowledge of juvenile justice and emerging adulthood research.
• Experience conducting evaluation research and working with government or nonprofits.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct program evaluations, including multi-site project design.
• Provide technical advice to stakeholders and manage analytic aspects of projects.
• Synthesize literature and data to ensure programs operate as intended.

Skills

Qualitative and quantitative research methods

Strong communication skills

Data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, Excel)

Participatory research design

Organizational and time-management skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

MA or MS in Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, Sociology, or related field

Tools

Qualtrics

SPSS

NVivo

Stata

Tableau

Job description

To help support our research and evaluation efforts at the NY State Youth Justice Institute (YJI), we are seeking a Senior Research Associate. The incumbent will lead and support a variety of qualitative and quantitative research projects, including program evaluations, data management, and dissemination of findings.

Essential Functions

• Design and conduct program evaluations, including logic model development, evaluation planning, and multi‑site project design.
• Provide technical advice to internal and external stakeholders and manage all statistical, analytic, and data‑management aspects of evaluation projects.
• Synthesize information from literature and external data to ensure programs operate as intended, including systematic reviews, meta‑analysis, and qualitative synthesis.
• Develop models for data‑driven storytelling, including data visualization and evidence translation.
• Consult partners on planning, analysis, and presentation of findings.
• Participate in multiple research projects with minimal supervision within time and budget constraints.
• Manage internal relationships and resources to achieve project deliverables and promote a team culture.
• Advocate for data quality and best practices in collection and management.
• Build a data‑driven, evidence‑based culture that supports funding, grant opportunities, and impact demonstration.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify data needs, tailor training, and assess data literacy initiatives.
• Expand YJI’s presence through conference presentations, report authoring, and multimedia repositories.
• Supervise at least two advanced graduate students.

Functional and Supervisory Relationships

• Reports to the Executive Director of the NYS Youth Justice Institute.
• Supervises two advanced graduate students.

Job Requirements

• 25% travel.
• Strong communication skills – explain complex data concepts to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis techniques.
• Proficiency with data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Excel.
• Experience with interview and focus group guide development, NVivo coding, case study development.
• Experience with survey design, Qualtrics, descriptive statistics (SPSS), and measurement selection.
• Participatory research design experience.
• Documented evaluation expertise across design, implementation, and dissemination.
• Ability to juggle multiple assignments and prioritize projects.
• Strong organizational, time‑management, written and oral communication, and interpersonal skills.

Required Qualifications

• MA or MS in Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, Sociology, Public Policy, or related field from an accredited institution.
• 10 years of relevant full‑time professional experience in data‑rich environments, including government agencies, nonprofits, or community organizations.
• Substantive knowledge of juvenile justice and emerging adulthood research and policy in the United States.
• Knowledge of best‑practice literature, evidence‑based programming, implementation science, and data narrative with publications or other outputs.
• Experience with web‑based survey tools (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey) and virtual conferencing tools (Zoom, Webex).
• Experience with data analysis software (Stata, SPSS, NVivo) and visualization software (Tableau, Flourish).
• Demonstrated ability to work with culturally diverse populations.
• Experience conducting evaluation research in New York State and working with government or nonprofit sectors.
• Experience designing and reporting survey results and creating action‑oriented visualizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, Sociology, Public Policy, or related field from an accredited institution.
• Seven years of post‑PhD full‑time professional experience.
• Strong commitment to social justice with a research record focused on equity in race/ethnicity, gender, and SOGIE.

Professional Rank and Salary

Senior Research Associate, R1; Salary Range: $105,000–$115,000. Position funded by a grant and expected to continue through at least 2028, with potential extensions.

Additional Information

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY IS AN EO/AA/IRCA/ADA EMPLOYER.