Senior Research Scientist (6-month contract)

Crisis Text Line International; Mississippi; Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Crisis Text Line International is seeking a Senior Research Scientist for a remote role focused on analyzing mental health crisis data to generate insights that drive improvements in practice and policy. The successful candidate will utilize advanced data analytics, statistical analysis, and effective data storytelling to demonstrate the organization's impact both internally and externally. This position offers a competitive hourly rate and is integral to supporting the broader mission of mental health support.

Benefits

Competitive Salary

Robust Benefits Package

Flexible Work Environment

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in research or evaluation.
• 2+ years of experience in SQL and programming languages for data.
• Solid writing skills for non-technical audience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize SQL queries to support research.
• Create data visualizations and dashboards.
• Translate analytic findings into insights for broad audiences.

Skills

Data Visualization

Data Analysis

Statistical Analysis

Cross-functional Collaboration

SQL

Python

R

Education

Degree in Computational Social Science or related field

Job description

This is a remote position.

As a Senior Research Scientist within the R&I team, you will deliver Crisis Text Line’s insights related to mental health crises, coping, and crisis support to improve practice, policy, and the broader field of mental health support globally. Reporting to the VP of Impact Evaluation & Storytelling, you will analyze the more than 11 million crisis conversations since 2013 to conduct research, monitor emerging trends, and generate insights to help people thrive. In collaboration with other teams across the organization, you will work to meet organization-wide business needs for data and insights on Crisis Text Line’s impact for texters, volunteers, and society across languages, cultures, and contexts. As an individual contributor, you will work in close collaboration with all members of the R&I team to ensure our work is grounded in technical and methodological rigor to satisfy scientific scrutiny, engaging with a range of cross-functional internal partners.

Responsibilities:

Crisis Text Line is a fast moving, growing organization with a big vision and a critical mission. To serve our mission and vision, the person in each role must be agile and flexible to meet the needs of the business, aligning their work with priorities as defined by their manager and team leaders.

Data Analytics and Visualization

Contribute to the delivery of new research insights related to Crisis Text Line’s impact in in the U.S. and globally by:

• Developing, implementing, optimizing, and documenting complex SQL queries to support research projects
• Planning, developing, and executing compelling and accurate data visualizations, including stand-alone visualizations and data dashboards
• Selecting, applying, and presenting complex statistical analyses, including inferential statistics (e.g. generalized estimating equations, poisson regression)

Data Verification

Meet organization-wide business needs for data and insights verification and content by:

• Validating and providing code reviews for complex SQL queries performed by other team members
• Supporting team dashboard development for team efficiency
• Manage the research impact requests process; respond efficiently and accurately to organization-wide inquiries regarding the dataset
• Supporting the development, review, and data verification for external-facing content referencing Crisis Text Line data and insights, as appropriate

Data Storytelling

Work with the R&I team to evidence and amplify Crisis Text Line’s impact for texters, our volunteer community, and broader society by contributing to report production for internal and external audiences.

• Support the team in translating clinical and technical analytic findings into data storytelling, by drafting key messages to be incorporated into reports for broad, nontechnical audiences.
• Contribute to delivery of impact measurement efforts, conducting desk research on metrics and measurement, tracking metrics, and supporting evaluation efforts.

Functional/ Technical Skills

Qualifications:

• 4+ years of combined training and experience in computational social science, natural language processing, computer science, statistics, mixed-methods evaluation or research, or related disciplines
• 2+ years of experience with SQL in a professional setting
• 2+ years of experience in programming languages used for data manipulation and computational statistics (such as Python, R) in a professional setting
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience using rigorous quantitative or mixed research methods, analyzing data using multiple approaches, and reporting results
• Solid writing skills, with an ability to translate research results into non-technical insights for broad consumption
• Experience working in cross-functional or matrix teams

Reliable High-Speed Internet Required:Must have a stable high-speed internet connection to support seamless remote collaboration, virtual meetings, online job tasks, etc.

Currently, this position is offered on a 6-month contract. The full salary range for this position, across all United States geographies, is $50-$60 per hour.The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for existing employees who demonstrate strong performance over time. Starting salary will vary by location, qualifications, and prior experience; during the interview process, candidates will learn the starting salary range applicable for their location. We pay competitively in the tech-forward nonprofit space and offer a robust benefits package.

Only candidates in the following states will be eligible for employment:CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA.