Senior Researcher/Project Director

The University Of Denver; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

ECO Pass

Job summary

The University of Denver in Denver, CO is seeking a Senior Researcher/Project Director level professional for the Colorado Lab. The role balances senior research and project director functions, guiding policy-relevant research and dissemination for decision-makers.

Responsibilities include developing study designs, managing multiple projects, and communicating findings to non-technical audiences while collaborating with government partners and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• PhD in public policy, public health, sociology, economics, criminal justice, law, or a related field.
• Six years of experience leading research projects with supervision responsibilities.
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative study design and data analysis.
• Experience working with government agencies on evidence building and policymaking.
• Experience generating data to drive insights and action.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior researcher on Colorado Lab projects directed by team members.
• Translate policy questions into research designs and engage government partners.
• Develop analysis plans for diverse designs, including causal evaluations and mixed methods.
• Develop theories of change for programs and investments within public funding streams.
• Lead data management and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Guide projects through IRB processes and deliver actionable findings.

Skills

Research design

Data analysis

Project management

Policy evaluation

Facilitation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

PhD in public policy, public health, sociology, economics, criminal justice, law, or related field

Tools

STATA

R

Qualtrics

Job description

Job no: 499106

Work type: Postdoc / Research / Fellow

Location: Denver, CO

Categories: Research

Division: Office of Resrch & Sponsored Progs

The Colorado Lab team includes management, research teams, Evidence-Building Hub teams, the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) team, and operations. Staff need a strong grasp of research and evaluation methods and the ability to explain technical topics clearly, in writing and in person, to non-experts. We value a collaborative learning environment where colleagues are responsive to one another and to our partners, and where everyone holds themselves and each other accountable for high-quality, well-documented, timely work.

Position Summary

The Colorado Lab seeks to add one additional staff member at the Senior Researcher/Project Director level. The balance of Senior Researcher and Project Director functions will be based on the individual’s skill set and Lab needs.

Essential Functions

Research and Evaluation Functions

• Serve as a senior researcher on projects that are directed by other members of the Colorado Lab team.
• Translate policy or practice questions into research designs. Engage government partners in this process to ensure research designs are matched to decision-making goals through skilled facilitation.
• Develop analysis plans for a variety of research designs, including causal evaluations and mixed methods studies, that promote rigor and generate actionable information.
• Develop theories of change for individual programs and investments within a public funding stream.
• Execute on a variety of analytic tasks, including data management and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, based on a project plan, recommending deviations from the plan as appropriate.
• Shepherd projects through the Institutional Review Board process.

Project Management Functions

• Develop project workplans that attend to the intersection of study activities and client goals.
• Adjust workplans in response to emergent learnings, client goals, and political or budgetary landscape.
• Balance task assignments within a project team relative to their time allocations for the project, proactively elevating to Lab leadership when adjustments are needed.

Project Communication and Dissemination Functions

• Conceptualize and execute on standard and innovative project deliverables that will meet project/decision-maker goals that are rooted in the Lab’s Essential Elements.
• Conceptualize and support development of data visualizations and other external facing, layered communication tools (e.g., executive summaries, factsheets, social media messaging).
• Lead dissemination of project findings that supports actionability and sustainability using effective oral and written communication for non-technical audiences about technical analytic and policy issues.
• Perform skilled facilitation among researchers, government partners, and stakeholders to support meaning-making and actionability of findings.

Project Development and Project Director Functions

• Direct and serve as the principal investigator on research projects involving multiple partners, tight deadlines, sensitive data, and potentially high-profile and/or controversial topics.
• Simultaneously lead multiple project teams, including supporting strengths-based staffing, monitoring workflow, and providing project-specific supervision to other researchers (e.g., statistical code review, conceptualizing literature review).
• Take responsibility/leadership for meeting projects’ contractual requirements and ensure projects stay within budget/time constraints. Identify, hire, and oversee external consultants/contractors.
• Lead the development of contract and grant proposals, scopes of work, and associated budgets.
• Initiate contract development with external partners/funders and provide content to the Lab’s operational liaison with DU.

Other Lab Functions

• The Colorado Lab is highly interactive with policymakers, program staff and data stewards across all three branches of government. All staff are expected to play a role in supporting this value. Productively engage in and build reciprocal partnerships.
• The Colorado Lab collaborates with external researchers on many of our projects as consultants or analysts, this role may include project-specific supervision of these external researchers.
• Mentor, informally or formally, Lab team members.
• Advise on projects and consult with staff across the Lab on partner sensitivities, actionable opportunities, pivots, and strategic decisions.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated passion for improving government performance and addressing complex social problems.
• Demonstrated skill and commitment to building trusting relationships up and down the hierarchy of complex organizations.
• Excellence in both written and oral communications.
• Experience with technical and non-technical writing for peers, policy memos for policymakers and practitioners, slide decks, and public speaking.
• Exceptional project management capabilities and creativity in problem solving.
• Outstanding quantitative and analytical skills, including study design, analysis plan development and execution, and associated software use.
• Experience generating and/or using data to drive insights and action.
• Experience with skilled facilitation, evaluation capacity building, and other forms of knowledge translation and skill building.
• Track record of adeptly navigating complex organizations, developing trust with senior leaders, and building relationships among diverse groups of stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with an orientation toward balancing results and process, with a track record of driving actionable use of data/research with limited supervisory direction.
• Eagerness to learn, attention to detail, and ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects across diverse topic areas with tight deadlines.
• Adept at navigating sensitive policy and evidence-building issues with discretion, confidentiality, and confidence.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in public policy, public health, sociology, economics, criminal justice, law, or a related field.
• Six years of experience leading research projects (e.g., principal investigator or co-principal investigator), including successful supervision of less-experienced researchers in completing routine tasks and growing their skills over time.
• Experience with both quantitative and qualitative study design and data analysis.
• Experience using a variety of statistical programs one of which must be STATA or R.
• Experience generating and/or using data to drive insights and action.
• Experience working with government agencies on evidence building and/or the policymaking process.
• In-depth knowledge of at least one major area of domestic social policy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in implementation science.
• Experience working with large administrative datasets.
• Track record of leading complex research projects and demonstrated success in meeting deadlines and government partner’s decision-making goals.
• Experience with innovative data visualizations and ways to share research findings.
• Track record of securing and managing external funding for research projects.
• Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder groups that include government, community/family and non-profit partners.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Must be based in Colorado and within a two hour drive of the Denver metro area. This position is a balance of virtual and in-person work.

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 PM (MST) November 6, 2026.

Salary Grade Number

The salary grade for the position is 14.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $95,000-$110,000.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

• including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass.

The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver .

Please include the following documents with your application

• Resume
• A cover letter that details your experience relative to the role.
• Writing sample (no more than 4 pages). If you are not the sole author, provide a brief description of your role in the developing the product.

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement .

All offers of employment are based upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history and National Sex Offender Registry background check.

Advertised: October 14, 2026

Applications close: November 06, 2026

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