UL Urban Crime Lab
Who We Are
In cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, under-resourced schools, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system - all of which disproportionately impact people of color. These inequalities have profound consequences on public safety and opportunity. As a society we have failed to address these challenges, in part, because of our lack of understanding of the most effective and cost-effective solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We believe that rigorous research can help.

The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab partner with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice. Our mission is to combine world-class data science and research, in partnership with government agencies, to substantially improve the effectiveness of the public sector and achieve impact at scale.

To learn more about the Crime Lab and Education Lab, visit https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime.
The Role
The UChicago Education Lab is seeking an Embedded Analyst with strong technical and communication skills to work in close partnership with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The embedded analyst will provide technical assistance to the CPS at the direction of the UChicago Education Lab Senior Research Director and senior officials within the district in order to advance mutual priorities focused on equitable service provision to the district’s most vulnerable students.
The Analyst will be embedded at the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters in the Loop approximately 80% of the week and at the UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab Loop office approximately 20% of the week.
This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research and practitioner teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and senior leadership at CPS, as well as an experienced team of data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers from the Chicago office.
The job performs a range of activities to support the statistical design and implementation of research analysis. Uses knowledge of statistics to communicate analyses for research proposals and draft reports detailing their results. Follows objectives and procedures for sampling, randomization, data collection, analysis, and quality control.

• Provides data and analytic technical assistance to CPS staff. Responsibilities include organizing disparate data sources, documenting incoming data, preparing files for analysis, matching, and sampling.
• Prepares results for dashboards, spreadsheets, memos, and presentations targeting district officials and general population audiences.
• Assists with the coordination of research activities such as data transfers and descriptive analysis, communications with partner agencies, and managing project deliverables.
• Conducts thorough and critical reviews of relevant literature.
• Conduct analysis to drive district data strategy around improving equity and achieving district goals.
• Consults with departments to develop, understand, and fulfill their analytic questions.
• Analyzes data and prepares data tables, charts, and graphs for reports. Writes grant proposals for faculty throughout the unit.
• Writes statistical computer programs and reviews computer output for consistency and quality.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

• Masters degree in economics, sociology, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field.

• Relevant research experience. Experience gained in school counts towards requirement.
• Experience working with SAS and SQL.
• Advanced experience with Excel and gSuite applications.
• Familiarity with quasi-experimental research designs.
• Experience presenting complex analyses to practitioners in the field.
• Experience with or knowledge of educational policy and educationally relevant topics.
• Experience working with Chicago Public Schools or other government agencies.
• Experience working with large, complex, and/or administrative datasets.
• Experience working on field experiments.
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials.
• Familiarity with quasi-experimental research designs.
• Curiosity about educational research, including use of econometric methods.

• Strong interest in social policy.
• Ability to work closely with partners.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships across a large organization.
• Ability to navigate a large, complex organization.
• Sound judgment in managing up to senior district officials and UChicago researchers.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Ability to work discretely with sensitive and confidential data.

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Reference Information (required)

Research
Individual Contributor
Exempt
Monthly
37.5
Yes
No
No
No