Research Coordinator

Job Title: Research Coordinator

Direct Supervisor: Vice President & Co-Director of Research

Available Positions: 1

Post Date: January 13, 2020

ABOUT US

Slover Linett Audience Research is a Chicago-based social research firm for the cultural sector, which we broadly define to include museums of all kinds, arts organizations, science communicators, media enterprises, and cultural funders. We use the tools of social science research, evaluation, and dialogue to help our clients grapple with strategic questions in a wide range of areas including programming, marketing, experience design, community engagement and inclusion, and institutional strategy. We are researchers above all, but also consultants and facilitators dedicated to pro-social change: we’re committed to helping practitioners and funders make culture more responsive, relevant, and rewarding to more people. For more information, please visit our website at sloverlinett.com.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a Research Coordinator to support our team of social scientists and contribute in both administrative and operational ways to the research studies and partnerships that we lead for clients in the cultural sector. The Research Coordinator will provide project support to our firm’s Researchers, Project Directors, and leadership team, and will play a wide range of roles in both qualitative and quantitative studies. (Note: Our team already includes a Manager of Operations & Communications, who provides general administrative support; this Research Coordinator opening is a position focused on research-related logistics, fieldwork, report development, etc.)

Specific, day-to-day responsibilities for this position include the following:

Research Administration:

Solicit bids from vendors (focus group facilities, recruitment firms, and digital data-collection companies) that reflect project budgets and goals;
Coordinate with vendors to set up focus groups, interview recruitment, and manage the logistics of our qualitative research projects (including monitoring and managing the participant recruitment process to ensure that participants meet screening criteria, providing directions and parking instructions, and arranging other logistics);
Occasionally recruit interview participants directly by conducting screening phone calls, scheduling interviews in Outlook Calendars, and coordinating with project teams to distribute incentives;
Manage the data-entry process for quantitative surveys by creating data-entry templates for freelancers and ensuring data quality by double-checking their entries;
Maintain firmwide internal documents to track survey response rates, incentives for participants, and focus group logistics, and help analyze these to understand trends across our projects and communicate best practices within the firm;
Support the leadership team with proofreading and updating our templates and content for new business proposals;
During busy periods, coordinate with Researchers to delegate tasks to our networks of freelancers on an as-needed basis.

Research Implementation:

Program online surveys in Decipher and manage the survey-testing process within the firm and with vendors to ensure that the survey is well-programmed and meets project goals;
Collaborate with Researchers to launch and monitor online surveys by regularly checking data quality and tracking the number of responses received;
Clean and prepare quantitative data for analysis by developing and applying syntax in SPSS, which includes removing duplicate cases, renaming variable labels and names, re-coding values, and reviewing and coding open-ended responses;
Set up and create detailed data tables in WinCross.

Research Dissemination:

Create clear, accurate, and attractive data visualizations (charts, tables, diagrams, etc.) using Excel and PowerPoint for inclusion in our reports and presentations, training documents, etc.;
Proofread reports by reviewing written content, formatting details, graphics, etc. to ensure accuracy and quality;
Format appendix materials for reports (e.g., research protocols/instruments, detailed data tables, and open-ended responses).

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will have all four of these core qualifications:

1. extensive experience with quantitative research support (this could include tasks like database management) and comfort with quantitative data—including being familiar with or able to quickly learn SPSS and WinCross;
2. a demonstrated ability to communicate richly and effectively with colleagues in both written and verbal formats;
3. a demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented, flexible when priorities shift, and to multi-task, manage, and prioritize a range of different tasks in a fast-paced environment; and
4. Spanish-language fluency and/or experience working with/in low-income communities or communities of color.

In addition, candidates for this position should:

be willing to actively participate and engage in staff meetings and work-related conversations;
have excellent capabilities with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (including functions and formulas);
have an interest in data visualization (charts and graphics);
be able to write clearly and concisely, and edit and proofread others’ writing for clarity and concision;
be a proactive, flexible person who can shift focus with ease, possess a can-do attitude, and be extremely well-organized and detailed-oriented; and
be able to work independently and collaboratively with project teams, partners, and vendors, all of whom may have different goals and needs.

We are open to diverse academic backgrounds for this position, including qualitative and quantitative social science disciplines and the humanities. We also have an open Researcher position for those with more research experience; please also take a look at that posting to see if it might be a fit for you.

HOURS

This is a full-time, salaried position located in Chicago and will require occasional work in the evenings and weekends to meet deadlines. Some local travel is expected for onsite data collection.

COMPENSATION

We’re offering a starting annual salary of between $43,000–$50,000, depending on experience. In addition, we offer a competitive benefits package of vacation, holidays, sick days, health insurance reimbursement, disability insurance, and profit-sharing.