Research Coordinator

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, performing 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 equity, 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 researchers and partner with our other Research Coordinator to 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 focusing 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, translation & transcription firms, and digital data-collection companies) that reflect project budgets and goals;
• Coordinate with vendors to set up focus groups, monitor 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);
• Recruit interview participants directly by conducting screening phone calls and emails, 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 and/or entering data yourself;
• 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:
• Assist in notetaking during qualitative interviews and local focus groups and participate in post-interview/post-focus group debrief sessions;
• 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;
• Monitor and adjust data collection procedures with external data panel providers to ensure that project specifications and needs are met;
• 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, dashboards, 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 three 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 in both written and verbal formats; and
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.

In addition, candidates for this position should:

• 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;
• be able to work independently and collaboratively with project teams, partners, and vendors, all of whom may have different goals and needs;
• be willing to actively participate and engage in staff meetings and work-related conversations;
• preferably be bi-lingual; fluency in a second language, specifically Spanish, is a plus though not required;
• have experience working with BIPOC communities and a vested interest in the arts becoming a more equitable space where all feel welcome.

We are open to diverse educational backgrounds for this position.

HOURS

This is a full-time, salaried position located in Chicago. Because of COVID-19, we are all working remotely but hope to return to the office in late-summer/early Fall 2021 (timing TBD). Although hours can be somewhat flexible, we work during regular business hours (Central Time) and occasionally in the evenings or on weekends as needed to meet deadlines. Some local travel is expected for onsite data collection. There may be non-local travel (approximately 1 trip/quarter) for project work, depending on clients’ needs post-pandemic.

COMPENSATION

We’re offering a starting annual salary of between $45,000–$50,000, depending on experience. In addition, we offer a competitive benefits package of vacation, holidays, unlimited sick time, parental leave, health insurance reimbursement, 401k contributions, disability insurance, and profit-sharing.