Careers Job Description
General Description
The Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice:
The Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice is being launched at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. The goal of the Research Network is to use the power of data analytics to inform policy conversations and reform regarding the enforcement of low level offenses.
The Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice is part of the Misdemeanor Justice Project (MJP). The MJP has produced a series of reports examining trends in the enforcement of low-level offenses in New York City (and to a lesser extent New York State) including misdemeanor arrests, criminal summonses, and pedestrian stops. We have analyzed data by demographics (i.e., gender, race, and age), charges, dispositions, and sentences. These works have substantially informed criminal justice reform in New York City. The Research Network will identify six additional cities to create a network focused on similar analyses to determine local trends in the enforcement of low-level offenses and understand multi-site differences.
The Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice will strive to provide an empirical framework to inform data-driven policy initiatives at local, state, and national levels. The Research Network is fully committed to working with criminal justice practitioners to obtain accurate data, provide objective analyses, and disseminate our findings to key stakeholders in the community, renowned scholars, and policy-makers to spur a national discourse on the enforcement of low-level offenses.
The Research Network will provide funding to research partners, academic institutions, and/or not-for-profit institutes in these cities to build infrastructure that will allow them to collect and monitor local criminal justice trends including arrests practices and pretrial detention. The project will launch in July, 2016.
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation is funding the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice for a three-year span.
Position: The Statistical Associate will provide technical assistance to a research network of seven cities that will examine trends in the enforcement of low level offenses and pretrial detention. As the Statistical Associate, you will work closely with the Executive Director, Principal Investigators, and other staff members to collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative data. The Statistical Associate will be responsible for extracting and aggregating Census data at various levels of geography (e.g., Census tract, block, policing district, city, etc.). Once the data has been collected, the Statistical Associate will work with the Research Network staff and data partners to analyze the data using software programs such as ArcGIS, R, SAS, Stata and/or SPSS. Through these analyses, the Statistical Associate will help in identifying trends and patterns in the enforcement of low level offenses. The Statistical Associate with also analyze data ranging from simple to highly complex. The Statistical Associate will oversee compliance with various University and government regulations, as well as, with agency Memorandum of Understandings. The Statistical will also assist with dissemination.
Other Duties
-
Responsibilities
- Responsible for ongoing data analyses and supervising a postdoctoral student and graduate research assistants in data analytic techniques;
- Assists the Research Network with data analytic and programming issues;
- Aids in quantitative data collection, analysis, and reporting for rigorous evaluations of local, state, and federal data;
- Aids in identifying, developing, and implementing ideas for new research and advancing existing projects at the intersection of criminal justice and policy;
- Aids in preparing and delivering presentations and reports to board members, data partners, and stakeholders;
- Aids in writing competitive grant proposals, research briefs, and academic publications;
- Reviews work, establishes quality control procedures, and edits written document;
- Trains and supervises staff and students in implementation of project processes and protocols;
- Maintains confidentiality as required by the project or as directed by the Research Foundation and communicates confidentiality requirements to staff;
- Conducts and oversees quantitative data gathering, coding of data or information, construction of data bases using specified technology, analysis of data, maintenance of data security, and archiving data;
- Consults with IT support staff as needed;
- Oversees project completion and final storage/distribution of project records and equipment;
- Performs the duties of lower level positions as needed; performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Core Competencies
- Intellectual strength in a field of knowledge, or specialty, pertinent to the research area, as evidenced in areas of study, teaching, publication and/or research background; knowledge of cutting-edge research in the field;
- Ability to communicate effectively with and convey complex concepts, intricate processes, and sophisticated statistical findings to other researchers, supervisors, students, sponsors, administrators, and, when appropriate, the public;
- Ability to author, co-author, publish, and present findings to a community of scholars in the field, utilizing professional publications, colloquia, symposia, reports, demonstrations, performances, etc. consistent with the scope and nature of the project and the requirements of the sponsor;
- Ability to comprehend and act on assignments of varying complexity;
- Ability to work on a team as well as independently;
- Ability to operate in the computer/statistical environment of the research project;
- Ability to organize and direct the work of a group of researchers and students in achieving the goals of the project within deadlines and within budget constraints;
- Ability to monitor and evaluate the work of others, consistent with RF policies and contracts;
- Ability to work effectively with technical staff in training subordinate researchers in the techniques, applications, practices, etc. important to the field of inquiry;
- Knowledge of policies regarding intellectual property, use of facilities and equipment, allocation of time and materials to project costs, and utilization of IT resources;
- Knowledge of protocols for safe conduct of research, including but not exclusive to the study of human subjects and establishment of safety reporting procedures.
Ideal Qualifications of the Statistical Associate
- A M.A or PhD with advanced skills in quantitative research methods, using and performing descriptive and multivariate data analyses;
- Strong familiarity with Census data;
- Strong familiarity with the use of statistical analysis software, including ArcGIS, R, SAS, Stata, SPSS, and/or Excel;
- Strong familiarity with the management of datasets and presentation of data;
- Strong familiarity with the criminal justice and policy world (ideally at the local, state, and federal levels);
- Excellent written and oral communication skills for research and non-research audiences;
- Experience with report writing;
- Willingness to comply with all RF policies and procedures regarding staffing, budgeting, safety, reporting, and grants administration as evidenced by signing an attestation at the time of employment.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Misdemeanor Justice Project
Full Time
Depends on Qualifications
Jul 15, 2016 (Or Until Filled)