Careers at RFCUNYJob Openings

About us

ISLG is a good governance think-and-do tank. We are driven by the idea that data-informed approaches can measurably improve the way government and public institutions operate, equitably serve all constituents, and ultimately solve social policy problems. We provide the knowledge and action needed to fuel those approaches. With the necessary research, policies, partnerships, and infrastructures, we support government and public institutions’ work more effectively, efficiently, and in the interest of all communities. Our work breaks down into four key strategies: diagnosing and analyzing challenges that face government and communities; designing and innovating solutions; building the partnerships and infrastructure that are necessary to advance those solutions; and changing public dialogue around these issues.

ISLG was established in 2014 and our work spans government initiatives both in New York City and New York State and across the country. We lead projects aimed at reforming the criminal legal system, measuring urban inequality, expanding the reach of social service providers, optimizing higher educational processes, and more. We are seeking new team members with enthusiasm to shape the future of state and local policy.   

Our goals for diversity and inclusion

We strive to foster an office environment and an approach to work that welcomes and respects different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences. We are working towards our goal of recruiting and retaining staff and board members who are diverse in terms of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, disability, and justice system involvement.

Who we are looking for

We are hiring a Research Analyst to work within ISLG’s criminal justice portfolio, with key responsibilities in supporting the collection, management, and/or analysis of quantitative data, and providing administrative support as needed. This is an excellent opportunity for a civic-minded professional interested in a public policy environment. ISLG’s research projects span government policymaking in New York City and nationally, and cover a number of areas including criminal justice, racial equity, infrastructure and transportation, government operations, and finance.

The role will primarily support ISLG’s work on the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC). Launched in 2015 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the SJC is a multi-year, nationwide effort to inspire local criminal justice reform and change the way communities think about and use jails. Since its inception, the SJC has relied heavily on data to develop reform strategies and evaluate progress toward initiative goals. This wealth of data presents a unique opportunity to understand the factors, circumstances, and practices that drive jail populations and the disparities that exist across the criminal legal system. ISLG serves as the primary data and analytic partner for the SJC initiative. In this capacity, ISLG collects and manages administrative data submitted at regular intervals by partner agencies, collaborates with and provides data to other research partners, produces performance metrics, and conducts analyses to assess SJC objectives such as reductions to jail populations and racial/ethnic disparities.

The Research Analyst will work on a range of tasks which may include but are not limited to:

Research and analysis

• Cleaning, coding, merging, and preparing administrative data files and codebooks for analysis
• Considering project goals, data limitations, and programmatic and policy contexts when carrying out data management and analysis tasks
• Conducting descriptive quantitative analyses and potentially supporting higher-level multivariate analysis
• Supporting the development, tracking, and interpretation of performance metrics, including their policy and practice implications
• Synthesizing and interpreting findings
• Contributing to the design and creation of reports, presentations, and dashboards or other types of data visualization for practitioner and policy audiences
• Carrying out literature, policy, and practice reviews
• Drafting interview, focus group, and/or survey questionnaires; assisting in the facilitation of interviews and focus groups; drafting and/or helping administer surveys; coding and analyzing qualitative data

Data requests and reporting

• Supporting ISLG’s data collection and dissemination efforts with SJC partner agencies and other external organizations
• Providing support and technical assistance to SJC partners
• Assisting with regular SJC data reporting efforts

Our office is located in New York City and the position will be housed there over the long-term, however, work will be remote through the immediate term.