Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II

Job Posting Title:
Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II


Hiring Department:
Population Research Center


Position Open To:
All Applicants


Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40


FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt


Earliest Start Date:
Sep 01, 2021


Position Duration:
Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2022


Location:
UT MAIN CAMPUS


Job Description:
Full time position needed to help with research based tasks for two projects (1) The Latinx Freshman Survey Project, and 2) Unidos en Contra La Discriminacion) lead by Elma Lorenzo-Blanco in the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.


Job Details:

General Notes

Position start date as early as September 1, 2021 and funded for one year through August 31, 2022 with the possibility of continuation depending on satisfactory performance and funding availability.

Responsibilities

• As liaison between PI and key stakeholders:
  
  • Make connections with community partners (e.g., schools and school districts) for establishing collaborative research partnerships.
  • Process all paperwork necessary to establish research partnerships with community (e.g., external research applications for school districts).
  • Interface and communicate with stakeholders (e.g. school district personnel, adult and adolescent participants) for establishing rapport and ensuring the continuity of research activities and participation.
• In development and implementation of research projects and funding:
  
  • Assist in the design of research surveys, focus and interview protocols, and other relevant documentation.
  • Assist with completing Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications and fulfilling ongoing requirements.
  • Use computer software to assist with translation of relevant research documents from English to Spanish and vice versa.
  • Assist with conducting interviews/focus groups in English and Spanish and administering surveys and conducting statistical analyses.
  • Assist the Principal Investigator with all phases of the research process, including conducting literature reviews, developing research proposals, collecting, analyzing, and entering data.
  • Manage applications for external research and other related activities in service to the PI/research goals.
  • Create surveys using Qualtrics and distribute surveys to research participants.
  • Planning on-campus recruitment for online surveys.
  • Contacting campus groups and presenting about the project in virtual classes or lectures.
  • Work with Qualtrics to clean data, check data, and send compensation to participants.
  • Assisting with literature reviews/searches and coding qualitative data.
• As day-to-day coordinator:
  
  • Effectively delegate and ensure completion of ongoing project tasks as well as transition to successive project phases.
  • Maintain standard operating procedures and training materials up-to-date to reflect current and best practices for research projects, various phases and general operations.
  • Assist in hiring team of undergraduate research assistants.
  • Train, manage and mentor research assistants to succeed in positions and use best practices when conducting research activities, building rapport with participants and completing tasks as assigned.
  • Organize trainings and run regular project-related meetings to streamline implementations, documentations, and assist with necessary IRB training requirements.
  • Deconstruct project phases and tasks into work-breakdown structures to facilitate and directly delegate work to members of the research team, including self, research assistants and the PI, when appropriate.
  • Coordinate and maintain various calendars and schedules for research projects, stakeholder interests and research assistant positions.
  • Lead weekly meetings to update progress, present on deliverables, and inform team performance.
  • Manage inventory of office supplies and research equipment regularly and assist the PI with procurement and reconciliation of expenses.
  • Manage Asana Workspace, Emails and other online accounts as used in research and by the PI.
  • Other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in applied social science field, such as social work, psychology, public health or related field plus two years of experience.
• Experience coordinating or administering a program.
• Experience supervising and managing research assistants.
• Experience forming community research partnerships.
• Demonstrated excellent writing, communication, and organizational skills
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and time management.
• Proficiency with Spanish, written and spoken, and familiarity with translation software.
• Ability to learn project related software easily.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in related field
• Experience supervising and managing research assistants.
• Experience working in a research setting conducting and recording research analysis.
• Demonstrated familiarity with Austin and the larger community.
• Ability to engage community partners, Latina/o youth, and families in research project.
• Experience in applied research and coordinating research projects and assisting with the execution of applied research projects.

Salary Range

$37,440+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• Occasional weekend, overtime and evening work to meet deadlines.
• May be required to drive to community locations to fulfill research activities and essential functions.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants that are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: Before you apply, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.



E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the 2020 report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite UTA 2.206, Austin, TX 78701.