Research Associate or Senior Research Associate - Pardee Institute for International Futures, Josef Korbel School

The Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures is the home of long-term forecasting and global trend analysis at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. International Futures (IFs) is a large-scale, long-term, integrated global modeling system that represents demographic, economic, health, energy, agriculture, education, infrastructure, socio-political, environmental, and international politics subsystems for 188 countries interacting in the global system. The Pardee Institute works heavily on sponsored research projects with various government institutions, international organizations, NGOs, and to a lesser extent, private sector clients.

The Pardee Institute is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty and staff who, in turn, are committed to working in a pluralistic environment.

Position Summary:

This opening is for a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate, depending on the applicant’s relevant education and experience.

Research Associates play a core role in the completion of the Pardee Institute’s research efforts and external engagement. A primary function of the Research Associate is to support – and, for the Senior Research Associate, to lead – analytical and associated modeling and data building and management activities for geopolitical-related research at the Pardee Institute. Working under the supervision of the Associate Director of Geopolitical Analysis, these activities include: (a) effective management and balancing of concurrent but perhaps disparate research projects and associated tasks; (b) building, maintaining, and refining analytical skills, particularly those related to quantitative analysis; (c) managing a team of research aides who support data building and data management activities related to geopolitical analysis; and, for Senior Research Associates, and (d) presenting and otherwise communicating Pardee Institute research to external audiences, including sponsors and the public.

Additionally, Research Associates and Senior Research Associates are sensitive to and support IFs data building and data management needs when needed. In particular, this involves gathering, cleaning, and sharing bilateral data for the IFs tool. For Senior Research Associates, this role will also provide analytical expertise and advice for geopolitical research projects at the Pardee Institute to which they are assigned, keeping pace with theoretical and methodological developments in international relations and related fields.

Essential Functions:

The Research Associate or Senior Research Associate will support the Pardee Institute’s geopolitical analysis research portfolio by collaborating with and leading student researchers in fast-paced data collection projects that tracks diplomatic engagements and other security and economic interactions between countries. Essential functions include coding data; training new coders; vetting data; maintaining and refining data management processes; maintaining technical documentation; analyzing data to discern meaningful patterns. For Senior Research Associates, essential functions also include leading internal-facing research products, collaborating on – and occasionally leading – external-facing research products, and guiding less experienced staff.

This individual is expected to:

Research, input, clean, evaluate, and confirm data, utilizing quantitative skills (e.g., trend analysis, network analysis, multivariate regression) and, occasionally, qualitative skills (e.g., basic case studies).
Supervise a team of student research aides, effectively managing human and financial resources.
Lead data management and creation of datasets.
Ensure that the data gathered are of the highest possible quality through cleaning, verification, analysis, and vetting.
Maintain technical documentation of data management processes.
Interpret data and identify relevant analyses with the goal of providing actionable insights.
Leverage their knowledge of international relations theory and related fields of study.
Discern the appropriate qualitative or quantitative technique to help improve our understanding of the data/challenge at hand.
Work independently and collaboratively in problem-solving efforts to meet internal and external deadlines and objectives.
Maintain positive client/sponsor relations through clear, timely, and professional verbal and written communication.
The Senior Research Associate will also be expected to:

Provide well-researched advice on project conceptualization in the pre-project stage, particularly related to analytical methodology.
Lead authorship on client-/sponsor-facing analytical reports for geopolitically-relevant topics, consulting with the Associate Director of Geopolitical Analysis and Director, as needed.
Coordinate own workflow and set priorities, subject to general guidelines provided by the Associate Director of Geopolitical Analysis and Director.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Willingness and ability to become knowledgeable with the IFs model, with a rapidly-developed ability to support – and, for Senior Research Associates, and eventually lead – client-/sponsor-facing analysis.
Knowledgeable with advanced statistical analysis (or with demonstrated ability to become knowledgeable), with an ability to apply techniques to real-world data and produce analysis for technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong project management skills, including (but not limited to): tracking and communicating progress of toward milestones/deliverables; coordinating multiple tasks toward completion, communicating and managing expectations with subordinates and supervisors; and effective resource management.
Excellent technical writing skills to support – and, for Senior Research Associates, occasionally lead – research projects and support grant applications.
Ability to create professional quality presentations and visualizations on geopolitically-relevant research products.
Ability to organize and efficiently manipulate data in Microsoft Excel.
Knowledge of STATA, SAS, R, Python or other software suitable for the transformation, visualization, and statistical analysis of large datasets.
For Senior Research Associates: Ability to set and meet goals independently.
For Senior Research Associates: Ability to develop and manage good working relationships internal and external to the organization.
For Senior Research Associates: Ability to manage projects with multiple stakeholders, tactfully holding project members and leadership accountable to deadlines.

Required Qualifications:

Research Associate:

Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
1 year of experience supporting high-quality social science research.
Experience functioning within a team and meeting deadlines.
College-level coursework on conducting high-quality, advanced quantitative analysis.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment in which faculty, staff, students, and community partners from diverse backgrounds and cultural identities feel welcome and valued.
U.S. Citizen.

Senior Research Associate:

For Senior Research Associate I: Master’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
For Senior Research Associate II: PhD in International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
3 years of experience conducting high-quality, social science research.
Experience functioning within a team, working on multiple projects simultaneously, and meeting deadlines.
Demonstrated experience in successfully conducting high-quality, advanced quantitative analysis.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment in which faculty, staff, students, and community partners from diverse backgrounds and cultural identities feel welcome and valued.
U.S. Citizen.

Preferred Qualifications:

Research Associate:

Master’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
2 years of experience conducting high-quality, social science research.

Senior Research Associate:

Ph.D. in International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
5+ years of experience in high quality social science research related to international development, security, or the environment using quantitative methods.
Supervisory experience of hourly employees and/or students.

Working Environment

Standard office environment.
Unexpected interruptions occur often, and stress level is moderate to high.
Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period.
Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule:

Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Work hours may vary; in conversation with the employee’s supervisor, flexible hours may be considered in accordance with the University’s flexible work policies. Hybrid (in-person and remote).

Application Deadline:

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) July 31, 2024.

Special Instructions:

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:

The salary grade for the Research Associate position is 12. The salary grade for the Senior Research Associate position is 13.

Salary Range:

The salary range for the Research Associate position is $70,000-$90,000.

The salary range for the Senior Research Associate position is $85,000-$102,200.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

Resume
Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. The University of Denver prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; Equal Pay Act; Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights (“POWR”) Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver’s Non-Discrimination Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.