Department Information

The Polis Center (Polis) is an applied research center that works with community and university partners in Indiana and beyond to inform place-based policies and practices for healthier and more resilient communities. Polis supports community development and quality-of-life efforts, natural disaster resiliency planning, and community health research using geospatial technologies to integrate, manage, and visualize the rapidly growing information on the places where we live and work. We do this through place-based research, analysis, collaborations, and advanced information technologies. We help communities and organizations build capacity, provide actionable information, and develop knowledge platforms.

Our motto is "We bring things into perspective." Our primary service is to build understanding of issues from a variety of perspectives. We help others create a vision of the common good and realize their vision with practical tools and methods. We have experience in community development, population health, social services and nonprofits, government, arts and culture, religion, information management, data analysis, and dynamic mapping.

From inception, The Polis Center has been guided by core values that include making a difference, collaboration, developing creative solutions to real-world problems, accountability, integrity, respect, and stewardship. We offer a fun team environment. Our team is passionate about the work we do, and we love working together.

The Polis Center places great value on a positive work/life balance.

Job Summary

Polis seeks an experienced, senior-level analyst to support the research, analysis, and data visualizations we create with and for community-based organizations, public agencies, local governments, researchers, and citizens.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

Provides leadership in the design and implementation of applied social science research projects and in the selection of appropriate statistical methods, models, and software.
Develops center-wide best practices.
Manages resources as required to meet research and project objectives within a fast-paced, multi-project environment.
Provides advanced analysis of existing data and data structures and satisfies ad-hoc reporting/analysis requests.
Serves as a first point of escalation for junior analysts.
Provides advanced consultation to faculty and/or staff and identifies reporting needs and opportunities for analysis to drive organizational and research decisions.
Makes recommendations and provides peer review and coaching; ensures proper documentation of data analysis efforts (data sources, reporting specifications, tools, issue/problem resolutions).
Interacts with community and research groups to communicate and interpret results and findings.
Defines study methodology and executes statistical analysis methods in support of community and academic research projects.
Develops spatial and non-spatial statistical models for inferential analysis, prediction, and data visualization.
Creates maps and data visualizations.
Develops reports containing descriptive and analytical content for both public and academic audiences.

General Responsibilities

Performs complex data collection, data analysis, data management, literature research, technical writing, and reporting in support of research project(s); performs quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
Ensures quality control of data and reports findings to federal and other agencies.
Consults with faculty researchers and research staff and provides input on research project evaluations and research project designs.
Writes various technical reports, journal articles, and/or develops presentations to disseminate and share research findings.
Performs various analyses to ensures quality assurance of research findings (data quality, reports, etc.).
Represents the department with regard to related research and participates in professional development activities and programs.
Mentors and/or provides guidance to students, faculty, or other staff working on research project(s) through training in related aspects of research techniques and analysis as needed; may provide daily oversight to less experienced staff or student researchers.
Provides additional research project support as needed.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

Master's degree preferably in research-oriented field such as statistics, public health/policy analysis, etc.

Preferred

Master's degree in an applied research-oriented civic field such public health, public policy, urban planning, demography, geography, sociology, or other social science.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

3 years in related field.

Preferred

1 year of project management experience and/or demonstrated success leading applied research initiatives with multiple team members.
Experience in a community-oriented organization.
5 years of related professional experience.

SKILLS

Required

Proficient communication skills.
Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills.
Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
Highly thorough and dependable.
Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
Strong knowledge and ability to apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills.
Familiarity with and openness to learn new qualitative and mixed methods.
Knowledge and familiarity with various statistical software.

Preferred

Strong quantitative analysis and statistical skills, including methodologies for regression modeling.
Knowledge of appropriate statistical and data visualization software, such as R or Python.
Demonstrated experience with ArcGIS software, or equivalent software such as QGIS or spatial libraries in R/Python.
Demonstrated experience in applied community research projects.

Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

IU Indianapolis campus

Polis Center

Advertised Salary

$65,000 - $80,000 per year based on experience.

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

Multiple plan options for medical insurance
Dental insurance
Health Savings Account with generous IU contribution
Life insurance, LTD, and AD&D options
Base retirement plan contribution from IU, subject to vesting
Additional supplemental retirement plan options
Tuition benefit for IU classes
10 paid holidays per year
Generous Paid Time Off
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The Polis Center jobs

Senior Research Data Analyst