Policy Analyst / Research Assistant

Position Context:

The WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH) has built the first ever global population data center of comparative global data on public policies, equity, poverty, labor conditions, and health and well-being outcomes. This data center makes it possible to undertake rigorous, cross-country global comparative research on how public and social policies are affecting health, well-being, and life outcomes across the world.

The Policy Analyst will join this team and contribute to an exciting and unique effort to build and maintain the first global resource to understand what countries are doing to promote human rights and human development. The Policy Analyst will play a vital role within WORLD by enhancing global health and social policy research and policy capacity at UCLA's FSPH, as well as in translating our research findings into action at the global, national and local levels.

WORLD contains data from 193 United Nations member countries on public policies that have the potential to influence the health and well-being of populations. To date, the research team has gathered detailed information on labor conditions, poverty reduction policies, gender, disability, education, family, and constitutional rights globally. Currently, WORLD is focused on preparing this data for dissemination and use by a wide range of audiences, including, but not limited to, researchers/academics, policy advocates, civil society, the media, students and the public. The policy analyst will work in collaboration with WORLD team members primarily to further develop their databases to ensure they remain current with the latest available data, as well as participate in the dissemination of data, and contribute to WORLD priority research projects.

Key Responsibilities:

Contribute to building a data center on social policies, including data coding, maintenance, and updating of databases;

Conceptualize translation of raw data into a form that can be used by researchers to analyse the relationship between policy and health and well-being outcomes;

Participate in dissemination and translation of findings to policymakers and civil society;

Prepare research reports and manuscripts for submission/publication and/or in-house circulation, as well as grant proposals.

To learn more about the Center and the position, please visit http://world.ph.ucla.edu/

Education/Experience:

Master's degree in related field (economics, health sciences, political science, public health, epidemiology, public policy or related field) with 3-5 years of relevant experience

Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Professional required (Access preferred).

Expertise in GIS, including the ability to produce publication-quality maps, and statistical programs, such as STATA, an asset

Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently to fulfil team goals and manage multiple deadlines required

Excellent communication, writing and research skills required

Experience conducting literature reviews, qualitative research, or writing scientific journal articles an asset

English language proficiency required and proficiency in another official UN language an asset

Demonstrated interest in issues relating to global health and social policy, including poverty, labor conditions, education, gender, disability, or equity policy required. Experience working in those areas an asset.

How to apply

How to apply

To apply, please submit the following application materials through the UCLA Job Portal for Job Requisition No. 19846:

•  A cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• A writing sample (maximum 5 pages)
• Contact information (telephone and email) for 3 references

Please send all academic transcripts to: WORLD@ph.ucla.edu

Call for application will close on 31 January, 2014 and review of submitted applications will take place in February 2014. The selected candidate will have the option to start immediately or June 2014. Please state your preferred start date in the cover letter.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, only complete applications will be considered and only candidates selected for an interview or to gather additional information will be contacted.

UCLA is committed to equity in employment and diversity. It welcomes applications from all races and ethnicities, all sexual orientations and identities, as well as people with disabilities, visible minorities, and others who may contribute to further diversification.