Research Associate, Global

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research in the areas of U.S. politics and policy views; media and journalism; internet and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and U.S. social and demographic trends. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew Research Center’s work is carried out by a staff of 130.

Position Summary

The Pew Research Center has an immediate need for a Research Associate to support its expanding global research agenda. The Research Associate will be part of a team that annually surveys public opinion in dozens of countries on topics including life satisfaction, economic conditions, domestic policy and international issues. The Research Associate assists in the design of research projects, manages data collection, performs statistical analysis, produces charts and tables and conducts background research and data fact-checks. The Research Associate also helps to write and review research reports, as well as field requests for information from the press, government officials and other audiences. The Research Associate must be able to collaborate with or directly support the Center’s international survey work. In addition, the Research Associate will support other international research, such as cross-national analysis of social and demographic trends through a variety of non-survey data.

Primary Responsibilities

Project Management

• Help draft project proposals
• Monitor and track project timelines
• Coordinate team assignments
• Communicate with vendors and advisors

Data analysis

• Conduct analysis of survey and non-survey data
• Prepare toplines, cross-tabulations and other data summaries
• Prepare tables and charts

Project design and development

• Conduct background research and trend analysis
• Propose research topics
• Design survey questions or data queries
• Identify and evaluate research vendors or data providers

Writing and Communication

• Write research reports
• Respond to external requests for information

Quality control

• Fact-check and number-check reports
• Check trends and verify translations
• Assess sampling performance and data quality
• Prepare datasets for public release

Education/Training/Experience

• International focus in political science, sociology, economics or relevant social science field strongly preferred.
• Master’s degree required, PhD preferred.
• Proven experience with quantitative analysis; facility with SPSS and Excel required, knowledge of Stata, R or other statistical software packages a plus
• Familiarity and experience with a range of statistical techniques, including logistic and multiple regression
• Experience managing research projects, preferably with an international or cross-national focus
• Familiarity with data collection in multiple languages highly desirable
• Ability to conduct research in a foreign language a plus

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Quantitative skills, including an ability to use SPSS and other statistical programs to organize and analyze large amounts of data
• Strong verbal and written communications skills
• Strong analytical and research skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects at the same time
• Attention to detail, including exacting standards to maintain accuracy and impartiality of all work products
• Editorial judgment and proven ability to communicate research results clearly and concisely in both verbal and written form
• Skilled in project development and management
• Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with staff from across Pew Research Center and outside organizations
• Ability to lead research teams

FLSA Status: Exempt

Application Procedure

Applicants should email a complete resume, cover letter (including where you learned of the opening), and salary expectation to careers@pewresearch.org.

Responses can also be mailed to:

Human Resources
Pew Research Center
1615 L Street, NW Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036

We are an equal opportunity employer.