Research Specialist Education Equity

Research Specialist Education Equity

Discovery Partners Institute

University of Illinois System - Chicago

The Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) is seeking an experienced researcher of issues related to educational equity. This researcher will contribute as a senior leader to an exciting new initiative that will help solve applied problems in Illinois education and workforce development. The position is a good fit for a seasoned researcher who wants to guide a vision for infusing an equity and diversity focus across a portfolio of work. The position will provide rich opportunities for rigorous applied research, community engagement, collaboration with Illinois education and workforce leaders, publication, and interdisciplinary, multi-institutional project partnerships.

Additional responsibilities include:

Research

• Help set and maintain a vision for how the IWERC team investigates issues related to educational equity, including:
  • How we approach issues related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, access and resource allocation, home/school/workplace culture, and so forth across our portfolio
  • How we develop, articulate, and frame research questions to center equity
  • How we recruit community partners and construct/maintain mutually rewarding relationships with them
  • How we interact ethically and responsively with research participants
  • How we analyze and interpret data
  • How we disseminate research results responsibly, using appropriate and accessible language, to benefit our community partners and the state
  • How we integrate a diversity of perspectives into our work and maintain team processes that encourage us to continually challenge our assumptions
• Create and lead new projects and proposals (including data collection, analytic, and staff plans) related to the IWERC mission.
• Serve as a collaborator on other projects in the IWERC portfolio.

Development/Dissemination

• Write successful funding proposals for projects related to IWERC's mission.
• Present practical results in a clear, creative, and accessible fashion to practitioners, community partners, and education/workforce leaders.
• Disseminate research findings via academic conferences and in scholarly publications.
• Contribute to the overall vision and success of the IWERC team, including participating in direction-setting for the team's portfolio of work, collaborating with other team members on projects, providing hard feedback to team members, and assisting with development efforts.

Staff Management

• Supervise and mentor junior research specialists in collecting and managing data, conducting analyses, engaging in ethical and collaborative relationships with participants, and disseminating results.

Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Candidates must possess a Ph.D. in Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Sociology, or a related field. Emphasis on equity issues in thesis (or other major work) required with 1+ years of post-Ph.D. experience in conducting research related to educational equity. 3+ years preferred. Required qualifications include: familiarity with a broad range of theoretical perspectives on equity, including critical perspectives; strong writing skills; experience writing publication-quality research manuscripts; experience doing applied research that investigates field-initiated issues and directly serves community partners; ability to be a self-starter, taking initiative in developing new lines of research and collaboration; comfort working collaboratively, contributing to a collective vision, and giving/receiving hard, actionable feedback; history of being highly ethical in professional conduct, research conduct, and interactions with internal and external colleagues and partners. Preferred qualifications include: experience writing grant proposals.

This is a full-time, 12-month Academic Professional position. For full consideration, candidates must apply and submit a letter of application, resume, and names/addresses/phone numbers of three professional references by November 30, 2020 at https://uajobs.hr.uillinois.edu/.

The System Office conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer of employment. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=4292&pageId=1411899

System Human Resource Services
(312) 996-5130
erhr@uillinois.edu

The System Office is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer dedicated to building a community of excellence, equity and diversity. The System Offices welcome applications from women, underrepresented minorities, individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, sexual minority groups and other candidates who will lead and contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives.