Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

AmeriSpeak® is a growing, fast-paced, innovative, probability-based panel housed within NORC at the University of Chicago, a world leader in research excellence. The Client Services Research Analyst is a singular opportunity to develop, hone, and use your survey research skills. You will collaborate on important and cutting-edge projects, which cover a wide variety of topics impacting our world today and play a vital role in their execution. You will have the opportunity to work with, assist, and eventually coordinate a multidisciplinary, cross-functional team that includes researchers, statisticians, programmers, telephone center staff, and subject matter experts throughout NORC.

The Client Services Research Analyst is responsible for assisting with critical aspects of executing AmeriSpeak client studies, including: reviewing and evaluating client questionnaires accuracy and effectiveness in question wording, logic, and application for survey mode(s), formatting client questionnaires for programming, submitting project for IRB review, develop survey respondent contact plans, reviewing programmed instrument for accuracy and quality in all modes, and managing revisions throughout the testing cycle, ensuring survey data quality through reviewing simulated data and live data, monitoring survey field progress, helping to prepare raw data for weighting and client delivery using appropriate statistical applications, and helping develop and review for quality final client deliverables. Communicates with AmeriSpeak teams and support teams as needed and directed to get projects successfully executed and delivered—on time, with high quality, and within budget. May support business development activities for proposal, pricing, and contracting support, or other collateral.

Location: This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago downtown office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office.

DEPARTMENT: AmeriSpeak

AmeriSpeak® is the first U.S. multiclient household panel to combine the speed and cost-effectiveness of panel surveys with enhanced representativeness of the U.S. population, an approach designed to achieve an industry-leading response rate and an innovative sample quality report card. AmeriSpeak has become the primary survey partner of the nation's preeminent news service, The Associated Press.

Developed and funded by NORC, AmeriSpeak randomly identifies Americans—including the country’s hardest-to-reach populations—and recruits them to provide their opinions and insights on a wide range of topics critical to our clients. The outcome is a truly representative picture of America and, thus, more accurate research results for use in statistical surveys.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Evaluates client questionnaires for alterations in question wording and question type needed to accommodate phone and/or web modes of survey administration
• Formats client questionnaires for programming, writing in appropriate survey pathway logic to ensure respondents are administered the correct questions
• Performs quality control testing on programmed surveys in the phone and web modes and manages questionnaire revisions throughout the testing cycle
• Taking on other key task to get a survey executed, including submitting project for IRB review, develop survey respondent contact plans, and monitoring survey field progress
• Coordinates with the Data Team to review simulated data and respondent survey data throughout the field period.  Using data files to review survey and monitor field
• As the right person matures in the position, they will:
• Work with clients and ensure that client expectations of quality, timelines, and deliverables are met or exceeded
• Participate in and collaborate with multidisciplinary, internal teams—such as AmeriSpeak business development, statistics/methodology, researchers, programming, telephone centers, and subject matter experts—to execute AmeriSpeak studies
• Support business development activities for proposal, pricing, and contracting support for web survey projects
• Performs other duties as assigned

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree is required. Master's degree in a relevant area is a plus
• 1 year experience in quantitative analysis using software like SAS, STATA, R, or SPSS is preferred
• Experience working with data collection and data flow processes
• Strong knowledge of survey research; knowledge of data collection and data flow processes
• Well-developed problem-solving, data analysis, time management, personal organization, and attention to detail, discretion, and composure skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work on multiple projects at the same time with agility and to work effectively with team members, multiple departments, stakeholders, and internal/external clients
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with minimal supervision
• Knowledge of general office procedures, technology, and equipment
• Microsoft Office software, including word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Experience with online survey or CATI software is a plus

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The pay range for this position is $55,000 – $70,000

This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
• Dental and vision insurance
• A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
• Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
• Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate’s placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs.

WHAT WE DO:

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

WHO WE ARE:

For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

EEO STATEMENT:

NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.