Job Description

The Education Department is seeking entry-level Survey Assistants to support tasks on the Survey of Doctorate Recipients project and operational data collection activities for other challenging, complex, innovative multi-year projects.

POSITION SPECIFICS:

• Applicants will have the option to work remotely or at our downtown Chicago office.
• This will be an intermittent role, requiring at least 16 hours of availability per week, with the opportunity to work up to 24 hours per week, depending on project needs.
• Rate: $21.00/hour
• Please include cover letter and resume in application.

DEPARTMENT: Education

For more than 40 years, NORC has been committed to conducting high-quality education-related research out of our Education Department. Our research covers the full array of education-relevant populations from pre-school children to post-graduate doctorate holders. NORC is a leader in conducting large national surveys, as well as more targeted state and local studies. The scope of our education research methodologies is wide-ranging, including primary data collection, analysis and reporting of existing data, transcript abstraction, classroom observations, qualitative analysis, and experimental and quasi-experimental designs.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct telephone and online research activities with individuals and businesses to obtain current address, phone number, email address, and/or general location of sampled individuals – including some “cold contact” calls.
• Respond to telephone calls and emails from sample members with requests for technical support or questions about the research study.
• Use standard procedures to resolve questions and escalate more complex issues to more experienced support specialists.
• Document, track, and monitor incoming requests and problems to ensure timely resolution.
• Conduct quality checks on outgoing contacts and incoming survey data.
• Code verbatim responses into an existing code frame.
• Tabulate data collection results and production statistics.
• Review information for completeness, edits, or otherwise assist in clerical processing and/or data entry.
• Conduct literature reviews and help draft methodological reports.
• Support other data collection and project tasks as needed.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• High School Diploma;
• Some college-level courses or other postsecondary academic experience.
• Outstanding interpersonal, critical reasoning, and writing skills.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Sharp attention to detail and robust organization skills.
• Effective interpersonal communication skills in email, in person, over videoconference, and on the telephone
• Experience with online research, efficiently assessing and analyzing the resulting information.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, both independently and in project teams.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with a wide range of individuals
• Ability to synthesize information from disparate documents and data sources.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• PREFERRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED: Professional proficiency in the following languages is highly desirable: Chinese, Korean, Farsi (or Persian), Hindi, and Bengali, as well as eastern European languages, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, and Japanese. Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The pay range for this position is $21/hour.

This position is classified as intermittent. Intermittent staff are eligible to participate in NORC’s retirement program. NORC contributes directly to this account without any required employee contributions.  In addition, intermittent staff are eligible to make pre-tax or post-tax contributions as part of NORC’s Supplemental Retirement Plan. Intermittent staff who meet tenure requirements are eligible for three days of holiday pay. All staff at NORC, along with their significant others and dependent children who live at home, can receive free counseling and referrals through NORC’s 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.

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.