Job Summary:

Synergy Enterprises, Inc., a minority and woman-owned government contractor located in North Bethesda, MD, currently has an opportunity for a full-time employee (at least 30 hours a week) as a Junior Research Associate or Research Associate depending on candidate experience.  This position is remote. All applicants must be U.S. citizens and able to obtain a security clearance.

This position is an integral part of the Data Team, and applicants should have excellent time management skills and very close attention to detail. This position works across various projects with a focus on education alongside the other members of the Data Team, taking primary responsibility for various research and analysis tasks. Ideal applicants can work both as a team member or individually and be able to switch between the two as needed. These tasks include:

• Supporting Synergy in conducting evaluations of education projects through all stages, from design to administration,
• Providing statistical and programming support in Stata, R, Python, or SAS,
• Reviewing and editing publications for a variety of clients,
• Conducting research independently and with minimal oversight,
• Writing short informational reports and publications,
• Developing, analyzing, and reporting on datasets, both large and small,
• Verifying and proofing data tables and other statistical reports,
• And other duties as assigned.  

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide support for various activities, including, but not limited to, evaluations of programs and policies, research reports, white papers, environmental scans, case studies, workshop packets, fact sheets, presentations, newsletters, webinars, and technical assistance-related products.
• Develop data collection instruments for quantitative and qualitative research studies.
• Analyze quantitative data using standard and advanced statistical techniques, including advanced regression techniques and survey sampling statistics.
• Design and perform specialized statistical analyses on national cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets specializing in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education.
• Strong interest in education, educational interventions for k-12 students, literacy programs, and/or Native American education policy are pluses.
• Able to analyze a variety of data with minimal instruction.
• Ensure data and reporting meet high standards, including various Federal guidelines.
• Experience with data visualization/dashboard software, including PowerBI and Tableau, a plus.
• Strictly follow data security protocols.

Additional Responsibilities

• Communicate effectively with internal and external clients to explain methods, interpret results and create effective tabular, graphical, and infographic displays.

• Interact with knowledge experts to specify statistical models.
• Innovate statistical methods or adapt standard statistical methods as needed.
• Create specifications for building analytic data files.
• Use specific software packages to quantify qualitative data.

Qualifications:

• Junior research associate: BA or Master’s degree and at least 2 years of experience in Social Science Research (may be during undergraduate education) with a preferred focus on education and educational policy, public policy, sociology, psychology, political science, government, Statistics, or related field.
• Research Associate: Master’s degree or Ph.D. (may be currently enrolled) or BA plus five or more years of experience in Social Science Research with a preferred focus on education and educational policy, public policy, sociology, psychology, political science, government, Statistics, or related field.
• Demonstrated research, data collection, and analysis skills, including work with complex surveys and sample analysis.
• Able to obtain necessary clearances from various Federal agencies. U.S. Citizenship is a must.
• Strong social science statistical analysis experience using SAS, SPSS, STATA, Python, and or R. Text analysis and survey research programming preferred.
• Team player who will jump in and take on any task as needed.
• Self-starter with exceptional time management and multitasking skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Other job requirements:

Physical demands and work environment:

• Physical demands:  While performing the job duties, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop; bend; push; turn; crawl; sit; use hands to handle objects and documents; manipulate objects; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear.  Employees may occasionally land/or move up to 20 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision , recognizing, registering, and responding, color recognition; depth perception. Employees may use office equipment such as telephone, computer, computer software, calculator, printer, copier, and facsimile. 
• Work environment: Employees are not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and skills required of employees so classified.