Do you get excited about diving deep into data, insights, and research?

Do you aspire to conduct research aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable individuals, children, and families?

Do you like working on collaborative teams to drive social change?

The Team

MEF Associates is a well-established social policy research firm specializing in rigorous research that influences and shapes social programs that serve millions of Americans each year.

For the last decade, we have worked at all levels of government and with various non-profits focused on bettering policy related to child and family well-being, workforce development, income security, and early childhood education. We combine diverse work experiences and expertise to deliver meaningful, data-driven solutions.

The Culture

Our staff come to MEF because of our ability to make a difference through research. Each one of us brings a unique perspective, diversity of approach, and uncompromising commitment to research excellence. We believe that what we do impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of public policy and programs. Through this work, we realize our mission to improve the lives of vulnerable individuals, children, and families. We strive to use inclusive research methods that promote collaboration with the programs and communities with whom we work.

We value a diverse workforce and the benefits that come from research being conducted by individuals with varied backgrounds and life experiences.  As a relatively small firm, we value close collaboration and a supportive work culture. We are committed to the growth and professional development of our staff.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Research Associate to join our Income Security and Economic Mobility team. This position is specifically focused on the technical skills associated with administrative data analysis. In this role you will process and analyze administrative data for an array of research and evaluation projects. This quantitative work will involve research on projects related to program and policy areas such as: income security, workforce development, employment and training programs, food assistance, public housing, and financial capability. As a Research Associate you will have a unique opportunity to join a growing business and to work on a wide variety of large-scale policy research and evaluation efforts.

While projects can be vastly different, the work you do could encompass the following responsibilities:

• Developing analysis plans
• Developing and analyzing complex administrative data sets, including methods for matching, imputation, and merging data
• Conducting advanced statistical and/or econometric analyses on administrative data
• Constructing comparison groups and deploying statistical approaches to analyze impacts of programmatic or policy interventions
• Conceptualizing and producing visual displays of quantitative information
• Serving as project manager for ongoing research and evaluation work
• Contributing to reports and presentations
• Overseeing and mentoring more junior research staff
• Identifying new business opportunities and contributing to proposals

While our team has varied backgrounds filled with valuable experiences, we look for a consistent set of things that we believe contribute to success. They include:

• A graduate degree in economics, statistics, public policy, or related fields
• Expert knowledge of statistical software (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, Python)
• Familiarity with experimental and nonexperimental impact study designs
• Demonstrated experience processing and analyzing large administrative data sets
• Strong interest in answering research questions in social policy
• Experience handling sensitive data and processing data in a secure environment
• Prior experience working on relevant research and evaluation projects demonstrating progressively increased responsibilities
• Experience in equitable evaluation and inclusive research is a plus
• Effective project management skills and experience, with ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities in deadline-focused, team-oriented environment
• Commitment to details and accuracy
• Demonstrated excellence in writing and verbal communication
• Relationship-driven, effective communicator with strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with others in a respectful way
• Ability to travel domestically on occasion as public health conditions permit

While not requirements, we feel the following skills would be beneficial:

• Experience working for federal, state, and private clients on economic or social policy issues
• Experience conducting research on programs funded by the U.S. Department of Labor

MEF is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages people of color, women, people with disabilities, and veterans to apply. Legal work authorization is required.

This role includes work to be performed primarily in an office environment. It typically includes frequent phone/audio communication and/or video conferencing usage; and extensive computer, keyboard, and mouse use. It requires the ability to travel domestically by airplane on occasion. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

MEF Associates has offices in both Alexandria, VA and Seattle, WA. This position can also be remote.

Apply here for the position.

Compensation and benefits: The salary range for Research Associates is $80k to $120k, depending on experience. MEF offers comprehensive benefits.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.