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 Analyst to join our team. In this early career role, you will contribute to our ongoing work on an array of research and evaluation projects. The work you do will represent a mix of qualitative and quantitative research on projects related to program and policy areas such as: income security, workforce development, employment and training programs, food assistance, public housing, financial capability, early care and education, family strengthening, and refugee programs. As a Research Analyst, you 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:

• Serving as project manager for ongoing research and evaluation work
• Participating in ongoing research and evaluation work
• Conducting and assisting with field research, including conducting interviews and facilitating focus groups
• Providing technical assistance and support to service providers participating in research studies
• Conducting literature reviews or systematic evidence reviews
• Conducting data analysis using MS Excel and/or statistical packages (e.g., Stata, R)
• Contributing to reports, proposals, and presentations
• Identifying new business opportunities and writing 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
• 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:

• Fluency in Spanish, written and verbal is preferred. More generally, MEF recognizes the value in hiring individuals who are bi/multilingual, including native speakers, especially given the diversity of populations served by the programs we study.
• Familiarity with experimental and nonexperimental impact study designs
• Experience working for federal, state, and private clients on economic or social policy issues
• Working knowledge of statistical or qualitative software package (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, NVivo, Dedoose)

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.

Compensation and benefits: The salary range for Research Analysts is $60k to 90k, 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