The Polis Center, a unit of the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering in Indianapolis, was established in 1989 to link two types of expertise—academic and practical—for the benefit of communities in Indiana and elsewhere. It specializes in providing and the training of place-based research tools (geospatial technologies, such as GIS) to analyze and visualize data into usable information to help communities make informed decisions.

The Polis Center also offers online tools such as the SAVI community information system (http://www.savi.org/) to help nonprofits, academia, government, and health organizations assess trends and conditions, identify service gaps, and better target areas of concern based on the social, economic and other demographic realities in more than 2,000 Central Indiana communities.

The Polis Center is deeply committed to collaboration, partnerships, and the practical use of advanced technologies. Its entrepreneurial nature results in a unique and diverse range of projects.

Polis seeks an experienced, senior-level analyst to support the research, analysis, and data visualizations we create with and for community-based organizations, public agencies, local governments, researchers, and citizens.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Provides leadership in the design and implementation of applied social science research projects and in the selection of appropriate statistical methods, models, and software.
• Develops center-wide best practices.
• Manages resources as required to meet research and project objectives within a fast-paced, multi-project environment.
• Provides advanced analysis of existing data and data structures and satisfies ad-hoc reporting/analysis requests.
• Serves as a first point of escalation for junior analysts.
• Provides advanced consultation to faculty and/or staff and identifies reporting needs and opportunities for analysis to drive organizational and research decisions.
• Makes recommendations and provides peer review and coaching; ensures proper documentation of data analysis efforts (data sources, reporting specifications, tools, issue/problem resolutions).
• Interacts with community and research groups to communicate and interpret results and findings.
• Defines study methodology and executes statistical analysis methods in support of community and academic research projects.
• Develops spatial and non-spatial statistical models for inferential analysis, prediction, and data visualization.
• Creates maps and data visualizations.
• Develops reports containing descriptive and analytical content for both public and academic audiences.

General Responsibilities

• Performs complex data collection, data analysis, data management, literature research, technical writing, and reporting in support of research project(s); performs quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Ensures quality control of data and reports findings to federal and other agencies.
• Consults with faculty researchers and research staff and provides input on research project evaluations and research project designs.
• Writes various technical reports, journal articles, and/or develops presentations to disseminate and share research findings.
• Performs various analyses to ensures quality assurance of research findings (data quality, reports, etc.).
• Represents the department with regard to related research and participates in professional development activities and programs.
• Mentors and/or provides guidance to students, faculty, or other staff working on research project(s) through training in related aspects of research techniques and analysis as needed; may provide daily oversight to less experienced staff or student researchers.
• Provides additional research project support as needed

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Master's degree preferably in research-oriented field such as statistics, public health/policy analysis, etc.

Preferred

• Master's degree in an applied research-oriented civic field such public health, public policy, urban planning, demography, geography, sociology, or other social science.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 3 years in related field.

Preferred

• 1 year of project management experience and/or demonstrated success leading applied research initiatives with multiple team members.
• Experience in a community-oriented organization.
• 5 years of related professional experience.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Strong knowledge and ability to apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills.
• Familiarity with and openness to learn new qualitative and mixed methods.
• Knowledge and familiarity with various statistical software.

Preferred

• Strong quantitative analysis and statistical skills, including methodologies for regression modeling.
• Knowledge of appropriate statistical and data visualization software, such as R or Python.
• Demonstrated experience with ArcGIS software, or equivalent software such as QGIS or spatial libraries in R/Python.
• Demonstrated experience in applied community research projects.

Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

IU Indianapolis campus

Polis Center