This role bridges applied research and public policy, translating data into actionable solutions at the federal, state, local, and institutional levels. The position reports to the Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy and will become a key member of a three-person policy and advocacy team.

The Policy & Research Analyst will maintain a comprehensive understanding of the higher education policy landscape, analyze and communicate about newly available federal, state, and institutional data and research findings affecting student basic needs and college affordability, and contribute to the overall development and advancement of The Hope Center’s policy initiatives and priorities.  While the position will be mostly focused on federal policy impacting students’ basic needs and college affordability, the candidate will also help to expand the Center’s capacity to track state policy trends, practices, and data.

The position is ideal for an early-to-mid career analyst or policy specialist with an interest in higher education and student basic needs, and experience with graduate-level statistics or equivalent skills to interpret quantitative research.

The successful candidate will possess demonstrated knowledge of and interest in higher education or anti-poverty policy and/or research, experience with basic analysis of higher education policy and data, and the ability to analyze and interpret academic research findings for non-technical audiences

The successful candidate will possess a master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, public administration, political science, education, or another related field, as well as a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in policy analysis, research analysis, legislative affairs, or related fields. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered (e.g. 4-5 years relevant professional experience).

• Conduct data analytic work (including but not limited to data cleaning, extraction, coding and statistical programming) for a grant funded project focused on using regression discontinuity design to study the impact of a state policy on community college student outcomes
• Conduct data analytic work (i.e. data cleaning, merging survey and institutional data, data analysis, and interpretation) for a grant funded project focused on community college students in STEM
• Contribute to survey administration, data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation for The Hope Center Student Basic Needs Survey
• Navigate Temple’s IRB process for human subjects research as well as external data use agreements
• Translate complex research findings for multiple audiences (e.g., researchers, practitioners, and policymakers)
• Help prepare deliverables for funders (e.g., technical reports, white papers, one-pager for non-technical audience, professional conference presentations and academic publications)
• Deliver presentations, seminars, and media interviews as needed
• Contribute rigorous research methodology expertise to drafting center wide proposals

The successful candidate will possess a keen interest in conducting research with postsecondary student populations, particularly those that are underrepresented. The successful candidate will also be able to demonstrate strong writing and applied quantitative research skills, including knowledge of experimental and/or quasi-experimental research designs in applied settings. Prior programming experience, particularly in R, Stata, and/or Python for at least three years, is required.

The successful candidate will possess a PhD in economics, sociology/demography, political science, psychology, statistics, educational policy, or a related field, as well as a minimum of 2-3 years of relevant experience in conducting applied quantitative and survey research, as well as analyzing and interpreting the results. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.