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Research*Assistant*
Job*Title:*Research!Assistant**!!!!
Location:*Washington,!DC*
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Department:*Research!*
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Reports*To:*Senior!Research!Staff!*
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JOB*SUMMARY*
The!Police!Foundation!is!national!non:profit!non:partisan!organization!that,!consistent!with!its!
commitment!to!improve!policing,!has!been!on!the!cutting!edge!of!police!innovation!for!over!40!years.!!!
The!Police!Foundation’s!work!is!informed!by!available!evidence,!to!increase!public!safety!and!
strengthen!communities.!The!!professional!staff!at!the!Police!Foundation!work!closely!with!law!
enforcement,!judges,!prosecutors,!defense!attorneys,!and!victim!advocates,!to!develop!research,!!
comprehensive!reports,!policy!briefs,!model!policies,!and!innovative!programs!that!will!continue!to!
support!the!work!of!law!enforcement!(police!&!sheriffs)!personnel.!!!The!Police!Foundation!conducts!
innovative!research!and!provides!on:the:ground!technical!assistance!to!police!and!sheriff’s!
departments!as!well!as!engages!practitioners!from!multiple!systems!(corrections,!mental!health,!
housing,!etc.),!and!local,!state!and!federal!jurisdictions!as!it!relates!to!police!research,!policy!and!
practice.$$!
The!Research!Assistant!will!work!to!support!on!a!variety!of!projects!aimed!to!enhance!and!measure!the!
impact!of!public!safety!and!criminal!justice!operations,!initiatives,!and!practices.!These!projects!include!
the!conceptualization!of!research!designs!and!methodologies!as!well!as!the!statistical!analysis!of!
criminal!justice!policies!and!programs.!We!are!seeking!individuals!who!possess!a!strong!public!policy!
background,!an!interest!in!data!analysis,!and!a!desire!to!enhance!their!research!skills.!!
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ESSENTIAL*DUTIES*&*RESPONSIBILITIES*
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!! Supports!with!the!Principal!investigator(s)!or!senior!staff!to!ensure!assigned!project!
milestones/deliverables!are!reached!on!time!and!within!budget!(primary!
responsibility!of!Principal!Investigator!(PI)!or!Project!Director);!
!! Under!the!direction!of!the!PI!and!Senior!Staff!supports!troubleshooting!and!research!
related!problems!(such!as!data!collection!methods,!IRB!concerns!etc.)!that!could!
potentially!risk!the!integrity!of!the!research!findings!and/or!timely!completion!of!major!
project!milestones;!
!! Supports!the!efficient!coordination!of!data!collection,!fieldwork,!and!survey!development,!
dissemination,!and!tracking/follow:up!for!various!projects;!
!! Assists!in!the!facilitation!of!community!forums!and!police!department!focus!group!
meetings!associated!with!relevant!projects!or!programs.!
!! Performing!library!research!on!specified!topics!and!synthesizes!material!in!the!form!of!
bibliographies,!abstracts,!memorandum!and!reports,!according!to!instructions;!!
!! Conducts!literature!reviews!as!directed!by!research!staff;!!!
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The$Police$Foundation$is$Affirmative$Action/Equal$Employment$Opportunity$Employer!!!
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!! Tabulating!and/or!maintains!collected!data!by!means!of!coding!or!organizing!data!into!tables!
or!graphs;!!
!! Processing!data!from!tapes!or!other!sources!of!large!data!sets!using!statistical!analysis!
software!such!as!SAS!or!SPSS;!!
!! Analyzing!primary!and!secondary!data!using!basic!statistical!methods;!
!! Administering!structured!surveys!(telephone,!written,!computer:assisted,!and!in:person!
interviews)!for!projects!requiring!primary!data!collection;!
!! Managing!research!project!timelines;!
!! Other!duties!may!be!assigned!by!the!supervisor.! !
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SKILLS*&*ABILITIES*
!! Personally!committed!to!advancing!the!Police!Foundation!values,!mission,!goals!and!programs,!
with!an!understanding!of!a!range!of!criminal!justice!issues!and!their!implications;!
!! Excellent!research,!writing,!and!editing!skills!and!an!analytical!mind;!
!! Understanding!of!policing!and!criminal!justice!issues;!!!
!! Computers!skills!(Word,!Excel,!PowerPoint,!Access,!Microsoft!Outlook,!Windows!XP,!Word!
Perfect,!Internet,!SPSS,!etc.);!!
!! Strong!quantitative!skills!and!good!writing!ability!are!a!must;!!
!! Strong!project!management!skills!and!attention!to!detail;!
!! Willingness!to!travel;!
!! Bilingual!abilities!are!a!plus.!
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EXPERIENCE*REQUIREMENTS*
!! BA!required!in!or!related!to!the!field!of!criminal!justice!or!sociology,!or!related!field.!!
!! Prior!research!assistant!experience!or!a!research!related!internship!is!preferred.!!
!! Data!collection!and!analysis!experience,!as!well!as!basic!knowledge!of!SAS,!SPSS,!or!related!
software!is!a!plus.!
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APPLICATION*INSTRUCTIONS:*Interested!individuals!should!upload!the!following!elements!to!Via!Email!
(jobs@policefoundation.org)!
Résumé!
Cover!letter!
Salary!History!!
Two!Writing!Samples!
Names!and!contact!information!for!references!(at!least!two)!!
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*****Incomplete*applications*will*not*be*considered*****!