Research Associate III

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The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 “Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For” by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

Position Summary

Under the general direction and supervision of the Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation, the Research Associate III will provide research and evaluation support on scientific research and evaluation projects, carrying out the best and most efficient methods to complete assigned work as part of the Public Health Institute’s (PHI) Center for Wellness and Nutrition (CWN).

CWN’s vision is for a healthy nation where wellness is achievable for all individuals and communities, and its mission is to build capacity and leadership in communities and institutions to make optimal health accessible for all. PHI CWN’s work falls within the four primary areas of training, education, research and evaluation, and advocacy, all of which use a health equity framework to variously address the priority areas of increasing access to and consumption of healthier foods, with a focus on fruits and vegetables; decreasing consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages and increasing consumption of water; increasing physical activity and preventing obesity and chronic diet related illnesses.

The Research Associate III supports evaluation projects working with project managers to meet the needs of clients in conducting quantitative and qualitative evaluations. In this role, the RAIII cleans, codes, and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data, and assists with preparing scientific reports, technical reports, manuscripts, and other work products to document and disseminate findings. It is important for this employee to develop and maintain a knowledge base and stay current on rules guidance, principles, resources/tools, and such, governing or integral to current and new focus areas of CWN work.

Location:  CWN is located in Sacramento, CA. This is a remote-hybrid position, meaning that while the position is largely remote there will be occasions when the incumbent will be required to participate in in-person meetings, conferences, and activities in the Sacramento office or external venues on an as-needed basis.  Candidates based in the greater Sacramento area are preferred, but consideration will be given to candidates who are outside of the area.

This is a regular full-time position.

Starting Pay:  The salary range for this position is $62,968 to $90,167 per year. The typical hiring range for this position is $62,968 to $76,568 based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and experience.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Participate in in-person meetings, conferences, and activities in the Sacramento office or external venues on an as-needed basis.

30%   Collaborates on evaluation projects. Assists with planning and monitoring formative, process, and/or outcome/impact evaluation projects related to local-level nutrition interventions, either direct education and/or policy, systems              and environmental (PSE) change; assists in preparation of Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications for human subjects approval of evaluation projects; assists with data collection and data entry; provides basic quantitative                  and qualitative data and interpretation, with guidance as needed.

25%    Conducts analysis of data including cleaning and coding of quantitative and qualitative data. Completes data analysis, creates data visualizations, such as tables, graphs and charts for reports and presentations.

25%    Assists with preparing evaluation findings for dissemination including statewide annual reports, evaluation reports, research briefs, evaluation webinars, program implication and recommendation summaries, and fact sheets, as                  well as manuscripts for publication; creates, proofs, and edits graphics and documents for reports and slide presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel).

15%    Supports nationwide technical assistance for Public Health organizations by responding to inquiries about research and evaluation best practices and providing related data and resources.

5%      Performs other duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3 years of relevant research and evaluation experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in science or quantitative field, or substitute with 4 additional years of relevant experience.

Other Required Qualifications

• Experience demonstrating strong skills in qualitative analysis.
• Experience with quantitative research and proficiency in SAS or SPSS, or R.
• Thorough knowledge of USDA SNAP-ED reporting requirements and evaluation framework is required to develop and support applicable data collection systems and to provide training and technical assistance to local agencies.
• Demonstrated abilities of independent work, scientific reasoning, and experience producing of written reports and/or scientific publications.
• Strong analytical, mathematical, and quantitative skills.
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to participate in in-person meetings, conferences, and activities in the Sacramento office or external venues on an as-needed basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluent in Spanish language.
• Master’s degree, either MPH or MS in social sciences, nutrition, public health, health promotion or closely related field, with graduate level coursework in statistics and research methods.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

EEO Statement

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

ADA Statement:

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.

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We’re so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at Recruitment@phi.org.

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