Research Associate
Research and Data Processing
Measures for Justice
Location: Full Time - Rochester, NY
Measures for Justice is a non-partisan, fast-paced, entrepreneurial non-profit on a mission to make good criminal justice data available and actionable to spur reform. While we do not advocate for any specific reforms, we do work to make change possible by increasing system transparency, trust, and accountability. We’ve got world class criminal justice data and technology chops. And a culture that demands excellence, rigor and people who like to make good ideas come to life.
To make it happen, we deploy three strategies:
We show people what criminal justice looks like across the country via our free, interactive Data Portal;
We help standardize and improve criminal justice data via work on the state and national level;
We help put criminal justice data to work with tools, services, and research.
Since 2011, we have pioneered a methodology to compare how different justice systems perform on the county level and led the charge to improve county-level criminal justice data. We have strong support from prominent philanthropists, in particular from leading technology entrepreneurs and criminal justice foundations from both sides of the aisle, across the country, as well as from system practitioners and policymakers nationwide.
The Job
As a Research Associate on the Research and Data Processing Team at MFJ, you will report to the Director of Research and Data Processing and will be responsible for helping MFJ develop a system to measure the performance of local criminal justice delivery. Research Associates clean and standardize the diverse datasets that fuel MFJ’s different tools, reports, products, and projects, including the national Data Portal and Commons sites for criminal justice institutions across the country.
What You Will Do
Entering, cleaning, and coding complex state and local criminal justice datasets, some of which may directly relate to specific grants or evaluation projects.
Performing data analysis, as pertinent to the creation of the Measures for Justice and criminal justice system performance measurement.
Writing data management reports and fact sheets to return to the data providers as they relate to the state and local criminal justice datasets that have been completed and included in the online data Portal.
Collaborating with other research team members to answer data management issues as they arise, and contributing to the standard operating procedures.
Communicating with data sources, where necessary, to ensure MFJ’s understanding of the datafiles and documentation.
Collaborating with senior researchers and the Data Engineering team to create approaches that help automate the data cleaning processes.
Using a variety of research and analytical methods to model the MFJ data to answer specific research questions.
Any other research tasks as needed.
About You
Extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system or research in the field.
A graduate degree in criminal justice, criminology, or a related field. In lieu of graduate education, a Bachelor’s degree along with substantial (2 years) related work experience may be considered.
Experience working with quantitative data, including the management of large data sets, data entry, or criminal justice case management systems.
Experience with statistical software packages (SPSS experience preferred).
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Next Steps
Apply here: https://app.trinethire.com/companies/32198-measures-for-justice/jobs/46343-research-associate-research-and-data-processing
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
MFJ is committed to equity and inclusion. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and a casual work environment. Our office is wheelchair accessible.
It is the policy of Measures for Justice to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Measures for Justice will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the hiring process, please contact Jill Wesley at jill.wesley@measuresforjustice.org