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Senior Research Associate - Center on Victimization and Safety, Vera Institute of Justice, Washington, DC or New York, NY

Posted: Friday, December 19, 2014


The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit organization that combines expertise in research, technical assistance, and demonstration projects to assist leaders in government and civil society examine justice policy and practice, and improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety. Vera has offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, and its projects and reform initiatives, typically conducted in partnership with local, state, or national officials, are located across the United States and around the world. Vera is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace.

Vera's Center on Victimization and Safety (CVS) is seeking an experienced social science researcher with excellent skills in research design and quantitative and/or qualitative methods. Experience with mixed methods is a plus. Experience working in the victimization field is a requirement (especially domestic and sexual violence). Experience conducting research among people with disabilities and Deaf people preferred is a plus, as is experiencing working with minors.

The Center on Victimization and Safety

Vera's Center on Victimization and Safety (CVS) works with communities to develop services that reach, appeal to, and benefit all victims. CVS's work focuses on communities of people who are at elevated risk of harm but often marginalized from victim services and the criminal justice system. The Center combines research, technical assistance, and training to help policymakers and practitioners close gaps and ensure all victims have access to services and justice options designed to meet their unique needs. A cornerstone of CVS's work is its commitment to creating equal access for crime victims with disabilities and Deaf crime victims.

Current CVS research projects include a National Institute of Justice-funded study, conducted in partnership with a large district attorney's office, which examines criminal justice responses to and help-seeking patterns of diverse sexual assault survivors with disabilities. With support from the Office on Violence Against Women, CVS researchers also are developing performance indicators for disability and domestic violence organizations and rape crisis centers to measure progress toward improving services for people with disabilities and Deaf individuals who have experienced domestic or sexual violence. A particular focus is increasing the capacity for and use of research and evaluation in the field to benefit victims and enhance the effectiveness of services.

Empirical research is a core component of Vera's data-led approach to reforming justice systems and underpins much of the Institute's work. Vera's applied research combines quantitative, qualitative, and ethnographic approaches, including exploratory studies, assessments of the impact of policies or practices, creation and validation of tools to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery and assessments, and projects that add to understanding the scope of a problem and system responses. Vera's Research Department consists of 25 researchers working in close collaboration with program staff and community partners. Areas of staff expertise include: criminology/criminal justice, justice systems, detention/incarceration, youth justice, victimization, trauma, mental health, substance abuse, immigration, and human trafficking.

Role and Responsibilities

Working closely with CVS's Director and Vera's Senior Fellow, this Senior Research Associate will assume a lead role in CVS's research work, providing supervision and support to CVS research staff, overseeing studies, and leading the development of the research strategy for the Center. The candidate must have strong social science research methods, writing, and presentation skills. They will be responsible for completing two existing research studies and leading the development of research proposals for future work, and must have the qualifications and experience to serve as principle or co-principal investigator on federal research studies. The successful candidate will work closely with funders, policy-makers, and practitioners in the field of victimization and will collaborate internally with research and program staff. This position will report to Vera's Research Director.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee and manage CVS research studies
  • Lead the development of a research agenda for CVS
  • Work with CVS research and program staff to develop new studies that address the program's areas of strategic focus and advance the research agenda
  • Design research methods and write competitive grant proposals
  • Manage and ensure the timely completion of multiple projects
  • Produce a range of written documents, including technical research reports and academic papers, as well as guides and brief reports on project findings for non-research audiences and funders
  • Present study findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences
  • Mentor, supervise, and support the career development of CVS research staff
  • Work collaboratively with research and program staff from across Vera's centers and programs
  • Represent Vera/CVS at external events
  • Collaborate with policymakers and practitioners in the victim services, disability, and other related fields

Qualifications

  • At least seven-years work experience with an advanced degree in sociology, criminal justice, criminology, public policy, or a related discipline. A Ph.D. is strongly preferred
  • Expertise in the field of victimization (e.g., child abuse, teen dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking)   
  • Experience working in applied research settings, criminal justice, and victim services settings a plus
  • Experience writing and securing grant funding
  • A track record of published research
  • Relevant research experience, including a combination of:

o   Survey construction
o   Use of statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS) to conduct multivariate quantitative analyses
o   Managing administrative datasets
o   Conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups 

  • Excellent writing and presentation skills for research and non-research audiences
  • Interest in working with program and research staff in Vera's strongly collaborative, multi-disciplinary  environment
  • Ability to work effectively with a diverse array of people and positions, including government officials, criminal justice system personnel, practitioners, people with disabilities, and survivors of crime
  • An understanding of human subjects and field-based considerations for projects involving marginalized people
  • Experience conducting research on issues related to people with disabilities and interviewing underserved populations and survivors of crime strongly preferred
  • Willingness to travel

Salary 
Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits.

To Apply
Please submit cover letter and comprehensive resume two sole or first author writing samples. No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.  Please use only one method of submission (online, mail or fax).

http://vera.theresumator.com/apply/zlEGDv/Senior-Research-Associate.html

If necessary, materials may be mailed or faxed to:

ATTN: Human Resources / CVS Senior Research Associate recruitment
Vera Institute of Justice
233 Broadway, 12th Flr.
New York, NY 10279
Fax: (212) 941-9407


Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or citizenship status.  To do our work most effectively, Vera needs a staff with diversity in all of these categories, as well as in political beliefs, field of study, type of educational institution attended, and experience with the justice system.  We are proud to have assembled a staff that collectively embodies all these differences.

 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.