Senior Applied Researcher

Temporary Full-Time Position (5-Month Duration)

Location:

Washington State – Hybrid Work Environment

SJI is a nonprofit organization deeply committed to supporting people from under-invested communities in building sustainable careers. We do this through local career-connected training programs and workforce development initiatives, as well as research, evaluation, and technical assistance for organizations nationwide. We center lived experiences in our approach, using what we learn to inform workforce systems that are more responsive, supportive, and effective for all.

We are seeking a Senior Applied Researcher to join our Research, Data, and Design (RDD) team in a full-time, temporary role with an anticipated five-month duration. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on how state government partners use data to improve services, measure outcomes, and align programs to participant and community needs.

• Lead and support quantitative components of applied research, technical assistance, and evaluation projects
• Analyze survey, administrative, program, or public datasets to identify trends, gaps, and actionable insights; generate crosstabs, visualizations, and reproducible workflows in R
• Develop dashboards, metrics, and tools that help partners use data effectively
• Contribute to qualitative research, including interviews, focus groups, and co-design activities
• Conduct ROI analyses and participate in policy- or workforce-focused research projects
• Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to diverse audiences

In your first month, you’ll get oriented to RDD’s ways of working, active projects, and partner contexts, while contributing immediately to ongoing survey and/or quantitative analyses and priority deliverables.

In months two and three, you’ll continue contributing across projects, collaborating with teammates and partners on dashboards, reports, and data improvement guides, supporting qualitative research, and producing partner-facing deliverables.

We are seeking someone with strong quantitative skills who enjoys mixed methods research and is energized by working on a small team that values collaboration, co-design, and a focus on developing practical solutions. You are:

• Able to apply a human-centered, equity-focused lens to your work
• Adaptable, patient, and resourceful, willing to roll up your sleeves and figure things out
• Attentive to context, taking the time to understand partners’ data structures, processes, and capacity to inform meaningful analyses and improvements

• Relevant education and/or experience in economics, statistics, public policy, education, social science, or a related field (typically 3+ years of research experience)
• Strong foundation in statistics and quantitative methods, with the ability to apply them flexibly to research, evaluation, and improvement projects
• High proficiency in R and Excel; experience with reproducible workflows and version control (Git/Git Hub)
• Experience developing dashboards and visualizations (Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools)
• Interest in contributing to qualitative and policy research
• Strong communication and organizational skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal teams, external partners, and non-technical audiences, and to present complex ideas clearly in writing
• Ability to travel occasionally

• Experience in workforce development, education, social services, or related policy areas
• Experience with economic or financial modeling in education, workforce development, or apprenticeship programs
• Familiarity with labor market data, public benefits programs, or employment/training systems
• Familiarity with additional analytical and collaboration tools (e.g., Mural, mockup/prototyping software)

Using research, data analysis, and human-centered design, the RDD team collaborates with government, higher education, and non-profit partners to strengthen programs and systems that serve communities. We envision a world where…