Lead Researcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Posting #: 5700
Position Status: Full-time temporary
Location: San Diego
Position Type: Administrator, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies

Position Title & Department: Lead Researcher, JusticeForward Initiative; Kroc School of Peace Studies

Department Description: The Kroc School of Peace Studies trains the changemakers and peacebuilders of today and tomorrow. Kroc is the first stand-alone school of peace in the United States. Innovation in learning and programs is at the center of what we do and who we are. We combine theory and practice not just to understand crises and world issues, but also to imagine new possibilities and develop solutions to humanity’s urgent challenges from increasing inequality and violence to climate change. At Kroc, people discover new ways of building more peaceful and socially just communities through a multidisciplinary lens and experiential learning. We look for passionate individuals who believe in the power of university learning to transform the world for the better.

University Description: The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges .

Detailed Description: This is a full-time temporary, benefit-based position with a 30 month grant assignment.The appointment is renewable at the discretion of the University and dependent upon performance and continued funding.

The Lead Researcher for the JusticeForward initiative leads applied research, student-integrated learning, and public-facing dissemination for JusticeForward: Safer Students Workforce Initiative, a grant-funded workforce development and applied research initiative designed to strengthen pathways for justice-impacted students into careers within the justice sector.

Working under the direction of the Executive Director of the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice and in close collaboration with the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, the Lead Researcher is responsible for conducting and producing the core JusticeForward research deliverables required under the grant, including a barrier and opportunity scan, learning framework, midpoint and final reports, practical public-facing resources, and related scholarly, policy, or practitioner-oriented outputs.

The position integrates applied research, policy analysis, teaching, student mentorship, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination. The Lead Researcher will teach or co-teach a credit-bearing practicum course that embeds students in JusticeForward’s research, policy, and advocacy work. The position will help students contribute meaningfully to policy mapping, research brief development, stakeholder analysis, and the translation of findings into accessible practitioner-facing resources.

This is a fixed-term, grant-funded position. Eighty-Five percent of the role will be assigned to JusticeForward grant activities. The remaining 15% will support other IPJ research, teaching, evaluation, program development, or applied initiatives as assigned by the Executive Director.

Duties and Responsibilities: JusticeForward Applied Research and Knowledge Production

• Lead and manage IPJ’s JusticeForward research workstream under the direction of the Executive Director and in close coordination with the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation and relevant project partners.
• Conduct rigorous, ethical, and well-scoped applied research using appropriate quantitative, qualitative, policy, institutional, community-engaged, or mixed-methods approaches, drawing on relevant documents, stakeholder perspectives, student learning, partner experience, and other sources of evidence.
• Produce grant-required and project-related research, learning, and knowledge products that are responsive to project goals, partner needs, student learning, and implementation realities, including reports, briefs, scholarly or research-oriented outputs, public-facing resources, presentations, and other applied materials as needed.

Teaching, Practicum Design, and Student Mentorship

• Teach or co-teach credit-bearing practica that integrate students into JusticeForward research, policy, and dissemination work.
• Design and support structured student roles that contribute meaningfully to applied research, stakeholder engagement, practitioner-facing products, and other project needs.
• Mentor students engaged in JusticeForward-related research, practica, internships, presentations, or other applied learning activities, helping connect their project work to classroom learning, professional development, and justice-sector career pathways.

Dissemination, Stakeholder Engagement, and Research-to-Impact Translation

• Translate JusticeForward research findings into clear, actionable recommendations and public-facing products for relevant policy, practitioner, community, and higher education audiences.
• Collaborate with IPJ communications, grant, and leadership staff to ensure that JusticeForward research products are effectively edited, designed, shared, and positioned for practical use.
• Help maintain, develop, and expand external relationships that support JusticeForward research, stakeholder learning, dissemination.
• Support stakeholder engagement, convenings, presentations, briefings, publications, and other dissemination activities connected to the JusticeForward Initiative.

Broader IPJ Research, Program, and Institutional Support

• Contribute flexibly to other IPJ research, evaluation, teaching, public engagement, and program development activities as assigned by the Executive Director.
• Contribute to the growth of IPJ’s broader applied research and practice portfolio by supporting new initiatives that align with the Institute’s mission and have a plausible pathway to external support.
• Participate in the intellectual life of the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice and the Kroc School through internal meetings, public events, Kroc Pot discussions, faculty/staff conversations, and other relevant activities.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• This is a fixed-term, grant-funded position with an anticipated term of 30 months, contingent on continued grant funding and institutional approval.
• The role requires regular on-site presence at the University of San Diego; limited remote work may be permitted with prior approval and when compatible with business needs, but regular on-site presence is an essential expectation of the job.
• This role may include local travel to partner organizations, justice-sector agencies, community-based organizations, convenings, or research sites.
• Occasional domestic travel for conferences or professional events may be required.

Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.

Job Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree required in a relevant field such as peace and conflict studies, public policy, international relations, law, human rights, sociology, criminology, social work, education, political science, justice studies, public administration, or a closely related field.
• At least two (2) years of relevant professional experience in applied research, policy analysis, evaluation, teaching, higher education, community-engaged work, advocacy, public problem-solving, or related practice.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct applied research, policy analysis, evaluation, or community-engaged research, including the ability to gather, synthesize, and analyze information from documents, interviews, stakeholder consultations, literature, program data, or other relevant sources.
• Strong writing and analytical skills, including experience producing or contributing to research reports, policy briefs, literature reviews, evaluation products, public-facing writing, practitioner tools, grant deliverables, or other applied knowledge products.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple deadlines, coordinate across teams, and move complex projects from concept to completion.
• Ability to work respectfully and effectively with students, faculty, staff, community partners, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and people with lived experience of justice-system involvement or other forms of marginalization.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical, rigorous, and useful work in applied research, policy, practice, or public problem-solving.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Terminal degree preferred, such as PhD, JD, EdD, or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Direct experience working on issues related to criminal justice, reentry, collateral consequences, public safety, probation, corrections, diversion, restorative justice, community violence prevention, or justice-sector workforce pathways.
• Familiarity with San Diego County justice-sector agencies, community-based organizations, reentry programs, or higher education programs serving justice-impacted students.
• Experience conducting applied research activities such as stakeholder interviews, listening sessions, focus groups, policy scans, workforce pathway mapping, institutional analysis, or implementation-oriented research.
• Quantitative research skills, including experience with statistics, survey design, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation systems, or mixed-methods research.
• Experience developing applied research products such as policy briefs, public-facing reports, pathway maps, implementation guides, practitioner tools, scholarly publications, or other products intended for academic, practitioner, policy, or community audiences.
• Experience teaching, co-teaching, facilitating workshops, mentoring students, supervising student researchers, or supporting credit-bearing practica, field placements, research apprenticeships, policy clinics, or other forms of practice-based learning.
• Demonstrated ability or strong potential to produce peer-reviewed scholarship, law review articles, book chapters, or other academically credible publications from applied research, policy research, evaluation, or community-engaged research.

Performance Expectations- Knowledge, Skills andAbilities:

• Strong applied research and analytical skills, including the ability to organize complex information and identify practical implications for policy, practice, and institutional learning.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to translate research findings into clear products for academic, practitioner, policy, community, and public audiences.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, staff, external partners, public agencies, community organizations, and people with lived experience.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, coordinate deliverables, and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed work, professional integrity, and respectful engagement with colleagues, students, partners, and external stakeholders.

$6,667-$7,500 per month; Excellent Benefits
The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers. Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer. USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Note: External job postings will be up for at least three days. After that time, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.
The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.

Advertised: August 27, 2026 Pacific Daylight Time

Applications close: Open until filled

Notice of Availability: In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act), the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at www.sandiego.edu/safety/documents/annualreport.pdf . This report is published by October 1st of each year and includes current institutional policies and procedures concerning campus safety and security; fire safety and evacuation policies; sexual misconduct and relationship violence reporting and response stands and protocols; and crime and fire statistics for the three previous calendar years. To request a paper copy, please contact the Clery Act Compliance Manager via email at clery@sandiego.edu , by calling (619) 260-4768, or in-person in the Hughes Administration Center, room 150.