Remote Human Rights Researcher Jobs in Des Plaines, IL

Currently, we are looking for researchers to join ourvibrant and growing Human Services department. This position supports projectteams within the department and across the company in the planning andexecution of projects for clients such as, the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, state and local agencies, and Foundations and nonprofits.Mathematica is seeking researchers who are excited to solve complex policy andprogrammatic challenges in ways that are evidence- and data-driven, and who canagilely adapt to an evolving policy and technology landscape. The role includesproviding technical assistance focused on evaluation and program improvement toorganizations serving families, youth, and adults; designing and carrying outresearch and evaluation, advising on strategy and policy, and linking and usingdata to answer complex policy-relevant questions. This role is primarilyfocused on programs designed to improve child welfare related outcomes forchildren and families. We will consider candidates with substantive expertisein a range of human services programs and policies, including child welfare,TANF, employment, early childhood, family strengthening, economic mobility, andrelated topics.

The type of work we do includes activities such as:

• Providing evaluation technical assistance to help grantees maintain high-quality impact and descriptive study designs and develop clear, and specific performance measures.
• Improving child welfare outcomes for children and families, with an emphasis on strategies to increase permanency and enhance the safety of children who are at risk of out-of-home placements.
• Using predictive analytics to improve outcomes for children and families.
• Conducting systematic reviews to determine the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and policies, and practices across a range of populations and policy areas.
• Building evidence around effective strategies for helping individuals with low incomes find and sustain employment.
• Evaluating and providing technical assistance to states implementing TANF Pilots.
• Evaluating and supporting competency-based professional development approaches for the infant and toddler workforce.
• Enhancing and supporting the data analytic capacity of state child welfare and Medicaid agencies to improve the delivery of services.
• Designing and implementing a nationally representative study of supports for family stability in Head Start.
• Advising workforce development programs and state TANF agencies on evidence-based ways to increase program engagement and learn, innovate, and improve.
• Evaluating programs that provide coaching for populations with barriers to employment.

Duties may include:

• Providing technical assistance to programs serving youth and families to build evaluation capacity, use data, support continuous quality improvement, or engage in rapid cycle evaluation.
• Learning and applying new methods, tools, and technologies, including AI-enabled tools, data visualization platforms, and emerging analytic approaches.
• Designing rigorous mixed-methods evaluations, including primary and secondary data collection.
• Assessing the strength of study designs and summarizing large and diverse sets of existing research through systematic evidence reviews and meta-analyses.
• Applying innovative research approaches and advanced statistical methods to answer policy-relevant questions.
• Working with data scientists to link and analyze administrative data.
• Guiding program staff and policymakers in the use of evidence to make decisions about program selection and adaptation.
• Synthesizing and presenting data in accessible formats for a variety of audiences, including writing briefs, reports, blogs, and articles; and developing interactive data dashboard and visualizations.