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Social Science Researcher Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

$91K - $116K/yr

Work with R&D and data science teams to perform exploration data analysis, identifying trends and ... financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and ...

Machine Learning R&D Co-Op

Marshalltown, IA · On-site

$91K - $116K/yr

Work with R&D and data science teams to perform exploration data analysis, identifying trends and ... financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and ...

Machine Learning R&D Co-Op

Marshalltown, IA · On-site

$91K - $116K/yr

Work with R&D and data science teams to perform exploration data analysis, identifying trends and ... financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and ...

Machine Learning R&D Co-Op

Marshalltown, IA · On-site

$91K - $116K/yr

Work with R&D and data science teams to perform exploration data analysis, identifying trends and ... financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and ...

Machine Learning R&D Co-Op

Marshalltown, IA · On-site

$91K - $116K/yr

Work with R&D and data science teams to perform exploration data analysis, identifying trends and ... financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and ...

Conduct user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform product decisions and ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or a related field (preferred, not ...

Conduct user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform product decisions and ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or a related field (preferred, not ...

Conduct user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform product decisions and ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or a related field (preferred, not ...

Conduct user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform product decisions and ... Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or a related field (preferred, not ...

Showing results 41-60

Social Science Researcher information

See Iowa salary details

$28.2K

$106.2K

$154.5K

How much do social science researcher jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for social science researcher in Iowa is $106,233.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $62,900.00 and $144,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a social science researcher?

A Social Science Researcher studies human behavior, societies, and institutions using qualitative and quantitative research methods. They gather and analyze data, conduct surveys, interview participants, and interpret trends to provide insights on social issues. Their work informs policies, academic studies, and organizational practices across various fields such as sociology, psychology, economics, and political science.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a social science researcher?

To thrive as a Social Science Researcher, you need strong analytical skills, knowledge of social science theories, and a relevant degree such as sociology, psychology, or political science. Familiarity with statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, R, or NVivo), data collection tools, and sometimes research ethics certification are typically required. Excellent written and verbal communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills help distinguish top performers in this role. These abilities are vital for designing rigorous studies, interpreting complex data, and effectively sharing findings with both academic and non-academic audiences.

What are the common challenges faced by social science researchers and how are they addressed?

Social Science Researchers often encounter challenges such as recruiting representative study participants, managing large or complex data sets, and navigating tight deadlines for grant-funded projects. Addressing these challenges usually involves close teamwork, proactive project planning, and regular communication with supervisors or collaborators. Many organizations also provide resources such as access to participant databases, collaboration with data analysts, or project management tools to help researchers succeed. By seeking support from mentors and actively engaging with peers, researchers can effectively overcome obstacles and make meaningful contributions to their field.

Do social science researchers make good money?

Social science researchers' salaries vary depending on experience, education, and employer, but they generally earn a median annual wage that is close to the national average for social science occupations. Advanced degrees and specialized skills, such as data analysis or statistical software proficiency, can lead to higher compensation. Salaries can also differ based on whether they work in academia, government, or private sectors.

What degree do you need to be a social science researcher?

A social science researcher typically needs at least a bachelor's degree in social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, or political science. Many roles require a master's degree or higher for advanced research positions, along with strong analytical skills and experience with research methods and statistical tools.
Infographic showing various Social Science Researcher job openings in Iowa as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Part Time. Highlights an 75% In-person, and 25% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,233 per year, or $51.1 per hour.

Data Scientist (Statistician) - Direct Hire

Criminal Investigation & Law Enforcement | IRS Careers

Cedar Rapids, IA • On-site

$125K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Identify and assess the validity and reliability of relevant data sources and retrieve structured and unstructured data for data science projects.

  • Clean, transform, combine, and integrate data from multiple sources to prepare data for analysis.

  • Apply data-mining process models and statistical methods to analyze data, evaluate results, and support program or business decisions.


Internal Revenue Service rating

7.3

Company rating: 7.3 out of 10

Based on 131 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

177th of 297 rated public sector bodies


Job description

WHAT IS LARGE BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONALDIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

  • Position is to be filled in the following area(s):
    • LBI - ADCCI - Assistant Deputy Commissioner Compliance Integration.


REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Qualifications:Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for this position, you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below:
BASIC REQUIREMENTS (IOR) ALL GRADES:
EDUCATION: A degree that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
OR
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Combination of education and experience includes courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.
AND
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-14: In addition to meeting basic requirements, to be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position includes:
  • Experience identifying and assessing the validity and reliability of relevant data sources and retrieving structured and unstructured data in multiple types and formats, including Extensible Markup Language (XML) files and large datasets, for use in data science projects.
  • Experience cleaning, transforming, combining, and integrating structured and unstructured data from multiple sources, including identifying and resolving missing values, outliers, and duplicate records, to prepare data for analysis.
  • Experience applying data-mining process models, including the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) or Sample, Explore, Modify, Model, Assess (SEMMA), to collect, prepare, analyze, and evaluate data during data science projects.
  • Experience applying statistical methods, probability, statistical inference, hypothesis testing, experimental design, forecasting, and sampling methods to analyze data, evaluate results, and support program or business decisions.
  • Experience developing and evaluating analytical and artificial intelligence models using machine learning, text analytics, natural language processing, large language models, graph theory, link analysis, optimization models, complex adaptive systems, or deep-learning neural networks.
  • Experience using programming languages, query languages, data-intelligence platforms, and data-storage technologies, including R, Python, Structured Query Language (SQL), Java, Databricks, Sybase, Oracle, or open-source databases, to retrieve, process, query, analyze, and integrate data during data science projects.
  • Experience planning, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating data science projects; reviewing technical deliverables for validity and reliability; and communicating analytical findings, model results, limitations, conclusions, and recommendations to technical and nontechnical stakeholders through written products, presentations, graphs, tables, charts, or business-intelligence products.

AND
You must also meet the following requirements:
  • MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old, or at least 16 years old and have:
    • Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or
    • Completed a formal vocational training program; or
    • Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.Education:A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.
We recommend choosing an evaluator from a member organization of one of the following national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).Employment Type: OTHER

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