Research and Data Coordinator

The Stanford Center on Early Childhood, an initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, seeks a full time Research & Data Coordinator (RDC) to join our team. This position will be responsible for implementing study protocols (e.g. data collection and participant engagement) as well as data management (e.g. data processing, cleaning, and quality control). Note: This position is a 1-year fixed term appointment that may be renewed based on performance and funding. This position is eligible for a remote work agreement and limited travel may be required for convenings and events. Interested applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter describing why they are interested in this position at this stage of their career. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

ABOUT US

Housed at Stanford Graduate School of Education, the Stanford Accelerator for Learning (SAL) is a research hub that connects experts from the sciences, medicine, engineering, law, and humanities to expedite learning solutions for all learners. The first university-wide initiative to connect Stanford scholars across disciplines with external partners in the field, SAL bridges research, innovation, practice, and policy to achieve true system change. SAL is currently focused on six areas of research that show high need and high promise for transformational change. These areas include digital learning, early childhood education, learning differences, equity in learning, policy and systems change, and adult and workforce learning.The Stanford Center on Early Childhood (SCEC) is an initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. The SCEC leverages the current moment of revolutionary science and fosters deep omnidirectional collaboration across sectors, seeking to change the way that research in early childhood is conducted, communicated, and utilized, with the overarching goal that each and every child thrives from the start. 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Stanford Center on Early Childhood seeks a full time Research & Data Coordinator (RDC) to work with Professor Philip Fisher and his team on the Continuous Improvement and Rapid Cycle Learning and Evaluation (CIRCLE) team, which delivers high-quality technical assistance and serves as a full evaluator to a wide range of partners across the ECE field – including community-based organizations, governmental agencies, and philanthropic funders – through a collaborative process of rapid cycle research that centers equity and community engagement. CIRCLE’s robust approach to learning and evaluation is based on continuous improvement, with the goal of moving beyond saying whether programs "work” and instead identifying “how,” “what,” and “for whom” the programs are working. This role will work under the oversight of the Director of Learning and Evaluation and collaboratively with the other members of the CIRCLE team to support Research Coordination and Data Management activities for the CIRCLE team.The RDC will be responsible for Research Coordination duties including building and administering online surveys, conducting and supporting participant interviews, data processing and cleaning, processing participant payments, and overall study administration activities. The RDC will incorporate new measures into data collection instruments, administer and collect data, and prepare those data for analysis. The RDC will also be responsible for study operation logistics, including managing participant payments, recruitment and scheduling calls, and other communications. The RDC will also perform Data Management activities, including supporting all matters related to processing, management, and storage of CIRCLE data. This work will include performing quality control checks, implementing solutions to maintain data accuracy and organization, adding variables and adapting the structure of datasets and the overall team’s data library as it continuously grows, and maintaining documentation of all data cleaning, quality control, and data management protocols. The RDC will perform these data-related tasks based on the SCEC’s existing Manual of Procedures and will receive support with adapting or developing any new processes as needed.Strong organizational skills, ability to handle multiple priorities, and excellent orientation to details are vital to success in this position.The project is based at Stanford University but is carried out remotely; candidates who are not local are encouraged to apply. We encourage candidates with diverse experience and backgrounds to apply.

This position does not have any direct supervision responsibilities. This is a one-year fixed-term position.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Plan and perform research tasks requiring initiative and judgment by applying basic knowledge and understanding of scientific theory when precedents do not provide specific guidance. General instruction provided by the supervisor as needed. May interpret study results in collaboration with supervisor or PI.
• Participate in the development and administration of survey instruments and protocols  requiring judgment in applying non-routine procedures. Analyze and summarize results for review with the supervisor. Audit the accuracy and validity of data.
• Review and audit data forms for completion and accuracy with source documents, and ensure compliance with research protocols.
• Identify, select, extract and summarize data and structured information. Present summary of findings to supervisor.
• Conduct literature searches, and write literature summaries and manuscripts, requiring preliminary judgments after the supervisor outlines conceptual approach.
• Build and organize data as requested by principal investigator or supervisor; use common statistical programs requiring the application of job control language in generating and organizing data.
• Adapt new, nonstandard methods outlined by the supervisor in designing and evaluating phases of research projects, (i.e., educational materials, questionnaires, strategies for recruitment, data quality control procedures and processes). May follow up with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure renewals are approved and completed, seeking guidance where necessary.
• Assist with development, communication and design of research findings to internal and external audiences, which may include web updates, social media, and/or white papers, for use in recruitment, educational, or awareness of programs, with guidance from supervisor.
• Communicate effectively with community research participants to facilitate recruitment, completion of data collection activities including surveys, focus groups, and interviews, payment processing, and any necessary problem-solving at any stage of the research.