Career Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in career opportunities with the University of Chicago Urban Labs! Urban Labs has a strong commitment to using science in service of cities to improve the quality of urban life. We regularly seek out passionate, data-oriented, public service minded individuals to join our team.
For more information on Urban Labs' career opportunities, culture and recruiting process, please see the frequently asked question section below.
Current Opportunities
Crime & Education Labs
- Job Title: Data Project Associate
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Requisition Number: JR20719
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Data Project Associate with strong technical skills to work on large-scale social policy research projects designed to reduce crime and improve educational outcomes. The analyst will work on a portfolio of projects across a variety of areas that span both criminal justice and education. This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and government agency staff, as well as an experienced team of data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers from the Chicago office.
- Job Title: Analytics Manager (Data Analytics)
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Requisition Number: JR20784
The UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking an experienced Analytics Manager (Data Analytics) with strong technical skills to work on large-scale social policy experiments designed to test the effectiveness of youth violence prevention and educational interventions. The Analytics Manager will work on a small portfolio of analytic projects across the areas of both criminal justice and education, develop and manage processes and procedures for collaborative data access and use, support broader organizational development activities, and manages other analysts. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers, at the University of Chicago and NYC-area universities, local city agency staff, as well as a team of administrative staff, other analysts, research managers, and student research assistants.
- Job Title: Research Analyst
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Requisition Number: JR20398
The UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking Research Analysts with strong technical skills to work on large-scale social policy research projects designed to reduce crime and improve educational outcomes. The analyst will work on a portfolio of projects across a variety of areas that span both criminal justice and education. The successful candidate will have experience in applying a variety of statistical modeling and data analysis techniques to datasets in real-world settings. From project inception to delivery, the Research Analyst will contribute to all facets of data collection and cleaning, model development, and implementation. This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and NYC-area universities, local city agency staff, as well as a team of administrative staff, other analysts, research managers, and student research assistants. This position is part of the analyst career ladder at the Crime Lab and Education Lab. Research Analysts can grow their career and skills to a senior role as an Analytics Manager.
- Job Title: Research Manager
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Associate Director, Operations
- Requisition Number: JR20299
The Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Research Manager to work on large-scale social policy experiments designed to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of youth violence preventions and interventions. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and NYC-area universities, as well as a team of administrative staff, other project staff, research analysts, and student research assistants.
- Job Title: Project Associate (Project Management)
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Senior Research Manager
- Requisition Number: JR20291
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Project Associate with strong project management skills. This position requires an individual who is able to work as part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and government agency staff, as well as an experienced team of analysts, data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers.
- Job Title: Associate Managing Director
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Managing Director
- Requisition Number: JR21472
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab is seeking an Associate Managing Director to support the leadership team with the strategic planning and development of the Crime Lab and Education Lab. This individual will work with the Leadership Team to establish a people strategy that prioritizes organizational culture throughout the unit.
- Job Title: Senior Director, Data and Analytics
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Managing Director
- Requisition Number: JR21471
Data is central to the work we do at the Crime Lab and Education Lab and the Senior Director, Data and Analytics will have primary responsibility for maintaining and improving our practices across the entire lifecycle of our data: beginning with the process of acquiring data from our partners, continuing through storage in our secure IT environment, and culminating in generating final results based on that data. Critically, this role will ensure the security and scientific integrity of the data throughout the process.
The Senior Director, Data and Analytics will oversee the leaders of our data analysts, data acquisitions team, and IT team who each have vital roles in the lifecycle of our data to ensure the smooth functioning of each group and to enable more ambitious changes that require cooperation across the groups.
- Job Title: Research Director
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Managing Director
- Requisition Number: JR21219
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab is seeking a full-time Research Director to contribute scientific and intellectual leadership to the organization and our work. The primary role of the Research Director is to direct a portfolio of research projects in association with faculty members and research teams, focused on reducing crime and violence and improving education performance and attainment of other life outcomes for disadvantaged youth in addition to facilitating technical assistance work for government partners and strategic partners. In this role, the Research Director will provide scientific direction on all projects, ensure the rigor and quality of work, manage and mentor research and project staff, and help to set and contribute to organizational priorities. The Research Director will report to the Managing Director and work collaboratively with senior faculty members at the University of Chicago and elsewhere, other research directors, and with partner agencies. The Research Director will contribute to the scientific content of research proposals and will assist the M.D. and other faculty affiliates in supporting fundraising, dissemination, and policymaker outreach activities. The Research Director will also contribute to strategic conversations about which new projects and initiatives the Crime Lab and Education Lab should take on. Career advancement for research directors usually takes one of two paths; increasingly ambitious project portfolios and leadership roles within the Crime Lab and Education Lab, or a faculty position elsewhere; previous research directors have taken tenure track positions at institutions like Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Maryland.
- Job Title: Program Manager, CVI Leadership Academy
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Director of Programs
- Requisition Number: JR21220
The University of Chicago Crime Lab is seeking a Program Manager, CVI Leadership Academy to join the team! The Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) at the Community Safety Leadership Academy (CSLA) will focus on deepening the leadership and management practices of CVI leaders, enabling them to more effectively coordinate and implement CVI strategies and advance the field. Housed at the University of Chicago, the CSLA will include both the CVI Leadership Academy and the Policing Leadership Academy and will offer multidisciplinary and complementary curricula. The CVILA will be held at the University but is open to CVI leaders from across the country. Over six months and drawing on the expertise of leaders and the lessons learned through evidenced-based CVI programs such as READI Chicago, the CVILA will help prepare the next generation of CVI leaders on issues like staff management and retention, data use, program administration, and innovation. Throughout the program students will receive classroom instruction, participate in immersive experiences, complete a capstone project, and receive personal and professional development support.
The Program Manager has a unique opportunity to collaborate with diverse stakeholders across the field of community violence intervention to launch and manage a new leadership and management academy. The Program Manager is responsible for ensuring project deliverables are completed according to both internal and stakeholder timelines by developing and executing project plans, identifying and mitigating project risks, facilitating communication, and assisting with administrative and logistical tasks.
- Job Title: Embedded Analyst
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Director of Data and Analytics
- Requisition Number: JR21221
The UChicago Education Lab is seeking an Embedded Analyst with strong technical and communication skills to work in close partnership with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The embedded analyst will provide technical assistance to the CPS at the direction of the UChicago Education Lab Senior Research Director and senior officials within the district in order to advance mutual priorities focused on equitable service provision to the district's most vulnerable students. The Analyst will be embedded at the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters in the Loop approximately 80% of the week and at the UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab Loop office approximately 20% of the week. This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research and practitioner teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and senior leadership at CPS, as well as an experienced team of data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers from the Chicago office.
- Job Title: Contract Specialist
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Director of Data Partnerships
- Requisition Number: JR21222
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Contract Specialist to support contracting and partner communication for data acquisitions. This person will work with Labs staff to draft, review and process data requests for research projects, as well as new data agreements and SOWs. The individual will work with URA to review, revise and negotiate the terms in new data sharing agreements, and facilitate communication between URA and the data partners. The individual will also produce contract templates and tools to help staff draft data request documents.
- Job Title: Qualitative Research Manager
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Associate Director, Operations
- Requisition Number: JR21437
The Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Qualitative Research Manager to work on large-scale social policy experiments designed to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of youth violence preventions and interventions. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and NYC-area universities, as well as a team of administrative staff, other project staff, research analysts, and student research assistants
- Job Title: Qualitative Project Associate
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Senior Research Manager
- Requisition Number: JR21438
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Qualitative Project Associate with strong project management skills to be involved in planning, data collection, and preliminary analysis of surveys, interviews, observations, and other qualitative work as needed. This position requires an individual who is able to work as part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and government agency staff, as well as an experienced team of analysts, data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers.
- Job Title: Implementation Manager
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Reporting to: Associate Director, Education Lab
- Requisition Number: JR21567
The University of Chicago Education Lab seeks an Implementation Manager to work on the evaluation of a large-scale tutoring intervention undertaken in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. The Implementation Manager will be involved in a variety of project components including, but not limited to, recruiting and assisting local schools with program design, monitoring project implementation to ensure rigor and quality, serving as the primary liaison for all stakeholders, providing input on the research design from a practitioner perspective, and managing the relationships between the research team, social service providers, district offices, and community members.
Inclusive Economy Lab
- Job Title: Research Associate
- Desired Start Date: TBC
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, together with the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab, is seeking a full-time Research Associate to provide scientific and intellectual leadership for Inclusive Economy Lab projects. The Research Associate will serve as a Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on a portfolio of Inclusive Economy Lab projects, ensuring the rigor and quality of the Lab's work.
- Job Title: Research Associate
- Desired Start Date: TBC
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, together with the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab, is seeking a full-time Research Associate to provide scientific and intellectual leadership for Inclusive Economy Lab projects. The Research Associate will serve as a Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on a portfolio of Inclusive Economy Lab projects, ensuring the rigor and quality of the Lab's work.
- Job Title: Research Analyst
- Desired Start Date: TBC
- Requisition Number: JR21924
The Inclusive Economy Lab seeks to hire a Research Analyst. The Research Analyst provides analytic support for applied policy studies. Working under the direction of Principal Investigators and more senior analytic staff, the research analyst will be responsible for cleaning and merging administrative data files, generating data visualizations, and analyzing data for experimental and quasi-experimental studies designed to identify the causal effect of programs and policies. Individuals in this position will begin managing interns and research assistants, drafting technical sections of reports, and contributing to partner presentations.
FAQs
For our three most common research roles--Project Associate, Research Manager, and Research Analyst--please refer to the responsibilities outlined below:
- Project Associates support large-scale social policy research projects designed to test the effectiveness of promising interventions by supporting a Research Manager or Research Analyst.
- Research Managers work directly with leading social science researchers, local policymakers, frontline practitioners, and a dedicated team of research analysts, data scientists, and administrative staff to implement ambitious field experiments.
- Research Analysts apply a variety of statistical modeling and data techniques to datasets in real-world settings, and contribute to all facets of data collection & cleaning, model development, analysis, and interpretation of results.
Urban Labs also hires for other positions in research, IT, and operations. We encourage you to view opportunities below.
You may be asked to submit multiple documents, including a Cover Letter, Writing Sample, and Unofficial Transcripts from the highest degree program received. Please see the job description for the exact documents required for that job. All materials should be submitted to the Workday system. Refer to the job requisition number on the job description to apply to the correct position.
All of our positions require a cover letter. In the cover letter, we encourage you to elaborate on your relevant achievements and describe your interest in the position.
We appreciate your interest in Urban Labs and look forward to reviewing your application. Due to the high-volume of applications that we receive, although we try, we may not be able to respond to all individual inquires.
Urban Labs employees are committed to creating a collaborative, high energy office that is open and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds and life experiences, and prioritize developing a workforce that is as diverse as the city in which we work.
While we are affiliated with the University of Chicago, we are not located in Hyde Park. We have an office in downtown Chicago, which allows us to work more closely with our public sector partners.
In addition, Urban Labs also has an office in New York City that focuses on Crime and Education work. The New York Office works in close collaboration with the Crime and Education Labs in Chicago.
Urban Labs is a set of highly collaborative Labs and as such, we all work together towards a common mission of science in service of cities.
If you have questions about the Workday Application System, click here.
If you have specific questions that were not answered in our above frequently asked questions section, please contact us at urbanlabs@uchicago.edu Thanks!
