Bilingual Research Associate (English and Spanish)
SUMMARY
The Research Associate provides in-house research and evaluation support for specific Exploratorium projects. This position will support several projects, many of which reside in the Living Systems Department and which aim to help the public (at the museum and online) to better understand and experience the content matter and practices of the biological sciences. Responsibilities include working with stakeholders to refine research and evaluation goals, developing instruments and methods, training data collectors, collecting data, conducting analyses, writing reports and disseminating results, under the direction of Senior Research Staff. The Research Associate may represent the Exploratorium at conferences and outside meetings and assist Senior Research staff in the development of new grant proposals. Applicants for this position must be fluent and biliterate in English and Spanish. The position reports to the Principal Researcher in the Visitor Research and Evaluation Department.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Work collaboratively with project teams, Senior Staff and external partners as appropriate to develop and implement research and evaluation goals, process and results.
- Identify the need for, design and implement front-end, formative and remedial evaluation studies, including developing protocols, collecting, entering, coding and analyzing data.
- Conduct open-ended interviews (both oral and written) in English and Spanish with visitors.
- Solicit written consent from study subjects to be recorded in English and Spanish.
- Conduct literature reviews to support research and evaluation efforts.
- Coordinate and train staff and volunteers for research and studies as needed.
- Generate written documentation of project research and evaluation process and results.
- Represent Exploratorium work internally, and at conferences and other professional meetings.
- Contribute to the development of proposals for new research and evaluation projects.
- As appropriate to specific projects, coordinate with external partners, participating in meetings and sharing information.
- Other duties, as assigned.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Masters Degree, preferably in social science, education, or related field
- Advance coursework (college-level) or professional experience in biological or environmental sciences
- Minimum 3 years’ experience in educational research and evaluation, preferably in museum or informal educational environments
- Fluent and biliterate in English and Spanish (assessment will be administered)
- Ability to review, transcribe, and translate data from Spanish to English
- Demonstrated experience and outstanding skills in working collaboratively, especially on project teams
- Excellent written and oral communications skills
- Experience in designing research or evaluation plans, data collection protocols, and instruments
- Experience with coding qualitative data
- Experience with statistical analyses
- Experience in conducting in-depth literature reviews
- Ability to move from place to place; use a computer terminal and telephone; able to lift and carry up to 25 pounds short distances; can bend, twist, reach, grasp; can recruit participants on the museum floor for long periods of time
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- You do not need to have any of the preferred qualifications to be considered, but if you do, please clearly note which in your cover letter.
- Experience conducting online evaluation studies
- Wet-bench laboratory experience
- Experience with a data science programming language such as R or Python
- Ability to work one weekend day every week
- Willingness to travel to remote partner sites as needed by the projects
- Experience with technology-rich learning interventions
- Experience with setting up audiovisual recording systems
APPLICATION DEADLINE
This position is open until filled
HOW TO APPLY
This is a fixed-term (ending 9/30/2024), full time (37.5 hours per week), exempt, union position, which includes benefits. Please no phone calls in regards to this job. To apply, please visit the Exploratorium job page.
The Exploratorium is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity, inclusion and respect. We welcome and strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.