Throughout its 75-year history, the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) has administered numerous externally funded projects serving children and families. The Butler Institute for Families (Butler), established in 1994, is affiliated with GSSW and is nationally recognized for our leadership and collaborative work at the national, state, and local level in evaluation, research, and technical assistance aimed at improving the quality of child-, youth-, and family-serving systems.

We bring together researchers, practitioners, public and private service system experts, and community members to: engage in program evaluation and research; examine outcomes; and provide technical assistance and training to program administrators, direct service providers, and community leaders. Currently, Butler conducts business in four primary content areas: child welfare, early childhood systems, tribal child welfare, and behavioral health. These content areas operate within a Research-to-Practice framework that promotes the use, adoption, adaptation, replication, and scaling of research and/or evaluation knowledge, and the integration of this knowledge in practice.

In addition to the benefits offered by the University of Denver (see here for more details: https://www.du.edu/jobs/), Butler offers the opportunity to work with a dedicated group of people committed to using research and evaluation to inform practice and practice to inform research and evaluation. We also offer professional development and job growth opportunities, flexible schedules, and the opportunity to work remotely.

Butler stands in solidarity against the systemic oppression of persons of color and American Indian/Alaska Native tribes, communities, and individuals. Butler intentionally partners with family and child serving agencies to create healing, positive systemic change and daily inclusive actions that reflect racial equity. This is a grant-funded position, and while Butler often has new projects that can replace a project that ends, Butler cannot guarantee positions after the end of grant-funding.

Position Summary

This position will serve full-time as a Research Assistant II supporting several grant-funded evaluation projects across Butler’s content areas. Under supervision, this position involves data collection, data entry, data coding and cleaning, running basic statistics, assisting with project reports and literature reviews, and other administrative and research support tasks as needed. The Research Assistant II has 1-2 years of previous professional research and evaluation experience focused on data collection and management. This position may be responsible for supervision of work-study students. The Research Assistant II will report to a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate at the Butler Institute for Families.

Essential Functions

• Under supervision of a Research Associate, coordinate data collection activities as a member of project-based research and evaluation teams.
• Draft and submit Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications.
• Schedule interviews and focus groups.
• Build surveys in the Qualtrics® online platform, and format and distribute paper surveys.
• Conduct structured interviews, in-person or by phone; support focus groups by recording, taking detailed notes, and managing logistical functions.
• Administer research incentives, including coordinating gift card tracking and distribution.
• Enter, clean, and manage data. May include manual data entry, scanning surveys into Remark®, tracking response rates, and cleaning data sets prior to analysis.
• Prepare qualitative data for analysis, including transcribing or coordinating with transcription services, and managing qualitative data files.
• Conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.
• Code qualitative data and identify themes.
• Conduct literature searches.
• Assist with designing, formatting, development, editing and revision of reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
• Draft sections of reports and articles.
• Take increasing responsibility for initiating and coordinating data collection and management activities.
• Supervise work-study students or temporary employees, as needed.
• Provide evaluation and research support in other areas upon request, such as generating meeting minutes, attending internal and external meetings, and other administrative duties as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to draft effective email correspondence
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and with research and evaluation participants, sponsors, and university staff
• Exceptional project coordination and task-management skills
• Ability to approach work with diverse communities with respect and humility, as a listener and learner
• Eagerness to learn and grow new research and evaluation skills
• Ability to listen to, respect, and honor different viewpoints and perspectives
• Ability to conceptualize, analyze, and strategize
• Ability to conduct and interpret basic statistical analyses (frequencies, means, t-tests) and qualitative data
• Ability to independently code and categorize qualitative data
• Ability to multi-task and balance a variety of projects
• Ability to identify problems and initiate solutions
• Ability to discern relevance and/or importance of research findings
• Ability to read and interpret research literature
• Ability to draft narrative reports

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work, psychology or a related field
• Aptitude for and strong interest in social science research and program evaluation
• 1-2 years of professional experience coordinating data collection and management activities
• Experience with basic inferential statistics and/or experience with coding qualitative data
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, including the ability to draft email correspondence and communicate with colleagues, supervisors, and project partners
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including the ability to create and format tables and charts, PowerPoint slides, and Word documents.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in social work, psychology or a related field
• Experience related to trauma-informed care, behavioral health, child welfare, and/or workforce well-being
• Ability to create, manage, and analyze datasets in SPSS
• Ability to code qualitative data using Atlas-ti or NVivo
• Aptitude for writing, editing, and revision
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Experience working with diverse communities

Working Environment

1. Standard office environment.
2. Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
3. Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

1. Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time.
2. Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

In accordance with the University’s flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for primarily remote work. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team specific needs.

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) February 18, 2025.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number

The salary grade for the position is 8.

Hourly Range

The hourly range for the position is $23.47-$27.83.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.