ITHAKA CAREERS

Universities, colleges, and other organizations are not known for their ability to turn on a dime, and yet their impact on our societies and ability to remain highly relevant over centuries is unparalleled. We want these organizations to thrive, particularly in light of emerging technologies and opportunities. Our work at Ithaka S+R – offering research and strategic consulting – has been instrumental in helping leaders in education know what is coming next, learn from rigorous and well-designed research rather than hype, and adapt to new realities and opportunities. We work with places like the Association of American University Presses, Harvard University Libraries, and the University System of Maryland. As a society, we all sense how technology is changing the way we work, teach, and learn. Ithaka S+R is dedicated to ensuring that we manage those changes in ways that help more people learn what they need to know to lead more productive and rewarding lives. Ithaka S+R’s work is organized into two areas, our Educational Transformation program and our Library and Scholarly Communication program.

Team-members in our Educational Transformation program identify, verify, and assist in the deployment of strategies for improving learning outcomes and containing costs in higher education. Our team designs and carries out qualitative and quantitative studies of promising initiatives in technology-enhanced education, governance, student-learning assessment, and other areas that further these goals. We help partner organizations develop and implement evidence-based strategies that emerge from this research.

The Role

As an Analyst, you will work collaboratively on both research projects and consulting engagements in the Educational Transformation program. You will contribute to multiple concurrent projects with ambitious deadlines, in some cases serving as project lead responsible for high-quality, on-time completion. Working from our New York office, you will be an integral member of the Educational Transformation program, helping to shape the research agenda and take day-to-day responsibility for our most important projects. Our organization and this role will connect you with our wide network of higher education leaders and top researchers, will allow access to limited availability institutional sources of data, and give you the opportunity to play a significant role in analytical projects that are both cutting edge and highly influential.

Specific Objectives and Responsibilities

Research and analysis

• Select appropriate research methods to suit diverse research and consulting projects constrained by timeline and/or budget factors.
• Help to design and conduct quantitative research, including analyses based on attitudinal surveys, usage data, learning outcomes, and other sources, informed by appropriate demographic analysis and other data.
• Provide logistical support for research efforts, such as managing institutional review board processes, coordinating randomized trials, collecting and maintaining datasets, arranging interviews, managing relationships with testing centers, and selecting and utilizing survey management and data analysis tools.
• Conduct desk research exercises, utilizing secondary research sources such as market research data to address key research questions and inform our understanding of the community.

Reporting and communications

• Design compelling mechanisms for tracking and presenting quantitative analysis.
• Communicate findings and recommendations via written and oral presentations to staff and clients and at conferences and webinars.
• Represent Ithaka S+R at conferences, networking events, and client engagements.

Other

• Organize and participate in brainstorming sessions to generate ideas and discuss project strategy.
• Work with program managers to develop proposals for potential clients and detailed plans for project work.
• Maintain awareness of major community issues that may impact on our projects.
• Some travel required for research, reporting, and representation purposes - approximately 10-15%.

Challenges you’ll overcome

We launched the Educational Transformation program in 2015, and it is vulnerable to the growing pains common to new organizations finding their way. The Analyst will need to be comfortable in a rapidly changing environment, balancing multiple active projects. You will be expected to learn quickly about complicated subjects with which you might not have previous experience, and be able to share what you’ve learned with others. 

Skills, Experience, and Characteristics

• Bachelor's degree or Master’s degree in a field including quantitative research methods training, with an excellent academic record. 
• Experience with appropriate statistical software (e.g., SAS, STATA, SPSS, R).
• Superior research, writing, proofreading, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research data into compelling analysis and accessible well-written reports and engaging presentations.
• Demonstrated leadership ability. 
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments concurrently, perform well under pressure, and meet deadlines, while ensuring acute attention to detail and accuracy.
• Intellectual curiosity, especially with an interest in education policy.
• Ability to work in our open, collaborative, team-oriented culture.

Work for us

Come join our team of talented and dedicated people with great ideas who want to make the world a smarter place.

Individuals will be rewarded with excellent career development and a fantastic benefits package which includes:

• Choice of two medical plans, one at no cost to the employee
• Employer paid dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs
• Employer contributed retirement…and much, much more

Learn more about working at ITHAKA.

ITHAKA is an equal opportunity employer.