Researcher

Georgetown University • Lexington, MA

1d • $54,616 - $100,493 • Remote

About The Position

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University is dedicated to improving how people experience government by strengthening the design and delivery of public services. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan center, we catalyze cross-sector collaboration to advance people-first, digitally-enabled approaches through applied research, peer learning, and hands-on support—helping government deliver better outcomes for communities. The Beeck Center collaborates across sectors to improve the design, delivery, and experience of public services. We focus on practical, people-centered, digitally-enabled approaches that lead to lasting impact by strengthening how government works. As one of our core offerings, we conduct practical, applied research driven by the challenges governments face today. Drawing on evidence, people’s lived experiences, and emerging practices, we develop insights and guidance that help leaders make informed decisions and put solutions into practice. Our research focuses on key topics in digital government delivery including human-centered design and product development, data, AI, and teams and capacity; and often with a specific policy focus such as improving public benefits delivery. We are seeking a Researcher to join the Research offering team and support our efforts. The new Research team member should have familiarity with the policies for core public benefits programs (e.g., SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, child care, TANF, unemployment insurance), the challenges and opportunities for technology in their delivery; and openness to conducting research on other areas of digital government delivery. Researchers at the Beeck Center bring open curiosity to the opportunities and challenges presented by our government practitioners and the people they serve. Our researchers are versed in ethical, equitable research practices, which guide how we conduct and publish research. They build on diverse expertise and experiences to help others tell their stories, document promising practices, and provide replicable insights. Our researchers are comfortable experimenting with publication formats and media to reach the target audiences, including short and long format publications, datasets, landscape analyses, multimedia, and prototypes. We work in a highly collaborative, iterative format to give and receive feedback on work products. In addition to developing Beeck Center research insights and publications, our researchers build trusted expertise that is called upon by peer organizations and practitioners for advice, events, and research sourcing.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 3-5 years of work experience
• 2+ years of experience conducting and publishing applied research in policy, public administration, civic tech, government technology, social impact, or related fields
• Familiarity with the policies for core public benefits programs (e.g., SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, child care, TANF, unemployment insurance) and the challenges and opportunities for technology in their delivery; and openness to conducting research on other areas of digital government delivery.
• Experience planning research projects and attention to detail in project management
• Ability to work independently to meet deadlines and produce high-quality results
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated capacity to translate technical concepts across audiences

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity in working with an Institutional Review Board, ethical and equitable research practices, and human-subject protection
• Experience synthesizing complex information into actionable insights for practitioners
• Commitment to centering equity in supporting government officials and public interest practitioners as they aim to better serve the public, including alignment with our vision that “we believe in a people-centered, digitally-enabled government for all.”
• Enthusiasm and willingness to work in a university environment and leverage its strengths to support public service, including alignment with our mission to connect “government and the civic tech ecosystem to tackle problems no one can solve alone.”

Benefits

• Georgetown University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, retirement savings, tuition assistance, work-life balance benefits, employee discounts and an array of voluntary insurance options.
• You can learn more about benefits and eligibility on the Department of Human Resources website.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level