Action Research works with child welfare systems across the country, providing information, analysis, and support to illuminate paths to better outcomes for children, youth, and families. We partner with government leaders, frontline staff, think tanks, service providers, and foundations to generate insight and drive system reform. We are nationally recognized for our child welfare expertise and for producing innovative research to drive decision-making.
Action Research seeks an enthusiastic, curious, and self-motivated individual with a background in social sciences, applied research and/or analysis, a passion for child and family services, and excellent analytic skills to work as a Research Assistant focused on our work to support system-level child welfare reform efforts initiated by federal class action litigation. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who seeks to develop a rich understanding of child welfare reform efforts across multiple jurisdictions.
Ideal candidates will have:
- A passion for improving outcomes for vulnerable children, young people, and families – you recognize that contact with the child welfare system has long and lasting impacts on children and families, and are committed to advancing work to keep children safe, stable, and in families;
- Excitement about using data to generate actionable insights – you know data is a powerful tool to provide insight and inform change;
- Strong task execution skills – you have a history of managing multiple tasks, reaching out for help when needed, and working on a task until completion;
- Great attention to detail – you recognize the importance of getting it right, and are comfortable operating on a team where everyone checks and rechecks our work together;
- Comfort working both independently and as part of a team – while you can advance a task on your own, you are excited to collaborate with others; you know when to ask for support from your colleagues, and understand that working at a small, fully remote organization requires participating in a culture of communication and comradery.
- A curious mind that thrives when unpacking, interpreting, and understanding data and how analysis can produce actions that directly impact the lives of children, youth, and families.
We are committed to inclusion, embrace diversity as an organization, and believe these values are essential to our work. The American child welfare system has a history of disproportionately impacting families of color, low-income communities, and LGBTQ+ youth. As an organization that seeks to make child welfare systems more responsive to children, youth and families and more effective in its services and operations, our staff must reflect diverse backgrounds, experiences, and cultures.
Working with a small, dedicated team, the Research Assistant will focus on advancing child welfare reform in Action Research’s monitoring workstream. As a member of our monitoring team, you will support reform efforts initiated by federal class action litigation and settlements, focusing on projects to monitor child welfare system performance and assess progress of state-level reform efforts.
In several states and localities, child advocates have sued public child welfare systems in federal class action lawsuits. The lawsuits focus on issues such as the safety of children in foster care, the services received by children and their families, and the availability of appropriate and stable foster care homes. Action Research supports the court-appointed monitors who oversee the implementation of changes resulting from these suits. Our monitoring portfolio consists of four states where we analyze administrative data, verify data quality, and validate performance calculations. Action Research’s role is critical in the court monitoring process: our data review and analysis, keen attention to detail, and ability to question and dissect complex data is what court monitors rely on to provide accurate information to judges and other officials. Our work tracks progress in reform efforts and guides federal courts, state child welfare leadership, and advocates for children and families.
- Logging, formatting, and cleaning quantitative data submissions, paying close attention to data quality issues and format;
- Executing replicable and well-documented processes to produce efficient and accurate monitoring analyses and work processes within the tight deadlines required by our partners and federal courts;
- Communicating findings of analysis in technical memos, contributing to presentations to monitoring teams and project partners, and by helping to draft sections of public and internal reports;
- Following developments in state and local reform efforts, helping prepare for check-ins with state and external stakeholders, and reviewing public reports and internal data;
- Serving as a key resource to the monitoring team by managing data, tracking progress, supporting team members in their analyses, meeting regularly to learn about new developments and reviewing analyses;
- Supporting the professional development of colleagues by sharing experiences, analytic strategies, and techniques, and conducting background research as needed to build Action Research’s organizational capacity;
- Working in other Action Research workstreams and on organizational development projects as time allows.
- A Bachelor’s degree in public policy, public health, economics, sociology, social work, or other related discipline, and summer work experience, preferably in a research or programmatic setting;
- Strong interest in learning about child welfare, poverty prevention, vulnerable populations, and related topics;
- Strong interest in learning quantitative analytic methods; as well as performance measurement, business process analysis, and other types of public policy assessment;
- Attention to detail and commitment to ensuring high quality work;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with the willingness to learn how to convey complex research findings to public audiences, and to contribute to clear, visually compelling reports for government, nonprofit, and private sector partners;
- Exposure to SPSS, Stata, R, SAS, or similar statistical package. Learning to run and write command line syntax is part of this role;
- Exceptional people skills with the ability to create and maintain working relationships with team members, government, and other partners;
- Ability to work on multiple projects effectively and efficiently, both independently and collaboratively with a team;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, and comfort using or learning online applications including Box, Slack, AirTable, and other coordination tools;
- A commitment to a collegial workplace; and
- Comfort in working in a fully remote environment that requires proactive efforts to communicate, ask for help, and become part of the team.
- Experience analyzing data to solve service delivery or social problems, especially administrative data;
- Exposure to SQL; QGIS or other mapping software, AirTable, Tableau, or similar analytic programs; and other analytic software;
- Full time experience in a professional workplace;
- Salary range - $55,000 to $62,500 (full time) depending on skills and level of experience.
- Excellent benefits competitive with national high-quality nonprofit research organizations – Benefits include health insurance, student loan repayment program, pre-tax flexible spending account, pre-tax transit check, and after one year, eligibility for 401(k), profit sharing, and education benefit. Generous holiday, vacation, personal, and sick time.
- Intentional professional development – As part of a small and highly active team, the Research Assistant will have opportunities for client and government interactions. Action Research will also invest in your professional growth and help you advance both your subject matter and technical expertise.
- Vibrant and flexible work environment – Action Research staff work from home, however, we are a highly collaborative, active team with regular interaction. You will get to know your colleagues through weekly “learning brunches” which provide opportunities to share and explore interests, including those that may not be apparent in our day-to-day work.
We work on a range of policy topics within child welfare including foster home recruitment, kinship placements, permanency, and prevention services, among other areas. We tailor each project to the needs of our partners and produce accessible results that program staff and funders can use to make concrete decisions.
In addition to rigorous designs and multiple research methods, we tap into sources of knowledge that are often overlooked. We have developed expertise in analyzing administrative data, an under-utilized resource that often produces findings unobtainable elsewhere. We pair the results of data analysis with the perspectives of clients, front line workers, middle managers, executives, and external stakeholders to form a comprehensive picture of how policies and programs are experienced.
We are committed to creating strong relationships with our partners. We invest in building trust with stakeholders, seek to minimize the burden of research on operations, and communicate actionable insights as they develop. With our wide range of clients, we have a reputation as an “information Switzerland”: a place that the child welfare community can rely on for accurate, reliable, and useful information.
Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in the mission of Action Research; a resume; and a short writing sample via the application portal by October 3, 2025.
Due to the large number of applications, emails, and phone calls to Action Research staff about this opportunity are not accepted and strongly discouraged. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Action Research is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status or caregiver status.
