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Senior Researcher

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Senior Researcher

Salary

$86,632.00 - $140,608.00 Annually

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

2025-00094

Division

Metro Transit

Department

Strategic Initiatives

Opening Date

06/10/2025

Closing Date

6/25/2025 11:59 PM Central

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

WHO WE ARE

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website. (https://metrocouncil.org/About-Us/The-Council-Who-We-Are.aspx)

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Metro Transit is one of the country's largest transit systems, employs more than 3,000 people, and provides more than 35 million rides a year through an integrated network of buses, light rail and commuter trains, as well as resources for those who carpool, vanpool, walk or bike in the Twin Cities.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

As a Senior Researcher, you will lead projects to better understand rider, community, and employee perspectives on Metro Transit’s service and operations. You will provide technical leadership in “mixed-methods” approaches, combining available data with qualitative information from surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other studies to fully capture the human element of transit use and development.

What you would do in this job

+ Serve as agency’s subject matter expert on designing, writing, implementing, and analyzing effective surveys. Co-lead coordination group of agency survey efforts.

+ Lead information gathering from riders and community including working with Metro Transit business units to clarify objectives for information collection; determining methods to be used for effective understanding; designing effective surveys and other techniques; and leading analysis and reporting of information collected.

+ Support information gathering from employees using multiple qualitative methods including surveys and focus groups; assists Council departments (e.g. HR) and Metro Transit business units (e.g. Operations) with understanding employee perspectives and conditions; lead analysis and reporting of employee engagement and other regular studies.

+ Maintain archive of qualitative study approaches and results; serves as primary curator of previous information gathered from surveys, focus groups, and other studies.

+ Keep up to date with emerging research, best practices, and peer agency work on effective studies of rider and employee perspectives using mixed methods approaches.

What education and experience are required for this job (minimum qualifications)

Any of the following combinations of completed education (in public policy, transportation planning, social science, statistics, or related field) and experience (conducting research and evaluation);

+ Bachelor's degree and four years of experience

+ Master's degree and two years of experience

+ Doctorate (PhD) degree

What additional skills and experience would be helpful in this job (desired qualifications):

+ P roficiency in research methods and study design

+ Experience with statistical computing software such as R or Python

+ Experience conveying technical information to lay audiences through writing, presentations, and/or data visualizations.

+ Experience with soliciting and incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives to achieve shared outcomes.

+ Language proficiency in Spanish, Somali, or Hmong.

What is the knowledge, skills, and abilities you should have within the first six months on the job:

+ Survey design theory and practice

+ Statistical methods of qualitative data

+ Focus group design, data collection, and analysis

+ Determine effective method of survey (sample size, incentives, sample methods)

+ Facility with survey design software.

+ Creation of effective visualizations and presentations of qualitative data

+ Project management

+ Communicate with diverse audiences: customers, employees, public

+ Manage projects from idea to completion

+ Understand and synthesize multiple points of view around a topic.

What you can expect from us:

+ We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

+ We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training.

+ We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and a good work/life balance.

More about why you should join us! (http://metrocouncil.org/Employment/Making-A-Difference.aspx)

Additional information

Union/Grade: NRC Grade H

FLSA Status: Exempt

Safety Sensitive: No

What your work environment would be: You would perform your work in a standard office setting with hybrid telework options available. Occasional travel between primary Council work sites in the Twin Cities Metro area as well as visits to local government partners, agencies, and other organizational partners as the work requires. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the position.

What steps the recruitment process involve:

+ We review your minimum qualifications.

+ We rate your education and experience.

+ We conduct a structured panel interview.

+ We conduct a selection interview.

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a background check which verifies education, employment, and criminal history. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

IMPORTANT: If you make a false statement or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.

The Metropolitan Council is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and veteran-friendly employer. The Council is committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the region and strongly encourages persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply.

If you have a disability that requires accommodation during the selection process, please email [email protected].

We believe our employees are a key to our agency's success! In order to attract and retain high quality employees, the Council provides a highly competitive benefits package both in choice and coverage levels. Some highlights about our benefits are listed below:

+ Guaranteed monthly retirement income through Minnesota State Retirement System pension fund

+ Opportunity to save additional funds for retirement on a tax-deferred basis through a voluntary deferred compensation (457) plan

+ Two or more medical plans from which to choose, with employer contribution towards premiums over 80%

+ Dental insurance, life insurance and vision insurance

The following benefits are provided to all employees as part of working for the Council. You will have access to free:

+ Well@Work clinic

+ bus/rail pass valued at over $1200 per year

+ parking at many job locations

+ fitness centers at many job locations

+ Employee Assistance Program

+ extensive health and wellness programs and resources

01

Applicant Instructions: The supplemental questions listed below are to further evaluate your education and experience and to determine your eligibility for this position. Answer each question completely and please do not type "see resume" otherwise your application will be considered incomplete, and you will not receive further consideration for this position. The experience you indicate in your responses should also be consistent with the Work History section of this application. If you attached a resume and/or cover letter to your application, it will be reviewed at the education and experience review step. I have read and understand the above instructions regarding supplemental questions.

+ Yes

+ No

02

How did youfirsthear about this job opening?

+ CareerForce Center

+ Community Event/Organization

+ Employee Referral

+ Facebook

+ Glassdoor

+ Indeed

+ Job Fair

+ LinkedIn

+ Metro Transit Bus Advertisement

+ Twitter

+ Website: governmentjobs.com

+ Website: metrocouncil.org

+ Website: metrotransit.org

+ Website: minnesotajobnetwork.com

+ Other

03

If you selected 'Other', please describe where you first heard about this job. if you selected 'Employee Referral' please enter the employee's first and last name, ID number (if known), and job title. Type N/A if not applicable.

04

What is your highest level of completed education?

+ Doctoral Degree

+ Master's Degree

+ Bachelor's Degree

+ Associate's Degree

+ High School diploma or GED

+ None of the above

05

Please list your major or field of study, and school attended. If not applicable, type N/A.

06

Please give a summary of your previous experience designing, deploying, and analyzing surveys for research. Please include how you used statistical/data programming languages (e.g. (R, Stata, Python, etc.) in the analysis of the research.

07

Please describe your approach to effectively communicating complex concepts to non-technical audiences and decision-makers. Provide an example(s) that demonstrates how you put that approach into action, including your role, place(s) of employment, and how often you were responsible for this type of communication. If you don't have this experience, type "N/A."

08

Please indicate your level of proficiency (no experience, beginner, intermediate, advanced) in each of the following statistical/data programming languages: R, Stata and Python.

09

This position requires working with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and experience. Please briefly describe your experience working in a diverse environment. Note: This can be racial diversity, generational diversity, differences in professional background, etc.

Required Question

Employer

Metropolitan Council

Address

390 Robert St. N.St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101

Website

https://metrocouncil.org

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