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Research Area Specialist Inter

How to Apply

A cover letter is required and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The letter should address your specific interest in the position, and outline your experience that directly relates to the position.

Job Summary

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (https://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/) is a social science study that has collected economic, social, and demographic data from U.S. adults since 1968. The PSID project is located within the Survey Research Center (SRC) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Our central mission is to provide the scientific research community of economists, sociologists, demographers, and other social scientists with accurate data and documentation. PSID includes major supplemental data collections such as the Child Development Supplement (CDS) and the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS). The project is looking for a Research Associate to join the Data Processing team who is experienced in the domains of data cleaning and processing, data management, creation of codebooks and user guides, and report writing. This position will report to the Data Processing Team Lead.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and any eligible family members and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

+ Generous time off

+ A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting upon meeting eligibility requirements

+ Many choices for comprehensive health insurance

+ Life insurance

+ Long-term disability coverage

+ Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Learn more about U-M benefits. (https://hr.umich.edu/benefits-wellness)

Responsibilities*

+ With supervision and following training by a senior member of the Data Processing Team, assist with the processing of raw data obtained from the interview application

+ Use SAS to clean, process, and transform social science panel data to prepare for editing; write and revise SAS programs to transform raw data; determine the correct number of records and merge on correct person identifiers to raw data; produce SAS output for identifying potential problems with record integrity; application of best practice rules for data management including identifying and flagging merge problems, duplicates, outliers, and missing data.

+ Conduct data consistency and data quality checks

+ Apply complex longitudinal rules to perform family composition and economic data editing

+ Code open-ended answers from survey questions

+ Construct detailed codebook documentation that creates variable-level specifications and code frames in an Oracle Forms application; create variable names, labels, and formats; construct new and maintain existing cross year index that categorizes survey measures and maps comparable measures across interviews; develop documentation of data files, including web-based codebooks and other electronic documentation

+ Write and edit technical reports and training materials, including processing and editing in Word, creation of charts, graphs, and tables in Excel

+ Assist the project in other areas, including data analysis, writing tutorials to instruct users about how to create and analyze data, assisting with user help, and compiling information about protocols and instruments used in other similar studies

Note:

Job duties may vary based on experience and classification designation, and may involve more or less supervision as appropriate.

Required Qualifications*

Intermediate Level:

+ Bachelor's degree in social science, statistics, or related field.

+ 4 or more years of progressively responsible experience with leading the management, analysis and interpretation of complex social science survey data

+ Experience using SAS or other statistical programming languages (Stata, SPSS, R, Python) to manage and manipulate data with an emphasis on data step programming and merging data

+ Demonstrated competency in statistics, including producing and assessing descriptive statistics, evaluating outliers, and handling missing data

+ Demonstrated ability to independently design and implement data management plans, including subsetting, merging, restructuring, and documenting complex data files.

+ Proven track record of identifying and resolving data quality issues, integrating multiple data sources, and correctly applying complex sampling designs and weighting procedures.

+ Experience in identifying and solving data problems and applying complex sample design features and rules

+ Excellent collaboration, communication, and stakeholder-management skills, including experience presenting analytic findings to senior researchers, funders, or external audiences.

+ Self-directed, highly organized, and strategic thinker with exceptional attention to detail and a demonstrated ability to innovate and improve research processes.

Associate Level:

+ Bachelor degree in social science, statistics or related field.

+ 1-3 years-related experience assisting with the management and analysis of social science survey data.

+ Familiarity with **SAS or other statistical programming languages** (Stata, SPSS, R, Python) to manage and manipulate data, including basic data step programming and merging data.

+ Demonstrated understanding of basic **statistical concepts** , including producing and interpreting descriptive statistics, identifying potential outliers, and recognizing missing data.

+ Ability to perform basic subsetting, merging, and restructuring of complex data files under guidance.

+ Exposure to identifying and troubleshooting data problems and applying sample design features with supervision or guidance.

+ Ability to work successfully in a team environment, excellent interpersonal skills, and excellent verbal and written communication skills

+ Self-directed, organized, and highly attentive to detail

Desired Qualifications*

Intermediate Level:

+ Proficient in SAS, with an emphasis on advanced programming, data step programming and using macro statements

+ Master's degree in economics, sociology, survey methods, or related field

+ Experience in the processing and editing of longitudinal social science survey data

+ Proven experience working with and analyzing paradata from survey data collection applications to improve data quality, respondent engagement, and operational efficiency.

+ Intermediate knowledge of statistics and experience producing panel output, weighted frequencies, means, scatterplots, and manipulating raw data collected at various levels.

+ Experience using Natural Language Processing or Large Language Models for data processing and analysis

+ Recognized ability to design, implement, and streamline analytic workflows, mentor junior staff in best practices, and present complex findings to senior researchers and external stakeholders.

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, days

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment.

Work location is expected to be onsite in Ann Arbor with flexibility for hybrid work within our overall Center policies.

Underfill Statement

Openings may be filled at the Intermediate or Associate level depending on match with opportunity, your depth and breadth of experience and qualifications.

Based on candidate qualifications, the position may be underfilled at the Associate level. The Associate level requires a bachelor's degree in a field of science directly related to the position as well as one to three years of related experience. Salary would be commensurate with the Associate level position.

+ Positions at the Research Area Specialist Intermediate level will be filled at the $62,000- $75,00 salary range.

+ Positions at the Research Area Specialist Associate level will be filled at the $55,000,000-$61,000 salary range.

Additional Information

The statements included in this description are intended to reflect the general nature of work assigned to this classification and should not be interpreted as all-inclusive.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Job Detail

Job Opening ID

268933

Working Title

Research Area Specialist Inter

Job Title

Research Area Specialist Inter

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Inst Soc Research

Department

SRC-PSID

Posting Begin/End Date

9/26/2025 - 10/30/2025

Salary

$62,000.00 - $75,000.00

Career Interest

Research