Job Summary

The Corrections and Reentry Research Program at RTI International is searching for a Justice Researcher to lead and contribute to research and evaluation projects and dissemination activities related to corrections and reentry.

Candidates must have social or behavioral science research experience that includes developing study protocols and procedures, designing evaluation studies, collecting data, conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis of data, writing technical reports, and delivering presentations. We are specifically interested in candidates with specialized knowledge and practical experience in the area of correctional education. Additional experience may include correctional practitioner experience; experience conducting evaluability assessments; assessing and developing recommendations related to correctional policies and practices; obtaining and analyzing administrative correctional data; collecting and analyzing primary data from correctional staff and justice-involved individuals; providing training and technical assistance related to corrections and reentry; leading or contributing to federal, state/local, or foundation-funded grant or contract proposals; and publishing in academic journals and other correctional practitioner outlets.

This position can be located at our headquarters location in Research Triangle Park, NC, one of our regional offices, or anywhere in the U.S. as a telecommuter. The desired start date for this position is January 2025.

A cover letter highlighting the applicant’s qualifications relevant to this position is strongly encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects and complex tasks on research and evaluation studies related to corrections and reentry.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of corrections and reentry program evaluations including process, outcome, and cost studies.
• Lead quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis tasks.
• Lead and contribute significantly to proposals related to corrections and reentry.
• Lead and contribute to written research products including technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and products developed for practitioners and non-technical audiences.
• Conduct project management tasks, such as managing project budgets in collaboration with financial analysts, tracking project timelines and deliverables, and managing quality control processes.
• Communicate effectively with justice system professionals, representatives from funding agencies, justice-involved individuals, and other stakeholders to plan and execute successful research projects.
• Contribute to the professional development of RTI staff by mentoring less experienced individuals.

Qualifications

• PhD (criminology, psychology, sociology, public policy, education, or a related social or behavioral sciences field is required) with 7 or more years of related research experience.
• Experience leading or contributing to research projects in the areas of corrections and reentry.
• Experience pertaining to correctional education, including research, evaluation, or training and technical assistance projects on topics such as adult basic education, literacy, English-as-a-Second-Language, or higher education in adult correctional or juvenile justice settings.
• Proficiency with quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with demonstrated capability to present work at national conferences, write technical reports, and publish in academic journals.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work successfully and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and with criminal legal system personnel.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to obtain proper security clearance(s) and pass required background investigation(s) as noted by contracts.
• To qualify, applicants must be United States citizens or Permanent Residents (seeking citizenship status actively and maintained residency in the United States for 3 out of the past 5 years) per client requirements for this role.

  Additional Qualifications that are Preferred but not Required:  

• Experience as a researcher or practitioner in a correctional setting.
• Experience assessing and developing recommendations related to correctional policies and practices.
• Experience obtaining and analyzing administrative correctional data.
• Experience collecting and analyzing primary data from correctional staff and justice-involved individuals.
• Experience providing training and technical assistance related to corrections and reentry.
• Experience leading or contributing to federal, state/local, or foundation-funded grant or contract proposals.