Westat is an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. Westat's research, technical, and administrative staff of more than 2,000 is located at our headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, near Washington, DC.
Westat is committed to building a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusivity, belonging and equity for all. We believe that our greatest strength draws on the different backgrounds, cultures, perspectives and experiences of our employees.
Job Summary:
Westat is seeking a Research Assistant to join our team engaged in social policy and economic research. This early-career position will focus on providing project management and logistics support to research projects in the areas of food and nutrition, transportation, labor and workforce development, family support and aging, and military and Veterans. The successful candidate will have interest in building their skillset in project management, coordination and logistics, data collection and management, and analysis.
This position requires working onsite at our Rockville, Maryland office 3 days per week and 2 days per week from your home office.
Job Responsibilities:
• Contribute to project management activities, including scheduling meetings, taking notes during meetings, contributing to client reports, coordinating expert and advisory panels, and monitoring project schedules.
• Provide research and administrative support (including preparation of training materials and coordination of project staff) for a variety of projects including large-scale field studies .
• Participate in and organize professional development activities related to innovations in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; team and client engagement; data science and data visualization; and project management.
• Support data collection activities, including survey administration, observational studies, cognitive interviews, in-depth interviews, site visits, focus groups, coding qualitative data, and background research.
• Support data analysis activities, including cleaning datasets, maintaining databases, recoding variables, and reviewing data tables.
• Draft and maintain work instructions, study procedures, project reports, and other study materials.
• Perform activities under supervision of senior staff.
Basic Qualifications:
• A bachelor’s degree in social science or related field and relevant experience related to project management and coordination and logistics.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working with project management software (e.g., SmartSheets, Teams Planner, Slack, Trello).
• Familiarity with and interest in supporting social policy and economic research.
• Proficiency with MS Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Flexibility to work across various clients and research topics in various roles.
Other Required Qualifications:
• Occasional work on weekends and evenings required.
• Demonstrated communication skills.
• Collaboration with teams, managers and/or clients.
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively across multiple projects to coordinate completion of tasks.
• Detail oriented
Westat offers a well-rounded and comprehensive benefits program focused on wellness and work/life balance. Subject to plan requirements, employees may participate in:
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Paid Parental Leave
- Vacation Leave (15 days per year)
- Sick Leave (10 days per year)
- Holiday Leave (7 government holidays and 2 Floating Holidays)
- Professional Development
- Health Advocate
- Employee Assistance Program
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Short Term Disability Insurance
- Long Term Disability Insurance
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Critical Illness Insurance
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account
- Health Savings Account
This opportunity will be posted for a minimum of 5 days and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.
