Research Specialist Jobs in Houston, TX

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in PDF format to avoid formatting issues. To be considered for this position, all supplemental questions must be answered.

Additional Supporting Document: Applicants should attach a one-page Partnership Research statement that addresses how they think about conducting research that is collaborative and community-oriented.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. These values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They are reflected in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the School of Social Sciences are hiring a Community Support Hub Research & Evaluation Specialist to serve as an embedded liaison at the United Way of Greater Houston to establish a first-of-its-kind Community Support Hub that aims to triage and respond to data and evaluation questions and services for Houston-area nonprofits in coordination with the United Way of Greater Houston’s Coffee and Quality programming. This role combines strong analytical expertise with exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to help community partners navigate questions related to data collection, program measurement, reporting requirements, and evaluation design. This staff member will be a colleague to their United Way Senior Quality Coach counterpart at the Support Hub. The Community Support Hub Research and Evaluation Specialist will also provide regular communication to the Houston evaluation network with updates on the progress of Support Hub activities and summarize short-form, peer-reviewed articles that provide timely insight into policy implementation, analysis, and evaluation.

The Community Support Hub Research and Evaluation Specialist will work closely with the Director of the Houston Population Research Center at the Kinder Institute, the School of Social Sciences Assistant Dean for Student Programs, the Coffee & Quality team, and the Assistant Vice President for Strategy, Learning & Analytics at the United Way of Greater Houston to advance a menu of Support Hub offerings; refine a process to collect, sort, triage, and respond to incoming requests; and develop a decision tree that resolves and channels Support Hub requests to the appropriate audiences in a timely manner. The Community Support Hub Research and Evaluation Specialist needs to be thoughtful in their approach to developing an accessible user experience and adept at responding to Support Hub inquiries in a way that meets community partners where they are and ensures organizations receive the necessary guidance to turn their data into meaningful action and impact.

The Community Support Hub Research and Evaluation Specialist will also co-facilitate a series of “Open Office Hours” in partnership with the United Way of Greater Houston’s Coffee and Quality team for community nonprofits to offer Support Hub services in person. In years two and three, the Community Support Hub Research and Evaluation Specialist will help create a rotational program with Rice University Master of Social Policy Evaluation students to develop their skills and expertise in working with community nonprofits. This is a three-year, grant-funded position with no guarantee that the position will be funded after the grant ends. All efforts will be made to seek additional funding in order to provide continued support for this position beyond the initial three years.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

Ideal candidates function as both evidence experts and relationship managers and work well in a team environment to actively collaborate and diagnose what support is needed. The candidate has superior project management and communication skills to listen and respond to community partners’ questions, is highly customer-service-oriented, possesses meticulous attention to detail and accuracy, and is comfortable working in an evolving environment with increasing levels of responsibility and ownership as the Support Hub evolves.

Workplace Requirements:

• Position will be housed at the United Way of Greater Houston
• Occasional travel
• Evening and/or weekend work as needed

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work within Harris County and surrounding counties to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $65,000

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in sociology, economics, another social science, public health, or a related field, and completion of a university-level course, thesis, or dissertation

• 2+ years of experience in the following:

• 2–5 years of professional experience in research, evaluation, applied data analysis, or program measurement.

• Demonstrated ability to compile, analyze, interpret, and visualize quantitative and qualitative data. Proficiency in Excel, Tableau, and Power BI is required.
• Demonstrated understanding of evaluation methodologies, including outcome measurement and program assessment.
• Experience developing or improving workflows, systems, or operational processes.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to move ideas from concept to implementation.
• Ability to manage multiple requests and competing priorities.

Skills:

• Project management with a strong focus on structure, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to take initiative, adapt approaches, and take ownership to follow through with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including proofreading.
• Excellent customer-service orientation and professionalism.

Preferences:

• Master’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in sociology, economics, another social science, public health, or a related field, and one year of experience in the following:

• Familiarity with logic models, theories of change, and continuous quality improvement frameworks.

• Experience designing surveys and conducting quantitative or mixed-method evaluations.
• Experience working with data systems, reporting processes, or institutional research.
• Familiarity with project management tools or ticketing systems.
• Experience building new processes or programs from the ground up.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, government, or complex organizational environments.

Essential Functions:

Community-facing Front-line Support Hub Inquiry Management & Workflow

• Serves as the primary point of contact for data-related inquiries sent to the Support Hub via email, phone, and the website in partnership with the United Way of Greater Houston’s Coffee and Quality team.
• Responds promptly and professionally to ensure clarity, accuracy, and excellent customer service in response to inquiries.
• Contributes to the project management or ticketing system to assess the scope, urgency, and complexity of Support Hub requests to determine next steps.
• Works with the United Way of Greater Houston Support Hub colleague to monitor progress and ensure timely resolution of inquiries.
• Identifies recurring themes and recommends process improvements that lead to measurable efficiencies.
• Translates technical or complex academic journal articles into clear, accessible language for the United Way of Greater Houston’s Coffee & Quality bi-monthly newsletter.

Internal Workflow Development & Process Implementation

• Designs, documents, and continuously improves a clear, accessible, and user-friendly workflow for data requests.
• Develops expert-level knowledge of the United Way of Greater Houston’s scope of work and the mission of Coffee and Quality programming, alongside understanding Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research expertise, to route inquiries to the appropriate departments or subject-matter experts.
• Establishes and monitors performance metrics to ensure processes produce effective and timely outcomes.
• Proactively identifies gaps and independently moves solutions from proposal to execution.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Builds strong working relationships across various grant stakeholders to ensure coordinated and effective efforts are made for the Support Hub’s impact.
• Translates conceptual ideas into structured processes, practical tools, and implementable systems, and facilitates conversations that clarify needs and move discussions toward actionable next steps.
• Manages expectations and provides regular updates to requestors.

Performs all other duties as assigned.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

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Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.