About Acacia Center for Justice:
The Acacia Center for Justice is a new non-profit created through a collaboration between the Vera Institute of Justice (“Vera”) and the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (“CAIR”) Coalition. The CAIR Coalition is a non-profit organization focused on providing legal assistance to adult and child immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region. CAIR adheres to the fundamental belief that all people – no matter their story – deserve to be free, safe, supported, and have access to a just legal system.
The objective of the Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) is to expand on Vera’s work over the past twenty years in providing legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are twofold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness and freedom. Acacia will focus the collective power of both Vera and CAIR on delivering accountable, independent, zealous and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants at risk of deportation.
Who you are
This position will provide support to the program team for the Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP) that coordinates the delivery of legal support, throughout the U.S., to unaccompanied migrant children who are undergoing proceedings in the immigration court system. UCP is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through a grant that is administered through the Office of Refugees and Resettlement (ORR).
The Senior Research and Evaluation Associate (SREA) functions as a social scientist who will supervise UCP Research Associates and collaborate on research and reporting for the program with UCP data team members (including a Data Engineer, Senior Data Scientist and Data Analysts) and under the supervision of Acacia’s Director of Research and Evaluation. The SREA will be responsible for the delivery of mandated and ad hoc reports (requested by ORR) for UCP as well as developing innovative designs for program evaluation and other occasional reports. The SREA’s research and reporting responsibilities also require expertise with quantitative methodologies and statistical programming language (R, Python and/or SQL). SREA will also be principally responsible for the innovation and implementation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used for UCP program evaluation and other occasional reports.
The SREA will work in close collaboration with other teams (including other branches of Acacia’s REDA team, program teams, finance teams and learning and development teams) to ensure constant feedback loops necessary for program management and contract compliance. They will also play an important role in ensuring that Acacia’s race equity and inclusion priorities are a core aspect of research, including methodological approaches, publications, hiring and staffing, and external and internal research communications.
The Senior Research Associate will also be a member of Acacia’s Research Evaluation and Data Analytics (REDA) team that is responsible for reporting on Acacia’s entire portfolio of immigrant legal service work and will be expected to attend REDA team meetings as well as other REDA-relevant Acacia activities.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Contribute to the development and implementation of measurement, evaluation, and learning metrics/KPIs
- Partner with the Director of Research and Evaluation and other research leadership to establish a longer-term research agenda in support of the team’s work
- Maintain fluency in federal contract requirements as they relate to research and data reporting to ensure that deliverables are responsive
- Ensure research deliverables, including data collection and reporting, are compliant and responsive to the contract
- Review contracts for research-related requirements both for Vera and for subcontractors
- Conduct peer-review of research designs and analysis plans
- Develop research proposals in support of fundraising led by initiative and research leadership
- Develop and present IRB applications and ensure that research is conducted to the highest ethical standards
- Lead and manage rigorous performance outcomes measurement and data analytics in support of federal contracts in partnership with other senior research staff, senior data science staff, senior programs staff, and external partners
- Lead and develop discrete analyses, and train and supervise others on both quantitative and qualitative analyses
- Maintain an in-depth understanding of developments in program support, program administration, and federal policy in order to strategically guide research in support of the contract and program goals
- Communicate findings from research and data analysis, including representing the work in communication with federal government stakeholders, fielding questions and addressing requests for additional information
- Manage integration of insights gained from performance evaluation metrics and statistical data reporting into program planning and implementation, collaborating closely with senior program staff and a nationwide network of service providers
- Supervise, support, and mentor a team of researchers across methodologies and levels
- Strategize and build opportunities for professional growth, development, and skill building among supervisees
- Support recruitment and hiring for the research team
Required Skills/Experience/Qualifications
- Commitment to using research and analysis to address and undo racism and inequity in the immigration legal system required; lived experience preferred.
- At least 3 years of full-time research experience, including at least 1 year of experience serving as the research lead or principal investigator.
- Advanced quantitative skills, including hands-on experience with administrative and relational datasets and both predictive and causal analyses; ability to think creatively about how to use statistical methods to address pressing policy questions
- Fluency in data management
- Experience leading in a project management role
- Experience in a supervision or informal supervision role
- Exceptional written and oral communications skills, including authoring and editing research reports in written and visual formats accessible to a broader audience, and translating and presenting research findings to external stakeholders.
- Advanced quantitative skills, including hands-on experience with administrative data and relational databases, and both predictive and causal analyses; ability to think creatively about how to use statistical methods to address pressing policy questions
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel and Word, or similar software
- Fluency in at least one analytical programming language (e.g., R, Python, Stata), R preferred; ability to learn R while in the role required
- In accordance with federal contracts, Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) security clearance is required upon hire (for additional information: https://www.dcsa.mil/is/eqip/)
Preferred Skills/Experience/Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree, plus 4-7 years of relevant experience in applied research, equivalent applied experience, social science, or other related disciplines. In lieu of a degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
- PhD or master’s degree
- Experience in the fields of economics, quantitative sociology, computational social science, statistics, measurement, epidemiology, computer science, or a related field or experience working on evaluation and measurement on federal contracts
- Ability to work collaboratively using Git/GitHub, or the ability to quickly learn for code review
- Fluency in a language other than English spoken by people impacted by immigration enforcement in the United States
Compensation and Benefits:
Acacia has established an internal compensation philosophy that centers equity and pay transparency. The salary for this position is set at $96,000. The listed salary is just one component of Acacia’s total compensation package for employees. Supporting Acacia staff—both personally and professionally—is our priority. Please note, some benefits are not offered to temporary employees.
- Medical/Dental/Vision- Some plans at $0 cost to the employee
- Employee Assistance Program
- 20 days per year of vacation time
- 12 days per year of sick time
- 4 personal days
- 12 observed holidays, including the last week of December
- 4 Acacia Wellness Days
- $2000 Professional Development Stipend
- Home office set-up stipend
- Internet Stipend
- Student loan repayment assistance.
- Gym Reimbursement
- 403b with 5% company contribution
People of color and those who have been impacted by the criminal justice system are strongly urged to apply.
To Apply:
Please upload a resume and cover letter at the link provided or email hiring@acaciajustice.org with Subject: ATTN: Human Resources / [Job Title], Acacia Center for Justice
Equal Opportunity Employment:
Acacia is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to recruit persons of diverse backgrounds and support their retention and advancement within the organization. We are committed to fostering a workplace culture inclusive of people with respect to their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, marital status, age, disabilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other characteristic. Our commitment to justice and diversity also means providing a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and engaging.
As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Acacia Center for Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.
This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities and requirements but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function within our organization.
Acacia Center for Justice is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.