VPD Government Solutions is a rapidly growing, employee-centric professional services company providing Strategic Communications & Stakeholder Engagement, Acquisition and Grants Management, PMO, IT PMO, and Data Analysis & Governance support to our federal clients. Our employees proudly serve as trusted advisors and innovative problem solvers for our clients. We are seeking a Social Science Research Analyst to join our team.
Position Overview:
The Social Science Research Analyst will provide services for our client at the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation’s (OPRE’s) Division of Child and Family Development (DCFD) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). This position will support federal staff and carry out responsibilities related to supporting research and evaluation activities related to human services programs.
OPRE oversees contracts and grants to study ACF’s social services programs and the children and families that they serve. Areas of focus include early childhood education, welfare, employment and self-sufficiency, child abuse and neglect, child care, fatherhood and healthy marriage/relationships, maternal and infant home visiting, and youth services. OPRE includes approximately one hundred federal and contracted staff, primarily research and evaluation specialists. OPRE oversees a portfolio of approximately $200 million in grants and contracts.
In this position, you will support OPRE’s Division of Child and Family Development (DCFD) by managing research activities and assisting with cross-divisional and cross-agency work. This Division includes work in the areas of early care and education, including: child care, Head Start, human trafficking, child abuse and neglect, two generation programs and whole family approaches, and coordination of services.
In this position, you will use knowledge of child development, family systems, early care and education, research and evaluation methodology, and statistics to assist federal staff in preparing program announcements or requests for proposals; communicating with grantees and contractors; and coordinating evaluation, performance measurement, continuous quality improvement, or other research activities. VPD and OPRE are particularly interested in candidates whose experience includes a focus on communities of color and/or other marginalized communities.
Responsibilities:
- Assist federal staff in oversight of research contracts and grants from inception through completion of satisfactory report and dissemination of results, including:
- Reviewing contractor deliverables, such as reports, work plans, and analysis plans;
- Reviewing contractor invoices, monitoring project spending, maintaining records, processing invoices, and managing necessary procurement actions; and
- Processing grant actions such as progress reports, amendments, and noncompeting continuations.
- Monitor new and emerging research relevant to ACF programs in order to:
- Assist federal staff in integrating research into current projects and future plans; and
- Identify emerging issues and questions in need of new research, synthesis, and/or interpretation.
- Establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with federal staff within OPRE and other ACF program offices, OPRE and ACF leadership, and external experts/constituents to ensure research and evaluation activities are responsive to the needs of government programs and the field at large.
- Facilitate communication and dissemination of OPRE research by:
- Keeping experts/constituents informed of work by providing written and verbal updates, scheduling and facilitating meetings, preparing briefing materials, memos, and PowerPoint presentations, and participating in conferences;
- Coordinating collaborative efforts among grantees, contractors, other researchers in the field, and federal staff to promote sharing of research findings, methodologies, and measurement approaches;
- Preparing and presenting oral presentations of OPRE research at local and national conferences; and
- Preparing position papers, issues analyses, written comments, briefing documents, and fact sheets concerning data, research findings, and program operations.
- Conceptualize and write funding opportunity announcements, statements of work, and solicitation materials, and assist in review of proposals and preparation of award materials.
- Provide expertise to OPRE around data analysis and research methodologies, including the planning, design, monitoring, and performance of evaluations, applied research, performance management, and policy analysis.
- Perform other duties needed to achieve VPD and/or customer mission success.
OPTIONAL : While not a requirement of this role, this position may include the opportunity to assume a Team Lead role for a small team of contract staff. Possible Team Lead responsibilities include:
- Overseeing the onboarding of new team members to ensure they are equipped to successfully perform their job(s).
- Responsible for the performance management of team members. This includes providing ongoing feedback, coaching, goal setting, delivering formal performance reviews, and teambuilding.
- Delegating work assignments to team members as needed and provide quality control for work products.
- Working with the Program Manager (PM) and Human Resources to support hiring for any team openings, including approving position descriptions, interviewing candidates, completing evaluations, and making hiring recommendations.
- Monitoring timekeeping of team members and approve all timesheets.
- Regularly checking in with PM to report team status updates or escalate any risks or issues; serve as a liaison between the PM and team members; prepare any contractually mandated or manager-requested reporting materials for team (e.g., monthly deliverable reports, annual performance metrics, etc.).
- Identifying, developing, and applying industry best practices and standards to the execution and delivery of work products.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree with 3 or more years’ experience or Doctorate (Ph.D.) degree with 1 or more years’ experience in Child and Family Studies, Human Development, Psychology, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, Social Work, or related fields
- Expertise in research and policies related to early care and education, child care, Head Start, two generation programs and whole family approaches, and coordination of services
- Experience with research and program evaluation, and knowledge of policies and programs affecting children and families served by ACF programs
- Demonstrated statistical and methodological skills
- Ability to work both independently and within a team environment
- Strong organizational, time-management, and prioritization skills
- Detail-oriented and driven to produce high-quality work
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams)
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a public trust clearance
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19
- U.S. Citizenship required
Preferred Qualifications:
- Strong statistical and methodological skills and experience with experimental impact evaluations in human services settings.
- Experience conducting research that is focused on and/or relevant to the experiences of children and families with low income, communities of color, and/or marginalized communities served by ACF programs.
Why work for VPD?
- VPD is proud to be a certified Great Place to Work in 2022-2023! See more about what our employees think! Working at VPD Government Solutions | Great Place to Work®
- Robust employee benefits package beginning on 1st of the month following hire date including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
- 401(k) with 5% employer matching- immediate vesting!
- Flexible time off program including 3 weeks of paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement program
- Opportunities for professional development
- Employee-centric work culture including company sponsored events, happy hours, and team-building opportunities, frequent communications/information sharing from Leadership, supportive and positive teamwork environment, “open door” policy, etc.
Work Location: Remote - HHS/ACF client based in Washington, DC
VPD is Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws: