Project Specialist

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students and staff that make the university a great place to work.  

As a community of Dornsife College “we are committed to the creation, preservation, and communication of fundamental knowledge in all its forms…as well as a lifelong passion for learning and a commitment to the betterment of society.”  The academic mission of Dornsife College can only be realized to its fullest potential when we build and protect a representative, equitable, inclusive culture of scholarship for students, faculty, and staff.  This is not done through initiatives but by embedding these values into the everyday interactions, relationships, policies, and practices of the College.  What is required is a seamless integration of the tenets of equity and inclusivity into every facet of academic life.  If we want our scholars, staff, and students to be able to give their very best, we must create an academic environment that portends success.  

Success is possible when every member of the Dornsife community owns their role as a steward of the culture in which we learn, research, and work; when we believe that it is because of who we are that we are able to do what we do: achieve excellence, together. 

Achieving a robust and inclusive academic culture requires more than just the completion of a task, but includes that person’s capacity to contribute positively to the relationships and culture of their office or department.  Therefore, any applicant seeking to advance the mission of Dornsife College should also be assessed on their capacities beyond the technical elements of their work, and demonstrate an understanding of their impact on others, and to articulate how they contribute positively to those around them.

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is seeking a Project Specialist to join its team. The project specialist will work in a multidisciplinary environment assisting research on institutional characteristics and other life course exposures that influence health and late-life cognition. This position requires an individual with a public health or public policy background who is capable of understanding, communicating, and contributing to research on complex policies affecting older people in the United States and internationally.

Job responsibilities include:

• Collecting, interpreting, and documenting complex information on country-specific social and economic policy such as pension, long-term care, or education policies
• Developing approaches for concisely communicating state and country-specific differences in social and economic policy and individual life experiences
• Working with a team to manage information and data collection, conduct descriptive analysis, and drafting reports, research papers, or journal articles
• Assisting with organizing and scheduling activities to meet research objectives, study protocol compliance, or other occasional administrative activities
• Although this is not primarily a computer programming position, a strong applicant should be able to develop or learn to develop STATA or SAS programs for data cleaning, analysis, and producing data visualizations, such as graphs or tables

Qualifications:

• Ability to produce careful and detail-oriented work
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities 
• Minimum education: Bachelor’s Degree (Master’s Degree strongly preferred)
• Minimum Experience: 2 years
• Major in public health, public policy, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, quantitative social sciences, or related field required.
• Experience working with administrative data preferred

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Hourly range: The hourly rate range for this position is $32.82 - $35.90. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Position Location: Washington, DC (USC’s Capital Campus, preferred); Los Angeles, CA (University Park Campus)

Minimum Field of Expertise: Economics or other quantitative social science.

This is a grant-funded position.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.
• USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff and their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions after six months of employment; tuition benefits for staff and their family; free Professional Development classes; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, buses and free tram pick up services; discounts to sporting and other campus events.

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer that Values Diversity.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Minimum Experience: 2 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Directly related education and experience to be able to advise on project procedures and analysis techniques