University of Minnesota Looking for Researcher in Child Care Economics (# 359063) Full Time

About the Job

Researcher in Child Care Economics

Title
and Job Code: Researcher 5, 9742R5
Employee Group: Academic Professional and Administrative (AP)
FLSA Status: Exempt
Reports to:
Dr. Elizabeth Davis

The University of Minnesota’s Department of Applied Economics seeks an experienced researcher to work with the PI
and her research team to conduct policy-relevant research to support improved access to high quality early care and education in Minnesota.
The Researcher will be responsible for overseeing and conducting multiple research projects.

The Researcher will primarily contribute
to a sponsored project conducted in a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The
overall objective of this project is to implement a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation to extend knowledge about how child care subsidies
affect low-income families’ access to early care and education and how program outcomes change in response to payment policy changes. The
project team will integrate quantitative data analysis and qualitative approaches in a mixed methods design. The project builds on and
implements a research and evaluation plan designed during the planning phase. The Researcher will collaborate with researchers at the
University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development along with state agency staff from the Minnesota Department of Human
Services.

The Researcher will also contribute to research projects using the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) and
using other national and proprietary data sets to estimate the demand for child care and worker turnover. The Researcher will work
collaboratively with the PI and other researchers to develop empirical strategies, conduct analysis, prepare manuscripts for publication,
discuss and plan new avenues of investigation, and assist in drafting proposals to secure research funding.

This is a 12-month 75%
time position that can begin as early as January 2, 2024 and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota (remote work is possible) with mentors Dr.
Elizabeth Davis and Dr. Aaron Sojourner. Extensions may be possible contingent on securing additional funding and satisfactory
performance.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:

Research Activities (75%)

• Develop, merge and maintain analytic
  databases and provide thorough documentation of data sets and variable creation
• Implement a rigorous evaluation methodology to
  estimate a causal model of subsidy payment policy changes on selected child, family, and provider outcomes
• Conduct descriptive
  analysis of trends in utilization and stability of care arrangements for families receiving child care assistance
• Replicate the
  “clustering” process used by the State to set maximum payment rates in the Child Care Assistance Program
• Contribute to the
  development and analysis of surveys of families and child care providers
• Contribute to writing of presentations, reports, briefs and
  journal articles
• Assist with preparation of IRB and Data Sharing Agreement protocols.
• Review and provide input on research
  designs for multiple projects; review findings and conduct supplementary analyses, and contribute to preparation of manuscripts
  and
  reports.
   

Project Administration (25%)

• Co-coordinate research team activities
• Participate in Community of
  Practice meetings and related conferences
• Manage and mentor graduate students collaborating on research related to the
  project
• Collaborate with other researchers in developing, analyzing and integrating the qualitative studies with the quantitative
  analyses.
• Monitor project timelines and provide quality control oversight
   

Required Qualifications

• Earned
  PhD in economics, applied economics or closely related field and two years of post-doctorate relevant work experience
• Demonstrated
  expertise in quasi-experimental methods such as regression discontinuity design
• Demonstrated expertise in estimating structural and
  reduced-form econometric models
• Demonstrated expertise in working with and merging large administrative data sets
• Experience
  working with and de-identifying confidential data
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong skills in economic modeling and
  statistical programming
• Strong interest in child care markets and child care subsidy policy issues
• Familiarity with
  Minnesota child care subsidy policy and market rate studies
• Strong skills in Python and knowledge of other statistical packages such
  as R or Stata
• Strong research and writing skills, project management, and excellent command of English
• Successful
  grant-writing experience
• Ability to work both independently and cooperatively in a team
• Experience mentoring graduate
  students
   

This opportunity is open to candidates of all nationalities, gender and age.  Regardless of background, we
are looking for highly skilled, interdisciplinary, action-oriented candidates.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Please submit your
complete application by January 2, 2024 for consideration.

TO APPLY:  Applications must be submitted online at https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs (search for job opening 359063). Include a cover letter
detailing your experience,
qualifications and interest in the project, a curriculum vitae, and names, addresses and email contact
information for two professional references. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Davis at
[email protected]

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and
inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission.  The University is committed
to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to
and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age,
marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  To
learn more about diversity at the U:  http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment
is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here.
Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.