Research and Data Manager: Pennsylvania Prison Society

THE OPPORTUNITY 

We are hiring a Research and Data Manager to build-out, manage and organize the Prison Society’s work producing and disseminating timely, reliable, accurate information on conditions in Pennsylvania’s prisons and jails. The Manager will also lead efforts to measure and evaluate Prison Society programs and impact.

On any given day, 61,000 Pennsylvanians are incarcerated in state and county prisons. Incarceration in Pennsylvania increased 300 percent since 1980. Lack of access to health care, degradation, and isolation are some of the issues people in prison face. For 236 years, the Pennsylvania Prison Society has led the nation in calling for a more just and humane criminal justice system.

Every month, more than 500 incarcerated people and their families ask the Prison Society for help with issues they face inside prison. Written into Pennsylvania law, Prison Society staff and volunteers respond to these complaints by going into correctional facilities, meeting with incarcerated people, assisting with the issues they are facing, and providing real-time information on prison conditions.

‍‍This is where you come in!

Manage and improve the collection, collation, analysis, and presentation of novel data and information about prisons, prison conditions, life in prisons, and Prison Society operations.  In collaboration with programmatic staff, develop new  and improve upon existing data & information collection tools and processes, including surveys, focus groups, and prison walkthrough protocols. Oversee staff training and guidance for using new data collection tools and protocols (including data security protocols). In year one this will involve onboarding new data collection systems and technologies. In year one you will have assistance from two Associates who will not report to you but will assist you in data collection and collation. In year two there is the potential to hire a dedicated research & data analyst to support this work.

Manage and enhance the Prison Society’s performance measurement, evaluation and learning process by working closely with programmatic staff to determine metrics and evaluation strategies, and then to oversee the design and implementation of those strategies.

‍Tell the important story of what is happening in prison, by synthesizing findings and producing regularly updated dashboards, fact-sheets, issues briefs, and graphics that use Prison Society and external data to convey key information about Pennsylvania prisons, in coordination with communications staff. Audiences include: state and county officials, journalists, the public at large, Prison Society volunteers, people in prison, families of people in prison.

‍Help vision and implement the build-out of data and research at the Prison Society in collaboration with the Executive Director, senior staff, and board.

Develop, manage, and contribute to the creation of 1-3 issue specific reports a year. In collaboration with program staff, you will help determine what issues we should be delving into. You will find  and manage relationships with external research consultants brought on as needed for specific reports, and you contribute to their creation by weaving in existing prison society data & information, collecting data & information, and conducting literature reviews. You will also be called upon to contribute to grant proposals.

Keep the Prison Society up-to-date on new publications and projects on prisons, public safety, and the criminal legal field. By keeping yourself updated on scholarship, participating in criminology and related research circles, and sharing relevant new research and developments with programmatic staff.

‍Your Core Competencies

• Masters degree or PhD in a relevant social science field with a track record of quantitative research projects. Mixed method work is a plus.
• Two or more years experience outside of academia, working with an organization or government agency to use data for policy change.
• Experience using at least one quantitative statistical software package or language (e.g., Python, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA).
• Experience in survey design, execution, and analysis.
• You are great at collaborating with and supporting multiple people. While you get excited about data, you don’t want to sit by yourself.  Being in conversation, the back and forth of questions engages you.
• You have a track record of asking insightful questions and using data to shine light on the answers.
• You are a clear verbal and written communicator. You have experience conveying complex research findings to broader audiences, and to develop clear, visually-compelling reports for government, non-profit, and private sector partners.
• You have a passion for and a track record of data visualization.  Strategizing on the different ways to visually present information is a strength. Experience with Tableau, Microsoft Power BI,  and similar software is a plus.
• Experience with criminal legal issues, and correctional facilities in particular, is a plus. 

‍What You Need to Know

• Location – This is a hybrid in-office/work-from-home position. You will work out a schedule with the Executive Director to include 1 day a week at home and 4 days a week in the office.
• Hours – This position works 40 hours per week, primarily during regular business hours of 9am-5pm.
• Manager – You will report to Claire Shubik-Richards, Executive Director of the Prison Society.
• Start date – As soon as possible
• Salary & benefits –  $70,000-$80,000. A flexible spending account, medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage provided.
• Flexible time off – We encourage a healthy work-life balance and do not cap the number of days off our employees can take. In addition, we observe 11 paid holidays.

At the Prison Society, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our staff, our mission, and our community. The Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Individuals directly impacted by the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply. 

If the above speaks to you, we’re excited to learn more about you! APPLY HERE.