Associate Director, Kinder Houston Area Survey

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research is a multi-disciplinary “think-and-do tank” housed on the Rice University campus in central Houston, focusing on urban issues in Houston, the American Sun Belt, and around the world. The Kinder Institute builds better cities and improves people’s lives by bringing together data, research, engagement and action.

The Kinder Houston Area Survey, now in its 39th year, is the long-running longitudinal survey of residents of an individual metropolitan area. The survey uses the annual survey of Houston area residents to identify social, cultural, economic, and political trends in the region. It is an extremely prominent part of the Houston landscape and the focal point of the annual Kinder Institute luncheon, which is the biggest ongoing annual fundraising event conducted by Rice University.

The Associate Director for the Kinder Houston Area Survey is a senior research fellow in the Kinder Institute responsible for maintaining leading and expanding the Kinder Houston Area Survey and engaging in other survey research activities critical to the Kinder Institute’s mission. The Associate Director will work with the Founding Director of the Kinder Institute, who is also the Director of the Kinder Houston Area Survey, to design and execute the survey each year. In this capacity, the Associate Director will oversee staff, temporary and student workers as needed. S/he will work with the Founding Director and other Institute staff on possible expansion of the Kinder Institute’s survey research operation. The Associate Director will present the survey’s findings and other ongoing research not only to scholars at other institutions in Houston and beyond, but also to the general public, in a variety of settings and venues throughout the year. In addition, s/he will contribute to other ongoing research projects at the Institute focused on critical urban issues as time permits.

The ideal candidate will be a dynamic and accomplished public speaker who is experienced in survey research and survey research methodology. S/he will have a PhD in urban planning, sociology or another related field in the social sciences.

The selected candidate may be eligible for a non-tenure track lecturer appointment in the School of Social Sciences.

Education Required: Master’s Degree

Major/Discipline
Urban planning, sociology, or other related field.

Substitution for Education Requirement
Experience may not be substituted for the education requirement.

Education Preferred:
PhD or equivalent in urban planning, sociology, or related social sciences field.

Experience Required: 5 years

Type of Experience:
Related experience in managing research projects and/or strategic partnerships, survey research and/or survey research methodology.

Substitution for Experience Requirement
May substitute additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis in lieu of the experience requirement.

Experience Preferred
Experience working at Rice University.

Skills Required
Expertise in designing and executing high-quality survey research
High proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of information management, knowledge management and publication management
Excellent listening, verbal and written communication and research skills, including the ability to convey survey results succinctly and understandably in a wide variety of settings
Exceptional public speaking ability
Excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills with attention to details
Able to work in a team environment, including serving as an active participant, collaborator and able to motivate team members
Able to lead a team and/or supervise others
Excellent organizational skills to plan and schedule
High comfort level making independent decisions
Skills Preferred
Dynamic and accomplished public speaker
Able to think broadly and creatively about the future of Kinder’s survey research program
An “out of the box” attitude about crafting survey questions
Familiarity with Rice’s systems, policies and procedures
Internal / External Contacts
Internal: Frequent contact with many offices within the University, including all offices within the division and other administrative and academic offices. Continuous contact with the student population, staff, faculty.

Essential Functions
Develops a research agenda using appropriate analytical approaches, models and methods
Plans, directs and conducts research
Translates research results into timely and relevant public policy recommendations
Writes and publishes white papers, conference reports, opinion articles, blogs and policy briefs
May manage a team of other researchers and programmatic support staff
Performs all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions or Information
Assists in the leadership and contributes to the expansion of the Kinder Houston Area Survey
Engages in other survey research activities critical to the Kinder Institute’s mission
Leads and supervises the work of team members and assigned staff
Works with the Founding Director and other Institute staff on possible expansion of the Kinder Institute’s survey research operation
Presents survey findings and other ongoing research not only to scholars at other institutions in Houston and beyond, but also to the general public, in a variety of settings and venues throughout the year
Contributes to other ongoing research projects at the Institute focused on critical urban issues

For more information and to apply, please visit https://jobs.rice.edu/postings/23725.