Research Assistant (Housing Finance Policy Center)

Who we are:  At the nonprofit Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities.  Our employees are empowered to open minds, shape decisions and offer solutions.  We encourage intellectual honesty, innovation, diversity, and mutual respect, and our analysis elevates the debate, wherever it takes place.

Urban’s greatest asset is our people. We strive to attract and cultivate a vibrant, creative, and diverse community.  Our employees drive Urban’s mission through entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, effective communication, results-orientation, and relationship cultivation.  Our success depends on engaging individuals who possess and value these attributes.

The Housing Finance Policy Center covers issues such as racial inequity in homeownership and housing wealth, access to mortgage credit, housing affordability, the structure of the secondary mortgage market, and the government role in regulating and supporting the housing finance system. The center’s research is focused on the connection between the housing finance system, communities, as well as people and outcomes. This position requires strong quantitative and qualitative skills in addition to excellent organizational, project management, and writing skills.

How you’ll contribute: The Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center (HFPC) is looking for a Research Assistant to provide research and project support. The topical focus of the research is housing and housing finance policy covering areas such as access to mortgage credit, housing affordability, the future structure of the secondary mortgage market, and the government role in regulating and supporting the housing finance system.
The Research Assistant will work on quantitative and some qualitative research assignments related to internally and externally funded projects.

Responsibilities include:
•    Contribute to quantitative and some qualitative research assignments.
•    Conduct literature reviews and track emerging trends in industry and research, compiling and synthesizing information
•    Update data series for HFPC’s monthly chartbook
•    Provide general research assistance on other HFPC projects, research publications, and blogs on an ad-hoc basis.
•    Support the center on administrative, communications, and event-related assignments with opportunities to assist the center co-vice presidents with creating presentation materials for public events and meetings.
•    Other duties as assigned by the center project manager or other senior staff.

What you’ll bring:
The successful candidate will have:
•    Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Business, Real Estate, and Social Science or related fields is required. Some prior research experience strongly preferred. The research experience could include research for an undergraduate thesis.
•    Strong quantitative and analytical skills
•    Excellent organizational and communication skills.
•    Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.
•    Experience managing and analyzing large datasets, using statistical packages, such as SAS, STATA, and/or R.
•     Spatial analysis skills a plus.
•    The initiative to suggest improvements or innovations on assigned tasks.
•    Excellent attention to detail.
•    A willingness to adapt to changes in work assignments, deadlines and team environment
•    Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
•    Strong time management skills and ability to prioritize many moving tasks and competing priorities and meet deadlines.
•    Ideally interested in housing and housing finance related issues.

What you’ll experience:  Working in the Nation’s Capital, the epicenter of public policy among a network of policy experts, you can expect to have an impact on policy areas you care about and work with great colleagues who are smart, mission-driven, and collaborative.  You will blend academic rigor with on-the-ground collaboration, be encouraged and supported to fulfill your potential through meaningful work that matters and, enjoy a welcoming workplace free from harassment, discrimination and intolerance.