About the California Policy Lab
The California Policy Lab (CPL) generates research insights for government impact. Through hands-on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue silos and builds the data infrastructure necessary to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day. We work on California’s most urgent issues, including homelessness, poverty, criminal justice reform, and education inequality.
CPL recognizes the value of having a diverse staff at all levels of the organization. We are looking for equity-minded applicants who represent and understand the diverse racial and ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, educational, socioeconomic, cultural, and disability backgrounds present in California. When you join our team, you can expect to be part of an inclusive and equity-focused community.

The Position
This is an exciting role for an early- or mid-career researcher who wants to design and conduct policy-relevant research with administrative data in California. Our team works closely with policymakers and people with lived experience of homelessness to develop our research agenda, and we leverage unparalleled access to administrative microdata to help inform solutions to homelessness. The ideal candidate has expertise in homelessness, health policy, or the social safety net. The Researcher conducts independent quantitative and mixed-methods research, including conceptualizing research questions and designs; overseeing the requesting, receiving, and cleaning of data files; creating and overseeing the implementation of analysis plans; conducting quality assurance reviews; summarizing results in documents for both academic and policy audiences; and generating replicability documentation. The Researcher can implement and defend multiple causal research designs, including randomized control trials, quasi-experimental designs, and non-experimental designs. The Researcher will also design, supervise, and implement descriptive analyses and other observational statistical analyses. The Researcher will supervise junior research staff, write grant proposals to support research tasks, and contribute to grant reporting. A successful candidate has demonstrated experience managing research projects and assigning and supervising tasks.
The position will report to the Research Director, and will work directly with leading social policy researchers at UC and beyond, state and local government agency staff, and CPL’s leadership team. Researcher job title and campus title will be based on experience and qualifications.
This position could be fulfilled either remotely, or in a hybrid manner, with some in-person meetings.
Principal Responsibilities:
-Conduct independent quantitative research, including conceptualizing research questions and design; creating and implementing analysis plans; requesting, receiving, and cleaning data files; conducting quality assurance reviews; summarizing results in documents for both academic and policy audiences; and generating replicability documentation.
-Annually publish multiple reports and policy briefs based on research.
-Implement multiple research designs and analysis techniques, including but not limited to randomized control trials, quasi-experimental designs, and non-experimental designs, including descriptive and correlational analyses.
-Lead research projects with small teams, write proposals to support research projects, and ensure timely and high-quality completion of research tasks.
-Mentor other research staff, provide feedback on performance.
-Partner effectively with state and local agency staff to build a joint research agenda.