Program Assistant - Measure of America
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, nonprofit international organization devoted to the advancement of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences. It does this through a wide variety of workshops and conferences, fellowships and grants, summer training institutes, scholarly exchanges, and publications. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.ssrc.org/.
Measure of America is an initiative of the SSRC dedicated to stimulating fact-based public debate about issues of well-being and access to opportunity in the United States. Through reports, interactive online tools, and evidence-based research, Measure of America breathes life into numbers, using data to identify areas of need, pinpoint levers for change, and track progress over time. The hallmark of this work is the American Human Development Index, a composite measure that reflects what most people believe are basic ingredients of a good life: health, education, and income. More information about the program is available on its website.
Measure of America is seeking a program assistant to join our high-impact team. The program assistant supports the production of various publications and data tools; contributes to the program’s advocacy, outreach, and communications; spearheads the program’s social media efforts and updates the website; conducts research and literature reviews; handles expense tracking and invoicing; coordinates program logistics; and performs their duties with a high degree of detail orientation and conscientiousness.
Responsibilities
- Administering the program’s finances, including liaising with funders, processing all expenditures and reimbursements, managing invoicing, and monitoring the program budget
- Managing relationships with vendors and consultants, including report designers, web developers, editors, media professionals, and others
- Maintaining organized and accurate records of program projects, activities, and meetings
- Implementing and monitoring the program’s social media strategy and online presence, including administering its website and social media platforms
- Supporting day-to-day and special-event logistics
- Drafting a range of materials, including correspondence, grant reports, and portions of reports and articles
- Conducting research on topics in American social policy, poverty, demography, education policy, public health, economics, and related fields
- Contributing to products, capacity building, and events to build meaningful connections and encourage those involved to take action
- Presence in the New York metro area upon start of employment and the ability to work in-person at our office in Brooklyn Heights three days a week, and four days a week during training
- Additional duties as assigned
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree, ideally in a social science (political science, sociology, economics, anthropology, geography, international relations, or an interdisciplinary or related field).History, public health, and social-science-adjacent majors will also be considered.
- Superior writing skills, including the ability to produce written work for external audiences and proofread others’ work; work on college newspaper or other kinds of publications a plus
- Conscientiousness, follow-through, and a high degree of detail orientation
- Demonstrated research skills, familiarity with principles of social scientific inquiry, and the ability to work with data
- Excellent interpersonal skills, flexibility, professionalism, critical thinking, and independence
- Familiarity with basic functionality of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required
- Familiarity with the following tools and work is helpful, but not required. An authentic desire to learn and achieve proficiency in the tools and systems we use is more important.
- Website and social media content creation and analytics
- Adobe Creative Suite or other visual design/editing & publication layout software
- Statistical software, ideally R
Terms, Salary, and Benefits
Annual salary is $50,000. Comprehensive benefits include health, dental, vision, disability, life, and gym reimbursement; $1,500 annual tuition and/or student loan reimbursement; outstanding pension plan and tax savings programs; generous vacation and sick leave; and more.
Application Information
To apply, send a cover letter, resume, writing sample that demonstrates your research abilities in the social sciences (1200 words maximum, including any tables or figures), as well as your answer to the following question (250 words maximum): Which Measure of America project interests you most and why?
Final-round interviews will be in person and require travel to the SSRC’s office in Brooklyn Heights.
The Social Science Research Council is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to cultivating and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. SSRC maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. All aspects of employment with the Council are made on the basis of competence, skill, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, creed, color, religion, sex/gender, national origin/ancestry, ethnicity, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital or domestic partner status, medical conditions (including pregnancy and/or genetic information) or physical or mental disability, citizenship status, or any other categories prohibited by law.