UL Urban Crime Lab
Who We Are: In cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, under-resourced schools, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system - all of which disproportionately impact people of color. These inequalities have profound consequences on public safety and opportunity. As a society we have failed to address these challenges, in part, because of our lack of understanding of the most effective and cost-effective solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We believe that rigorous research can help. The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab partner with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice. Our mission is to combine world-class data science and research, in partnership with government agencies, to substantially improve the effectiveness of the public sector and achieve impact at scale. To learn more about the Crime Lab and Education Lab, visit https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime and https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/education. About the Role: The University of Chicago Crime Lab is seeking a Program Associate who can support the launch of the Policing Academy, a first-of-its-kind. The Program Associate will work closely with the program team, and under the direction of the Program Director, Policing Leadership Academy, to ensure the success of this new initiative. Strong candidates will have experience in higher education administration, sales, recruiting, or client-facing work more generally.
The job manages academic, research, clinical or administrative programs of the University.

• Support the day to day delivery of services to program participants and beneficiaries.
• Ensure a positive participant experience by serving as the main point of contact for all incoming and current cohort members.
• In partnership with other members of the program team, ensures smooth communication and effective planning of a six-month certificate program that provides a successful and impactful experience for each participant.
• In partnership with other members of the program team, sets and communicates program priorities and performance standards and assesses operations using these criteria. Plans and conducts quality assurance review and recommends changes as appropriate.
• Coordinates with other departments within the University of Chicago, external professors and lecturers, and local vendors to ensure programming is well planned and successfully delivered.
• Uses moderate/solid understanding and experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants
  and/or beneficiaries.
• Sets and communicates program priorities and performance standards and assesses operations using these criteria.
  Plans and conducts quality assurance reviews and recommends changes as appropriate.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, sociology, or a closely related field.
• Advanced degree strongly preferred.

• Experience with quantitative data analysis to support the research design strongly preferred.
• Previous experience with research strongly preferred.
• Previous experience in policing or working with the criminal justice system strongly preferred.

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to maintain positive relationships with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong time management skills with a proven ability to multitask and to prioritize activities to successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact with a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment.
• Knowledge and understanding of crime policy and violence research literature strongly preferred.

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References (3) (required)

Administration & Management
Individual Contributor
Exempt
Monthly
37.5
Yes
No
No
No