IDS is the North Carolina state agency that oversees the provision of legal representation to citizens accused of a crime who cannot afford counsel on their own. Having access to legal representation is a constitutional right and is the hallmark of free societies. We are looking for an experienced researcher to work on projects to measure the quality, cost-effectiveness, and fiscal impact of indigent defense services across the state. IDS is at the forefront of indigent defense research and is doing cutting-edge work in our field, such as the nationally recognized Systems Evaluation Project (SEP) which has developed a set of metrics or indicators for measuring indigent defense performance. The project is the first of its kind and will improve our understanding of how the court system operates and its impact on clients and the community.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK: The person in this position will work under the direction of the Research Director. This position will manage and analyze extremely large data sets using a wide variety of research methodologies and techniques; prepare research summaries, reports, briefs, fiscal notes, and presentation and training materials; and perform other research duties as necessary.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: The IDS Office is a small and fast-paced office environment. The person in this position must have strong analytical and organizational skills and be able to work productively under time pressure to meet project deadlines. It is essential for the person in this position to have the capacity to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and be attentive to detail.
BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Masters degree in Public Administration, social work, sociology, or related field with coursework in measurement, evaluation, and research design; and two or more years in a research position. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity for statistical analysis and know SPSS, SAS, Stata or other programming language, as well as experience in managing large data sets, including developing programs to clean, code, and integrate data from multiple sources and develop complex programs to perform research routines and procedures. Knowledge of database software, such as Access, and relational database design is preferred. Note: this is not a legal research position.
HOW TO APPLY: Submit: 1) a State Judicial Branch Application (Form AOC-A-133L), 2) a cover letter, 3) resume, 4) research writing sample, and 5) contact information for at least two references. Please note that applicants who do not submit all of the above items will not be considered. Form AOC-A-133L can be obtained at http://www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs/.
Send application to: Margaret Gressens, Research Director, NC Office of Indigent Defense Services, 123 West Main St., Suite 400, Durham, North Carolina 27701 or email to: Margaret.a.gressens@nccourts.org