Research Associate I

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 "Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For" by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

SUMMARY

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is seeking a Research Associate I for one of its programs, Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG). The Research Associate will perform a variety of research and project-related tasks in support of one specific project. They will conduct research on how the media portrays health and social justice issues. The team also collaborates with other teams within BMSG to assess what these portrayals mean for advocates working to advance healthy and just public policy.

The ideal candidate is motivated, passionate, detail-oriented, and has previous experience with content analysis and LGBTQA+ health policy work. Research tasks will include working with the BMSG research team to develop and refine a qualitative coding instrument for an in-depth news analysis; collecting, reading and analyzing news articles; analyzing data; and helping draft reports and memos. The Research Associate I will also get opportunities to meet with, present to, and network with other professionals in the field.

This is a temporary remote part-time position (25% FTE with a standard work schedule of 10 hours/week) that is expected to last 12 weeks. Applicants in the United States are welcome to apply.

Full pay range for this position: $26.43 to $37.21 per hour. The typical hiring range for this position is from $26.43 (minimum) to $31.82 (midpoint) per hour. The starting wage is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

Employment Type: Part-Time

ABOUT BERKELEY MEDIA STUDIES GROUP

Positioned at the intersection of narrative change, media advocacy, and public health, BMSG is a small, nimble team committed to improving community health by building advocates' capacity to make the case for equitable systems and environments. We do this by studying how public health and social justice issues are portrayed in the news and other communication channels and using insights from that research, help advocates become more skilled communicators adept at changing narratives, especially news narratives that undermine health. We also work with journalists who want to deepen their reporting on the social and structural factors that influence health.

We take our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion seriously in our work with advocates and reporters and in the culture we've created internally. We strive to foster a working environment that prioritizes well-being and values every team member. Our philosophy is that we are humans first, employees second. We encourage people to bring their whole selves - all backgrounds and neurotypes welcome - into our workspace, identify professional development and growth opportunities for staff, and host regular brainstorming sessions to encourage creative thinking. If a norm or process isn't working, we challenge and address it. BMSG's average employee tenure is eight and a half years.

BMSG supports partners working to create a just world where every community thrives. Our partners organize and advocate to change policies and systems to make that happen. We, in turn, help them by analyzing how their issue is being discussed in the news and other public spaces and then provide targeted support to help them be strategic about how they make changes and how they communicate about their goals.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Contribute to finalizing codebook
• Participate in intercoder reliability testing and alignment
• Qualitatively and quantitatively code news articles about policies affecting body autonomy
• Enter and clean data
• Participate in discussions about data analysis
• Contribute to writing final paper summarizing findings
• Participate in selected project meetings
• Perform other duties as assigned on research projects relating to narratives about trans justice and liberation

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, or substitute with four additional years of related experience

Other Qualifications

• Experience with qualitative and quantitative media content analysis
• Content knowledge of LGBTQA+ health policy and related issues
• Experience coding articles using ATLAS.ti
• Excellent research, writing and listening skills
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely and summarize research in written form
• Attention to detail and comfort with a fast-paced and sometimes confusing information flow
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Ability to progress on several projects concurrently
• Ability to conduct data analysis and interpret findings
• Analytical thinker able to distill large amounts of information into a focused report
• Ability to work independently and move a complex project through to completion
• A commitment to social and environmental justice
• Coursework in environmental health, climate change, or related issues
• Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from an accredited institution preferred

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

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We're so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at Recruitment@phi.org.

Additional information about PHI's benefits and compensation offerings can be found here.

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.