Position Announcement:
Project Manager/Researcher
(University Rank: Faculty Research Assistant) The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is now hiring a researcher to work at START's headquarters at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is a full-time position, with an initial term of 12 months (starting in mid-July to early August 2013). Responsibilities: Special Projects consists of a number of relatively short-term and intensive research projects on various aspects of terrorism and counter-terrorism. The Project Manager/ Researcher will manage a project related to organized crime/terrorism/insurgency nexus and the trafficking of radiological/nuclear (RN) materials in Europe and North and West Africa. Responsibilities for the position will include project management (e.g., assisting the project principal investigators strategize on project implementation and timeline, managing day-to-day workflow of the project, enforcing deadlines), research management (e.g., implement and manage quality control procedures), and basic research tasks (e.g., identifying and summarizing sources, coding data, preparing reports, preparing and delivering presentations). The Project Manager/ Researcher will also co-supervise with the project PI a large team of on-site and field researchers (10-15) and interns/hourly research assistants (5-10 per semester). The position will be approximately 60% management and 40% research. The project focuses on:
- Identifying criminal groups and networks in Europe, North Africa, and West Africa Threat assessment of those groups and networks with capability to engage in RN trafficking
- Country-level case studies of key notes, areas, or routes for transiting RN materials
- Identification of routes that could support RN smuggling
Special Projects uses a multi-method analytical approach, including:
- Qualitative case study methods, especially process tracing
- Quantitative data collection and analysis, including both basic and advanced statistics
- Geospatial analysis
- Elicitations and surveys
- Red teaming
- Formal modeling
- Agent-based modeling
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree
- At least two years of prior research experience on countries in one or more of the relevant regions or on political violence, organized crime, or trafficking
- Previous social science data coding experience
- Experience with data quality control procedures or producing qualitative case studies
- Ability to handle pressure and meet deliverable deadlines
- Flexibility to switch topic areas and tasks as the project require
- Ability to effectively supervise project staff, including full-time researchers, research assistants and interns
Preferred Qualifications:
- Language fluency in at least one language relevant to regions of interest
- Master's degree
- Project management certification
- Experience in implementing quality control procedures
- Prior supervisory experience
- Superior writing and presentation abilities
Additional Considerations:
- Scholarly work (articles, books, etc.) and presentations on project-relevant topics
- Research experience in a professional environment
- Previous budgeting or contracting experience
The annual salary for this position will be in the range of $45,000 to $55,000 (depending on education and experience), plus full University of Maryland benefits (as explained at http://uhr.umd.edu/benefits/benefits-at-a-glance/). The person selected for this position will work on site at START's headquarters on campus at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will report directly to START's Special Projects Program Manager. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply by June 16, 2013 for best consideration. Please submit a cover letter, resume/CV, 2 page writing sample and three references to apate@start.umd.edu with "SPD Project Manager/ Researcher Application" as the subject line. The University of Maryland, College Park, actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, gender, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, national origin, or political affiliation. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.