Social Scientist

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we work to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work and foster a sense of belonging throughout the company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

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Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

The Social Scientist will be part of a geographically distributed Social and Behavioral Sciences team that provides research-driven insights to our projects and clients nationally and globally. We study human experiences, behaviors, and outcomes in the contexts of buildings, communities, and organizations.

We design rigorous and actionable research that people can trust, and we're passionate about helping our partners make the best decisions to create more human-centered strategies, systems, and environments.

In the role of Social Scientist, we will count on you to:

Play an integral role in the development and implementation of our client projects and initiatives

Apply strategic thinking to articulate important problems and knowledge gaps

Develop research questions and hypotheses, and contribute to development of research designs and approaches to address questions and knowledge gaps

Write detailed research plans and protocols

Develop primary and/or secondary data collection methods and oversee data collection with clients and other HDR groups

Format and merge datasets for analysis

Conduct quantitative data analysis using appropriate methods and models based on data types and distributions

Contribute to qualitative data analysis as needed

Clearly articulate the broader context of studies, and interpret and translate research findings into actionable insights and recommendations

Conduct systematic literature searches and reviews

Write reports and manuscripts, including background, methods, findings, and discussions

Effectively interpret and translate research findings into actionable insights and recommendations

Work collaboratively with other disciplinary and subject matter experts, and with project leaders on client projects and research initiatives

Contribute to and participate in internal and external presentations

Work with planning and project teams to document the results of our building projects via current state and post-occupancy evaluations

Facilitate IRB or other regulatory reviews and approvals as necessary and appropriate for each study

Serve as an articulate advocate for the value of the social sciences and human research to clients and within our company, and contribute to expanding our reach to programs across the company

Leverage opportunities to further enhance your knowledge and skills through engagement with other experts

Take the steps necessary annually to:

o Obtain/maintain CITI (human subjects research ethics) certification

o Author or co-author a research article published in a peer-reviewed journal

o Present at one or more industry and/or research conferences

Perform other duties as assigned

Preferred qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a social science, public health, or another field with emphasis on human subjects research strongly preferred
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• Exceptional ability to think strategically, articulate the broader context of studies, and interpret and translate research findings into actionable insights and recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to identify, develop, and communicate important and viable research opportunities that will support positive project outcomes
• Advanced statistical knowledge for appropriate application to a wide range of data types and distributions in studies of human knowledge, attitudes, experiences, behaviors, and outcomes
• Demonstrated experience in applying user/human-centered research to real-world projects within a practice environment
• Knowledge and implementation of survey methodologies including representative sampling and weighting techniques
• Knowledge and experience conducting measurement validation procedures (e.g., cognitive interviews, factor analysis, etc.)
• A track record of human-environment relations research and publications
• Adeptness in performing deadline-driven work, and flexibility to adapt to evolving needs
• Commitment to being a continual learner
• Local candidates preferred

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree, preferably in a research-oriented field
• A minimum of 3 years of hands-on research experience
• Knowledge of research designs, and associated strength and generalizability of evidence
• Excellent quantitative analysis skills, including working knowledge of at least one standard statistical software package (SAS preferred)
• Knowledge of qualitative and mixed methods approaches, and analysis of qualitative data
• Strong interest in research on the built environment and its impacts on human outcomes
• Superior organizational skills, and ability to move projects forward with both individual and collaborative work
• Desire to pursue growth opportunities and obtain necessary certifications
• Commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ , People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. The expected compensation range for this position depends upon skills, experience, education and geographical location. (Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. Temporary and part-time roles eligible for limited benefits.) {Pay Transparency Location1}: $____ - $____ {Pay Transparency Location 2 if needed}: $____ - $____ {Pay Transparency Location 3 if needed etc}: $____ - $____