Research Analyst Internship

Education Analytics (EA) is seeking to hire up to three motivated and driven Research Analyst summer interns for our Analyst team. EA is a non-profit organization based in Madison, WI that creates research-informed analytics to support school districts, regional offices of education, non-profits, and policymakers in improving student outcomes and education systems with data-driven decision making.

Many of EA's partner organizations are large public-school districts that serve diverse, often under-represented, student populations. Because of this, EA values a breadth of educational experiences in employees, and encourages applications from students who reflect these populations. We encourage applications from current undergraduate students from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and first-generation college students.

Interns will work closely with our full-time analyst staff to assist in work including processing raw data, supporting the building/implementing statistical models, building visuals, and presenting results. They will have an opportunity to build programming, statistical, and technical communication skills. We provide thorough training in R programming and data conventions, so prior coding experience is helpful but not required - we are most interested in energetic and hard-working candidates with a desire to learn and make an impact on public education using data analysis.

This opportunity is a fully in person role based out of our offices in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The salary for this position is budgeted at $22/hour. The program runs from June 3 - August 16, with flexibility for the right candidate.

Orientation to the Work

• Interns are paired with a mentor on the analyst team for the summer. These mentors serve as the intern's main point of contact, help assign interns work, support them as they work on an individual project, answer their questions, help them manage their time, and provide additional one-on-one support.
• Through a series of interactive lunches and workshops, interns get a first-hand look at all the functions of EA and greater insight into nonprofit work.
• Attend professional development seminars on topics such as resume and cover letter writing, interview tips, and negotiation advice.
• In your first few weeks, an intern will work through R and policy training with assistance from your mentor. From there, they will likely support 1-2 EA projects. After a few weeks, they will also be assigned a personal project based on their interests that they lead and will present to the organization at the end of the internship.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Interns are expected to work 40 hours a week for at least ten weeks. Specific schedules will be determined by the supervisor/mentor.
• Work within a team to complete various analytics projects and meet deadlines.
• Write code in the programming languages R and SQL.
• Investigate data sources, understand data quality, and process data according to agreed-upon rules.
• Support creation of analytics and BI visualizations.
• Support implementation of various statistical models.
• Support ad-hoc requests for reports, visualizations, and research projects.
• Participate in the Intern Final Project, an independent hands-on learning experience, and share results and finding to all EA colleagues at the end of the internship.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with internal stakeholders at all levels of the organization, vendors, partners and industry peers.
• Safeguard confidentiality, privacy and security of organization and customer (PII) information

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Some exposure to or interest in programming and data analysis, particularly R, SQL, and Apache Superset
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills, utilizing proper grammar and syntax.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with proven ability to multitask and with limited direction.
• Comfortable with taking initiative, sharing responsibility and taking direction in a team-based, collaborative environment at a fast-paced nonprofit organization.
• Customer-service orientation to working with other teams and partners.
• Ability to think strategically about complex issues as they arise, including weighing competing options and acknowledging the importance of context.

Work Environment and Requirements

• Ability to communicate effectively in numerous conversations throughout the day on the telephone, in writing, on-line zoom and in person to provide information, collaboration and assistance.
• Dexterity and hand/eye coordination necessary to operate computer keyboard and other office equipment.
• Ability to complete job duties where there may be eyestrain due to constant viewing of computer screens.
• Ability to complete job duties in an environment where background noise and frequent interruptions are consistent.
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize basic math skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
• Must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, follow instructions and be able to comprehend written material or requests.
• Must demonstrate the ability to use reason and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment.

Education and Experience

• Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree (entering junior or senior year preferred) and interested in working with data or working towards a data science or related bootcamp certification or transitioning careers.
• Studying Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field preferred but not required.
• Some statistics coursework or exposure to statistics preferred but not required
• Experience with R or other statistical software preferred but not required.
• Experience with Apache Superset or other visualization platforms preferred but not required.

Benefits

• Company laptop provided for all interns. Additional technology required for specific roles will also be provided.
• One time housing stipend of $2400 for all onsite/hybrid interns. The stipend is split between the first and last paychecks of the internship.
• Opportunity to participate in EA's annual Summer Week (meals, travel and accommodations covered by EA)
• Optional intern socials, in-person and virtual, held throughout the summer.
• EA provided snacks and beverages for those working onsite in the Madison office.

Additional Details

Education Analytics is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

The job duties, responsibilities, skills, experience, educational factors and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment change.