Associate/Senior Associate [Slover Linett Audience Research Inc]

Associate/Senior Associate (additional, new position)

Slover Linett Audience Research

About Us

Slover Linett Audience Research Inc. is a nationally recognized social research firm for arts, culture, and informal science organizations and the funders, service organizations, and public agencies that support them.  Based in Chicago, we help museums, performing arts organizations, public media enterprises, and other cultural and community nonprofits across the US take a fresh look at their relationship with their audiences and communities through qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation, as well as co-creative processes. We also help staffs and boards turn those insights into new strategies for engagement through planning or visioning sessions designed to articulate compelling principles for engagement and service.

Founded in 1997, we are a growing, intellectually creative consultancy that has developed trusted relationships with leading institutions of culture and public engagement. Our clients include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, Roundabout Theatre Company, the MacArthur Foundation, Dance/USA, the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, the Getty Trust, the Field Museum, the James Irvine Foundation, and Seattle Opera, among others.  For more information please visit our website at SLaudienceresearch.com.

Job Description

We currently have an opening for a new Associate/Senior Associate based in Chicago.  This is a growth position, not a replacement, and we are open to hiring at either the Associate or Senior Associate level, depending on the candidate’s experience.

The Associate/Senior Associate will work in partnership with one or more of our researchers (all of whom are PhD social scientists from various disciplines) to design and implement qualitative and quantitative research projects and occasionally to design and lead planning and facilitation processes for our clients. Our research and evaluation studies are sometimes part of a larger, multi-mode effort designed to inform strategic change in an organization across multiple departments and audiences, and are sometimes single-phase, single-mode studies designed to explore a particular issue in depth. The new Associate/Senior Associate will report to the Vice President, who will be involved to a greater or lesser extent in the Associate/Senior Associate’s projects depending on the needs and nature of the project.

TO APPLY

Please e-mail a cover letter (within the body of the e-mail) and resume to Cheryl Slover-Linett at jobs@slaudienceresearch.com. We are not seeking writing or report samples at this time. Please, no phone calls. We look forward to hearing from you.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience with research and evaluation studies in the nonprofit arts, culture, informal learning, and/or foundation sectors. Specific responsibilities include:

• serving as the lead staff member in client relationship management and project management;
• helping the client organization identify research and evaluation objectives in a complex, evolving context;
• collaborating on innovative, rigorous research or evaluation protocols (instruments, sampling and recruitment plans, etc.) to achieve those objectives;
• occasionally participating directly in multiple modes of data collection;
• conducting and collaborating on thoughtful, in-depth analyses of the qualitative or quantitative data;
• developing and communicating relevant and cogent implications, conclusions, and recommendations;
• writing, editing, and managing the creation of research reports in both presentation and narrative formats;
• leading client meetings and/or presenting the research;
• managing project budgets and timelines;
• traveling as necessary for project work and conferences;
• cultivating and maintaining strong, consultative relationships with clients and others in the field;
• collaborating effectively with the team’s VP and researcher throughout each project, as well as with other internal personnel, freelancers, fellows, advisors, and multiple levels of client staff;
• continuing to strengthen our firm’s expertise in the arts & culture sector, including being part of the national dialogue about issues, trends, and emerging practices;
• designing and leading facilitated planning and ideation processes for our clients.

The Associate/Senior Associate will also work closely with the firm’s vice presidents and partners in areas such as:

• developing new engagements with current and past clients;
• writing proposals;
• helping determine firm strategy;
• presenting at conferences.

There will be frequent travel (approximately 1-2 trips/month) for project work, conferences, and symposia, including client meetings and on-site research fielding.

Other qualifications

This needle-in-a-haystack candidate will have proven expertise in three key areas:

1. In the cultural sector, broadly defined
2. In research (social research, audience research, market research, and/or evaluation)
3. In consulting (i.e., working directly with clients, facilitating client sessions)

The ideal candidate will be a smart, energetic, and positive-spirited person with excellent client management, project management and presentation skills. A Master’s degree and at least 8 years of work experience is strongly preferred.  S/he will also:

• take an entrepreneurial approach and relish new challenges;
• be flexible and comfortable adapting to change;
• have a passion for cultivating relationships with clients and a strong commitment to outstanding client service;
• have excellent writing and editing skills, particularly in creating client-focused reports;
• be able to maintain a big-picture view of each project and draw insights and implications from the research findings;
• be experienced at presenting research findings to clients and at conferences;
• have a strong interest in helping build and grow our practice;
• be extremely well organized;
• have experience managing multiple priorities and negotiating conflicting priorities;
• enjoy working with others in a highly collaborative, collegial team environment and be a positive, enjoyable, and supportive colleague to others;

HOURS

This is a full-time position located in Chicago. Although hours can be somewhat flexible, we work during regular business hours and occasionally in the evenings or on weekends as needed (for instance, to attend focus groups, meet project deadlines, or attend events in our sector).

COMPENSATION

Salary will be commensurate with experience. In addition, we offer a competitive benefits package of vacation, holidays, sick days, health insurance reimbursement, disability insurance, and profit sharing.

TO APPLY

Please e-mail a cover letter (within the body of the e-mail) and resume to Cheryl Slover-Linett at jobs@slaudienceresearch.com. We are not seeking writing or report samples at this time. Please, no phone calls. We look forward to hearing from you.