Social Science Research Assistant

Employment Opportunity: Social Science Research Assistant

Location: Remote or Fort Collins, CO

The Social and Economic Analysis Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Fort Collins, CO, is excited to announce a part-time employment opportunity for a social science research assistant. The research assistant will support an ongoing social science research project related to socioeconomic assessment and monitoring on public lands. The lead project partner is the Bureau of Land Management, who are interested in identifying relevant socioeconomic indicators to include in their long-term assessment and monitoring plans. Key tasks will involve identifying, reading, and summarizing relevant federal policies, agency manuals and handbooks, and social science research.

The Social and Economic Analysis Branch is a dynamic, collegial group of social scientists and economists providing applied social science for a range of government agencies. The successful candidate will interact with branch scientists as well as project partners from across the Bureau of Land Management. This position will provide the successful candidate the opportunity to contribute to the overall research efforts of the USGS while gaining excellent professional research experience and networking opportunities early in their careers.

The research assistant must have:

· At least a bachelor’s degree in a social science field.

· Excellent writing ability.

· Demonstrated experience reading and synthesizing social science research or policies.

Our preferred candidate will have:

· A Master’s degree in a social science field.

· Demonstrated experience conducting social science research.

This position is a USGS Student Services contract position. This means:

· Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

· Applicants must either have graduated within the past year or be currently enrolled as a student.

· For all legal purposes, the research assistant is regarded as an independent contractor. Payments for services are reportable and taxable as earned income. No federal, state, or local income taxes will be deducted. No Social Security or Medicare taxes will be deducted. The research assistant is responsible for payment of all taxes. The USGS will report the total amount paid under this order to the Internal Revenue Service on a Standard Form 1099. The research assistant is not considered an employee and will not receive a W-2 form.

This is a part-time position (approximately 10-15 hrs/week with some flexibility) with an anticipated start date in January 2025. Currently, one semester (approximately 16 weeks) of funding is available for this position, with additional time dependent on availability of funds and

performance. The employee can be remote or work from the Fort Collins Science Center if within commuting distance of Fort Collins, Colorado. Salary is determined by highest educational degree completed and duty station: pay ranges from $25.29/hour to $46.58/hour for remote. A duty station in the Denver metro area would have corresponding pay ranging from $28.12/hour (Bachelor of Science) to $41.61/hour (Master of Science).

Contact Information: For questions about the job, contact Emily Wilkins at ewilkins@usgs.gov.

To Apply: Please submit a resume or CV and a cover letter to ewilkins@usgs.gov. We will begin reviewing applications on December 30th, 2024 and continue until the role is filled. Please use “Social Science Research Assistant Application” as the subject line.