CIRA is seeking a social science researcher with a background in qualitative and quantitative social science research and evaluation methods. The successful candidate will design and implement evaluations in the FWT from a human-centric and usability perspective. This will include evaluating how weather forecasters (NWS Forecasters, Incident Meteorologists and other forecasters) use new and/or existing information, tools, and products, and how that information is communicated to and used by (but not limited to) emergency managers, fire managers and practitioners, incident commanders, government safety officials, and other users.
The Evaluation Researcher is expected to design, implement, and report on up to a dozen or more wide-ranging evaluations in the FWT each year. The Evaluation Researcher will work with Principal Investigators, product developers, and the FWT team to identify questions pertaining to usability and user-needs to ensure that evaluations are designed to effectively answer those questions. The researcher will also collaborate closely with the User Needs Assessment Team of the FWT and GSLs Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Branch about ongoing fire weather-specific social science research.
The Evaluation Researcher will provide subject-matter expertise in the areas of mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative social science. This includes, but is not limited to, evaluation research, workflow and/or task load analysis, and/or decision analysis. The Evaluation Researcher will be responsible for working closely with the other members of the WIDS SBS Branch, as well as meteorologists and developers. Evaluation topics will be driven by our key partners through the FWT user-needs assessment, ranging from process evaluations of new fire weather applications, product development and refinement, and usability assessments of various fire weather products and services.
The Evaluation Researcher will be expected to lead the development of evaluation reports following each evaluation, as well as scientific publications and presentation of findings at scientific meetings and conferences. This position works very closely with the Federal FWT Manager/Lead Scientist and the SBS Branch Chief, and formally reports to the CIRA Social and Behavioral Scientist. This position will be assigned a classification of Research Associate III or IV based on education and experience as listed in the required qualifications. Required Job Qualifications In your cover letter, please specifically address EACH requirement as relates to your experience. A cover letter that fails to address the required qualifications for this position may not be considered further after review by the search committee.
RA III in a relevant field* described below plus
Two years of related professional in a relevant field* described below. * Formal education required in a relevant social or behavioral science or interdisciplinary field such as, but not limited to: evaluation, risk communication, decision science, psychology, sociology, or related field.
RA IV in a relevant field* described below plus Five years relevant work in a relevant field* described below plusTwo years relevant work experience. *Formal education required in a relevant social or behavioral science or interdisciplinary field such as, but not limited to: evaluation, risk communication, decision science, psychology, sociology, or related field.
Required qualifications for both classifications Ability to pass a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI, Tier 1 federal background check), due to the position being located inside a Federal facility; The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the start date. CIRA will not sponsor a visa for this position now nor at any point in the future. Well-developed knowledge of and experience employing qualitative and/or quantitative social science and evaluation research methods, including evaluation design, evaluation implementation, collection and monitoring of data, analysis of data, and evaluation reporting. This includes (but is not limited to): at least two years experience conducting qualitative and/or quantitative human subjects social science and evaluation data collection and analysis, including but not limited to, focus groups, workshops, and other methods for gathering participant feedback. Leadership and/or project management experience with research and evaluation projects. Preferred Job Qualifications In your cover letter, please specifically address the applicable preferred qualifications for this position. A cover letter that fails to address the preferred qualifications for this position may not be considered further after review by the search committee. Familiarity with Institutional Review Board training and regulations (including CITI certification/training). General understanding of hazardous weather phenomena. General familiarity with the types of end-users of fire weather information Firefighters, Incident Management Teams, Emergency Managers, ect.) Experience building and fostering relationships with end-users. Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary research team. Interest in the interactions between weather information and weather-related decision making in the context of public safety and wildfires. Effective written and oral communication skills, both within field of expertise and across disciplinary boundaries. Diversity Statement Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Departments commitment to diversity and inclusion. Essential Duties Job Duty Category Preparation and Design of Evaluations Duty/Responsibility Develop measurable evaluation questions specific to each evaluation in collaboration with product developers and the FWT team. Design evaluations of new fire weather-related tools, technologies, products, services and end-user risk communication from the forecaster to the end-user. Conduct relevant literature reviews to ensure evaluation designs, tools and approaches are aligned with best practice in the field. Lead and collaborate on developing qualitative interview protocols) and quantitative surveys) data collection instruments (and associated data management and archival plans) to evaluate how the real-time use of new weather-related forecast technologies, information, products and services are integrated by operational weather forecasters who provide fire weather forecasts and decision support services. Lead and collaborate on developing human-centric research approaches for assessing how new fire weather products, information, and services are communicated to different stakeholder groups emergency managers, fire managers, incident commanders, government safety officials) and how that information helps them perform their job duties observing emergency managers evacuation decisions). Percentage Of Time 55 Job Duty Category Conducting and Analyzing Evaluations Duty/Responsibility Co-lead, or assist in the leading of FWT evaluations using qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques as referenced above (virtual and/or in-person), analyzing collected data, synthesizing findings, codebook development, and communicating findings (to include scientific publications) to diverse audiences Lab Leadership, OAR Leadership, scientific presentations, written reports, etc.). Conduct human-computer interaction usability evaluations of users interacting with products, services, systems, or other information and collect behavioral data using techniques and methods common to academic and industry, including but not limited to: one-on-one and focus group interviews, experimental survey design, cognitive workload analysis, eye tracking, mental modeling, and cognitive task analysis. Collaborate with the SBS Branch and FWT User Needs Team to identify themes and areas for research exploration as a result of evaluation efforts, as well as areas for improvement in the development of FWT experiments and evaluations. Work alongside SBS researchers, FWT User Needs Team, and developers to co-interpret and share evaluation results, implications, and next steps for additional research and future FWT activities. Percentage Of Time 20 Job Duty Category Documentation and Reporting Duty/Responsibility Document findings and recommendations from each evaluation and co-write evaluation reports with the FWT Team. Present results and findings to internal audiences coworkers, Leadership, etc.) and/or external audiences at workshops and professional meetings and conferences the American Meteorological Society, American Evaluation Association, and local, regional, or national fire weather-related conferences). Percentage Of Time 25 Application Details
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