Research Assistant Intern – Toronto, Ontario

Organization: TakingITGlobal

Job Title: Research Assistant Intern

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Hours and Compensation: Unpaid, 20 hours of work/week (16 hours in office, 4 hours from home)

Position Dates: Start September 11th, 2012 for 4 months

Application Deadline: August 3rd, 2012

Posted On: July 24th, 2012

Organization Overview

TakingITGlobal is an international organization, driven by youth and empowered by technology. TIG brings together young people in more than 200 countries within international networks to connect to opportunities and collaborate on projects addressing global challenges and creating positive change.

TakingITGlobal is a stimulating, positive, and innovative work environment. In the heart of downtown Toronto near King and University, our youthful office is a friendly yet fast-paced international environment.

• Our flagship network, tigweb.org is a one-stop resource for youth interested in global issues. The site receives more than one million hits per day, with a membership of over 200,000. The site is built upon a sophisticated custom-built technical platform.

• TIG has become a social network of youth networks for social change and supports a range of issue-based networks (ranging from climate change to HIV/AIDS), language-based networks (the site is currently in 12 languages), and place-based networks (through city sites and country sties)

• TakingITGlobal is providing technology support to the youth sector, powering the websites and database needs of networks such as Global Youth Service Day, the Youth Employment Summit, Peace Child International, Oxfam, Greenpeace and United Nations Associations.

Description

At TakingITGlobal (TIG), our strength is our community. We are currently seeking a Research Assistant to take part in a 4-month volunteer internship placement assisting in designing and implementing ongoing research projects aimed at quantifying both the online and offline impacts this community is generating. Working primarily out of our Toronto Office, this internship position will provide opportunities to conduct basic analysis on project and program monitoring and evaluation data across a host of initiatives. In addition to helping draft reporting documentation, this post will also involve assisting in the development of reports supporting large-scale analysis of trends across youth-serving projects. Primarily using Excel, PSPP (SPSS), PowerPoint and TIG’s Content Management toolkit, research will involve both desk and primary initiatives focused on understanding and evaluating the role of young people as agents of change within TIG’s global context. In addition, this role will also provide research support for inwardly looking initiatives focused on operations research to track variances, assist in compliance with information management best practice and efforts to automate reporting practice using the Google Docs toolkit (Spreadsheets, Forms and Docs). Familiarity with MS Project and PMI best-practice in project management is an asset. Working under the direction of TIG’s Director of Operations & Research, the ideal candidate must be a self-starter and comfortable working in a dynamic environment with a focus on process-oriented project management.

Responsibilities

• Leading data acquisition, quota management, cleaning, tables preparation, analysis and reporting of program and project-level evaluations across multiple project areas;
• Supporting desk-research efforts and literary reviews of key discussions relating to the intersection of education, civic engagement and technology;
• Working to support the development of major research grant-writing efforts (CIHR, SSHRC) with a focus on understanding emerging dimensions of youth leadership in online environments;
• Working to develop a tracking study and TIG ‘Research Advisory Group’ to provide opportunities for youth voice to be more meaningfully incorporated into TIG organizational and project-level practice;
• Reviewing HootSuite web analytics reports, Google Analytics to understand traffic trajectories through key parts of the TIG Network;

Qualifications

● Expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research

● Strong written and oral communications skills

● Experience with survey design and data analysis

● Advanced knowledge of statistical analysis in social sciences

● Comfortable with using data analysis programs including Excel, SPSS

● Interest in youth issues and international development

● Post-Secondary or equivalent professional experience in the research field

● Ability to work in a fast paced office environment, managing multiple shifting priorities with strong time-management skills.

How to Apply