Senior R Systems Analyst and Developer – Remote

NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking an expert R developer and administrator to support and maintain NORC’s R computing environment, consult with R users and the server team on appropriate hardware and software to meet the needs of users, execute R administrative tasks, and assist with tasks related to data analysis, data delivery, and data acquisition from various sources.

As a condition of employment, all NORC employees and contractors – including those working remotely – must be fully vaccinated (as defined by current CDC guidance) against COVID-19.

NORC’s Information Technology program provides technology services to our staff and clients. Given the critical role technology plays in our day-to-day lives, we are committed to providing professional, high-quality solutions in order to further our collective goal of advancing social science research.​

The R expert we seek will be responsible for supporting and maintaining NORC’s R environment, which consists of both Linux and Windows server installations. The developer will deploy and maintain packages, update and maintain the core R and Posit (formerly RStudio) applications, and work with other IT engineers to perform new installations and/or update hardware on existing installations to match user needs. They will work with NORC R community to develop a roadmap for matching user requirements with appropriate hardware and software. They will gather requirements, develop plans, and execute these plans in collaboration with other IT resources.

Likewise, this developer will work with research staff, statisticians, data scientists, and methodologists to develop applications that analyze data, perform data delivery tasks, acquire data from various sources, and other tasks related to NORC survey research work.  The developer will work closely with project staff to identify solutions and match project needs with capabilities, while identifying areas requiring new capabilities when appropriate.

They will work with other developers and researchers who work in the R environment to optimize and improve code, train users in appropriate new techniques, and identify code that can be shared or repurposed across teams. Ultimately, this role will be about 40% system administration, 30% user support, and 30% data programming work on client projects.

Short-term expectations:

• Assess, catalog, and document NORC’s current R computational state, including strengths and weaknesses.
• Remedy immediately addressable deficiencies.
• Conceive, author, and present an optimal R roadmap for the next one, three, and five-year periods.
• Respond to and deliver as an adjunct resource on client-facing and internal projects requiring R expertise.

Experience that will help your candidacy:

• Deep understanding of R programming, systems, and integration.
• Developing and managing CRAN-quality packages.
• Experience using R in production environments.
• Practical experience with Shiny, Posit/RStudio Connect, and Posit/RStudio Server.
• Experience with technical publishing systems like R Markdown, Quarto, or Jupyter Notebook.
• Supporting R and R users in a multiuser environment.
• Multi-core and multi-node R programming.
• Presentations at major conferences or papers submitted to major conferences or journals

What will help you succeed:

• Understanding both on-premises (data center) and cloud (AWS or Azure) computing models, the advantages of each, and use cases when one would be preferred over the other.
• Proficiency working with sophisticated infrastructure architecture: multi-tier physical, virtual, and serverless.
• Ability to understand complex code from researchers and data scientists and optimize that code for speed and efficiency.
• Experience helping data scientists and statisticians apply advanced techniques to solve programming problems.
• Ability to work independently with a customer-first attitude, while supporting NORC’s mission of objective data collection in the public interest.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a similar quantitative field, such as Economics or Engineering, or equivalent additional experience.
• Five (5) or more years’ experience working with R in a development environment, including installation and maintenance of R and related packages.
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems, including system administration.
• Understanding of relational database design and experience using a database query language (such as SQL).
• Bonus points for familiarity with other data-centric platforms, such as SAS, Stata, and Python Pandas.
• Exposure to data transformation or string-manipulation scripting languages preferred.
• Experience with formal testing processes and within a strongly matrixed project management office, as well as working under Agile, are all definite pluses. Recent use of Git preferred.
• Candidate must have strong analytical skills as well as effective communication skills, and a desire to work in a team environment.
• Familiarity with questionnaire data development in social science or marketing research is a plus.
• Successful candidates are self-motivated, detail-oriented, organized, and can juggle multiple assignments with minimum supervision.
• Ideally the candidate should have an inquisitive nature and an ability to quickly grasp requirements and details, as well as propose solutions.
• Candidate will be expected to rapidly understand the specifics of each project and be able to identify problems in datasets, seek out the source of those problems, and clearly explain the issue and recommended remedy to project staff.

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

For over 75 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally- protected characteristics.