Main Responsibilities of a Research Specialist at University of Southern California
Ruth's primary responsibility as a Research Specialist at USC is ensuring the success of a grant focused on equitable hiring practices for opportunity youth in Los Angeles County, "facilitat[ing] that research" from interviews to report writing and stakeholder engagement. A secondary, but crucial, focus is fundraising for her team to sustain and grow their impactful work.
Grant Writing, Research, Data Analysis, Project Management, Fundraising
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Ruth McCormack
Research Specialist
University of Southern California
Barnard College, 2015
University of Southern California, Masters of Public Administration
History, Art History
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Sales and Client Management
LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Ruth's primary responsibility is managing a grant focused on equitable hiring practices for opportunity youth.
2. A significant part of her work involves all stages of research, from interview setup and execution to data analysis and report writing.
3. She also actively fundraises to support her team's sustainability and growth by applying for grants and building partnerships with nonprofits and government agencies.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities in your current role?
My main responsibilities are funded by a particular grant. Therefore, my priority is to ensure that the grant paying my salary remains in good standing.
Currently, there's a grant to measure a career efficacy program. The goal is to identify strategies for more equitable hiring practices for opportunity youth in Los Angeles County. This is in partnership with a national nonprofit at USC.
We serve as the research component. Opportunity youth in our study are defined as individuals between 18 and 29 who are underemployed and not enrolled in school.
My job is to facilitate this research. I've assisted with collaboration, conducting interviews, and analyzing them. I also ensure all grant requirements are met.
This includes not only the research components but also writing the report. I'm checking in with colleagues who are writing the report to make sure they have everything they need.
I'm also ensuring our nonprofit partner is organizing an event. We hope to hold it in December to present our findings and discuss equitable hiring practices with stakeholders. This is my main priority, as it's the reason I have my job.
Additionally, my secondary priority is fundraising for my team. We are a team of five people who recently moved to a new research center at USC.
With this transition, we need to fundraise to sustain our current work and hopefully grow. I sent out a grant today and three last week. I've been following up and soliciting partnerships.
I'm writing to other nonprofits, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations to showcase our team's strengths and secure funding. This will allow us to continue our work.
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