Job no: 0045585 and 0051121 - 2x positions available
Location: Parkville
Role type: Full time; Fixed-term 
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Economics
Department/School: Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research
Salary: Level A.1  – $77,171 p.a. plus 17% super

Founded in 1853, the University of Melbourne is Australia’s #1 university and is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

About the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research

The Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research is Australia’s leading applied economics and social policy research institute. It has a longstanding history of rigorous study and analysis of economic and social issues affecting broader society. Areas of research include labour markets and employment, social disadvantage, health economics and markets, education and child development, macroeconomics, and public economics.

The Melbourne Institute is known for establishing and curating several panel surveys, including Journeys Home, Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) and Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), as well as working with administrative data, behavioural data and conducting randomised control trials. The Melbourne Institute combines the expertise needed to model and frame policy relevant questions with data and analytical analysis.

As a department in the Faculty of Business and Economics, the Melbourne Institute is focused on undertaking academic research and engaging with non-academic stakeholders on a range of projects that help to fulfil its mission of informing Australian Economic and Social Policy.

About the Role

The Foundation Fellow is a two-year position created to provide an opportunity for highly motivated, highly-qualified post-honours and/or master’s degree candidates to gain experience and exposure to the entire research process. The position is designed to prepare individuals wishing to gain valuable training and experience toward a career in academia and/or policy relevant research in economics or public policies. Fellows will be expected to fully engage in the intellectual life at the Melbourne Institute. The Fellow will be supervised by senior research staff in one or more program areas to further projects by collaborating in multiple aspects of quantitative data analysis which include data collection, data analysis and data linkage; as well as report writing. It is expected that the Fellow will provide data and analytical support to team members and will take on more complex tasks over the course of the fellowship. This is an opportunity for candidates with an economics, statistics or data science background. This position also provides room for professional learning and growth, and it is expected that, after the fellowship concludes, Fellows would transition to graduate school or take on a Research Analyst position in government, business or the non-profit sector. Throughout the fellowship program, the successful candidate will receive extensive training to develop the capabilities for undertaking rigorous analysis of policy relevant questions.

The Melbourne Institute is recruiting multiple Foundation Fellows – one position specifically would be working on an exciting research program on ‘Developing an Understanding of Economic Disadvantage’. This Foundation Fellow would be known as a ‘Breaking Down Barriers Foundation Fellow’.

In a typical week at work, you may:

• Develop computer programming skills in Stata, R, Python and other related statistical software packages used for data development and quantitative analysis
• Prepare analysis ready data sets from large, longitudinal, unit-record surveys and/or administrative data
• Demonstrate good data analytics practices which include programming skills, routine code verification and rigorous documentation via comments and drafting of analytical memos
• Attend meetings associated with research or the work of the Melbourne Institute

About You

You will have strong analytical skills and experience in writing papers that reflect current research and analyses undertaken to inform that research. You will exhibit the potential to develop further research expertise and have the ability to work independently and as part of a research team. You will possess a high level of verbal and written communication skills with the ability to relate effectively with a range of people across all levels of the organisation and have a high level of proficiency in the use of standard application software such as the Microsoft Office suite.

Ideally, you will further have:

• An honours/master’s degree in economics or a related sub-field. Similar qualifications in another quantitative social science (health services research, psychology) or statistics/data analytics/data science would also be considered
• Demonstrated ability to assist with applied microeconomic research and to develop further research expertise
• Experience in working with data, writing computer programs and the use of software packages, such as STATA, R, Python and SAS
• An ability and willingness to work collaboratively to ensure successful project outcomes

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements and generous personal, parental and cultural leave
• Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loading
• Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
• Discounts on a wide range of products and services including Myki cards and Qantas Club
• Career development opportunities and 25% off graduate courses for staff and their immediate families

To find out more, please visit https://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits.

Be Yourself

At UoM, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community, and we encourage and celebrate diversity. Indigenous Australians, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities or culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for our roles. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please submit your application including a brief cover letter, your resume and your responses against the selection criteria^ (found in the Position Description) for the role.

^For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go to http://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

Should you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at hr-talent@unimelb.edu.au.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently prioritising applications with current valid working rights in Australia and candidates who are not affected by travel restrictions. Please see the latest updates to Australia's immigration and border arrangements: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/

The University of Melbourne is required to comply with applicable health guidance and directions issued from the Victoria Health Minister.

The University of Melbourne requires all University of Melbourne employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exemption order applies. All applicants therefore must meet this requirement when submitting an application.

Position Description: 0045585_FoundationFellow_PD.pdf

Applications close: 6th July 2022 11:55 PM AUS Eastern Standard Time