Research & Program Development Assistant (Graduate Fellowship)

It’s On Us seeks a Research & Program Development Assistant to support the IOU Director of Research & Program Development. It’s On Us is exploring the development of primary prevention programming tailored to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). With the larger goal of developing these trainings and resources to support the work of It’s On Us chapters at HBCUs, It’s On Us seeks to fund a graduate research fellow who will help to lay the foundations of this work. Under the supervision of the Director of Research and Program Development, this position will conduct qualitative research that will result in the development of a project plan to create a suite of prevention programs specifically for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

This is a part-time temporary position concluding January 2028.

ABOUT IT’S ON US

It’s On Us is the nation’s largest nonprofit program dedicated to college sexual assault prevention, training a national network of student-led campus chapters to become peer-educators; developing suites of prevention education programs; and conducting and publishing research to expand the field of knowledge on violence prevention and inform our work.

ABOUT CIVIC NATION

Civic Nation is a nonprofit ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives working to build a more inclusive and equitable America. Civic Nation shifts culture, systems, and policy by bringing together individuals, grassroots organizers, industry leaders, and influencers to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing social challenges. Civic Nation is home to seven national initiatives and campaigns: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Change Collective, It’s On Us, Online for All, SAVE On Student Debt, We The Action, and When We All Vote.

YOUR IMPACT

• Work with the Director of Research and Program Development to create a workback plan/timeline for the research study and project plan.
• Conduct a review of existing culturally-specific prevention and survivor support resources for students at HBCUs.
• Recruit and host 1:1 interviews and focus groups with HBCU students to understand the challenges and opportunities they face in engaging in prevention education at institutions.
• Develop an external-facing project plan based on the findings of the review and qualitative data to create a suite of prevention programs specifically for HBCU students to be shared with funders.
• Other reasonable and related duties as assigned.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

• 1+ years of experience with sexual violence prevention education, survivor support, student organizing, or other health-related prevention efforts (e.g., substance misuse, suicide, etc.).
• Demonstrated past involvement (at least two semesters) in research, assessment, or program evaluation (e.g., laboratory or research assistant, honors thesis, internship, or other related experience).
• Current or prospective students enrolled in a research-specific program are strongly preferred.

YOUR COMPETENCIES

• Familiarity with cultural humility.
• A demonstrated commitment to preventing sexual violence and racial justice.
• Project management skills, including coordination of different moving pieces, time management, scheduling, and the ability to clearly communicate project needs with team members.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brainstorm ways to translate research findings into a prevention project plan.
• A commitment to being open to taking in new information, data, and ideas, and adapting/revising strategies and/or project plans as needed.

SALARY

The Washington, DC-based salary for this position is $36/hour.

PROCESS TIMELINE

Candidates can expect the following hiring process and timeline (please note that this timeline may be subject to change):

• October 20 – October 24: First-Round Interviews: Introductory Call
• November 3 – November 14: Second-Round Interviews
• Week of November 17: Hiring Decision announced

All candidates will be notified via email of the status of their application on or before the completion of the search.

TO APPLY

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume below. The cover letter, addressed to Dr. Colleen McDaniel, Director of Research and Program Development, should be concise, compelling, and include why you would like to work for It’s On Us. Applications will be accepted until October.

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Driven by our values, Civic Nation aims to recruit candidates representative of the communities and populations we serve. Towards that goal, we know that a diverse workforce allows us to see issues facing our democracy in more nuanced ways, creating the thought leadership needed to fulfill our mission and reach our goals. Civic Nation is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply.