GCRO seeks research intern for QoL survey

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) is recruiting a highly motivated intern, with a passion for data collection and analysis, to support its flagship Quality of Life survey. The GCRO is a research centre set up in partnership between the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, the Gauteng Provincial Government and organised local government in Gauteng (SALGA). GCRO’s mission is to build the knowledge base that government, business, labour, civil society and citizens need to develop a competitive, sustainable and inclusive Gauteng City-Region.

GCRO implements the Quality of Life survey every two years. The first survey took place in 2009, and results from the most recent survey were released in late 2018. The survey has become one of the largest social surveys in South Africa, and is highly regarded by academia, government, and civil society. Planning for the sixth iteration of the survey is underway. Consequently, the GCRO is searching for a full-time intern, with strong data management and analysis skills, and a passion for surveys, to support this unique project.

This 18-month Quality of Life survey internship will provide the successful candidate with a unique opportunity to develop skills in large-scale survey planning, implementation and analysis, as well as meaningful workplace experience. The successful candidate will report directly to the Quality of Life team lead, and will have the opportunity to work with other GCRO colleagues, survey experts from a range of institutions, and government stakeholders. The successful candidate will also contribute to the authorship of survey-related outputs.

Requirements:

• Completed Honours or Masters degree in a relevant field
• A passion for high quality data collection and deep interest in social surveys
• Demonstrated strength using SPSS, Stata, or R, and experience in data analysis
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively under high pressure, and as part of team
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Availability for the full internship period of 18 months (Aug/Sept 2019-Feb/Mar 2021)

Desirable:

• Demonstrated experience with field-based data collection and/or management for academic research purposes
• Strong skills in more than one of SPSS, Stata and R, and/or python
• Experience with creation of data dashboards
• Experience with digital data collection applications
• Confident driver, with valid South African drivers’ license
• Available for an immediate start

A competitive internship remuneration package is available. To apply, submit a covering letter addressing the selection criteria specifically; a detailed CV with names, addresses, contact numbers and e-mail addresses of 3 referees willing to provide references; at least one example of a project including data analysis in SPSS, Stata or R produced by the candidate; and certified copies of academic qualifications, i.e. degrees/diplomas and academic record/transcript, to: melinda.swift@gcro.ac.za

The closing date for all applications is 14:00, Monday 5 August 2019.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a short practical exercise as part of the interview process. The GCRO reserves the right not to make an appointment.