Research Assistant

About CEDAR

The CEDAR Center (Community Engagement for Decolonizing & Advancing Research) is an Indigenous Research & Evaluation Center within the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) in Minneapolis. CEDAR is committed to conducting research that upholds the rights of Indigenous Peoples centers Indigenous knowledge systems and values and produces innovative and meaningful solutions to health and wellbeing challenges facing our communities.

CEDAR operates from a foundation of relational accountability to the communities we serve to the data we steward and to the methodologies we use. All research at CEDAR is guided by OCAP principles (Ownership Control Access and Possession) CARE principles for Indigenous data governance and a commitment to healing-centered community-engaged practice. We conduct research that is fully aligned with the promotion of wellbeing across generations families and communities.

Position Overview

The Research Assistant (RA) is a full-time benefits-eligible position that provides essential support across CEDARs research portfolio. This role is qualitative-heavy and mixed methods in scope and is well-suited for someone with a strong foundation in community-based participatory research genuine commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty and experience supporting qualitative data collection and analysis.

The Research Assistant will contribute directly to active research projects including community health youth wellbeing and systems-change initiatives and will work collaboratively with the Research Manager Research Director and community partners. This role is an excellent opportunity for someone early in their research career who is passionate about decolonizing research practice and working within an Indigenous-led clinic environment.

Primary Responsibilities

Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis (50%)

Support community-engaged data collection including focus groups interviews surveys and participant observation across project sites

Assist with development of data collection instruments (interview guides focus group protocols survey tools) grounded in Indigenous research methodologies

Care for and manage qualitative data in Dedoose including uploading and organizing de-identified transcripts supporting codebook development and refinement and monitoring inter-rater reliability processes

Participate in collaborative coding and thematic analysis contributing to iterative team-based interpretation of qualitative findings

Support the preparation of memos analytic notes and preliminary findings summaries

Quantitative & Mixed Methods Support (15%)

Assist with quantitative data entry cleaning and basic descriptive analysis

Support mixed methods data integration including preparing data for triangulation and helping coordinate across data streams

Manage and maintain project tracking spreadsheets participant databases (de-identified) and data logs in compliance with IRB protocols and CEDAR data governance policies

Community & Participant Engagement (20%)

Support informed consenting procedures in culturally responsive and accessible ways

Assist with community outreach & engagement (phone banking program & project recruitment community event attendance etc.)

Maintain respectful trust-based relationships with community partners research participants and clinical staff in alignment with CEDARs relational accountability values

Assist with participant recruitment scheduling and coordination across project sites within the Twin Cities metro area (some local travel may be required)

Research Administration & Dissemination (15%)

Support preparation and submission of IRB protocols amendments and continuing review materials

Assist with literature reviews background research and annotated bibliography development

Contribute to drafting and editing of research products for diverse audiences including community reports conference abstracts presentations and academic manuscripts

Attend and participate in weekly project team meetings and CEDAR all-staff meetings

Support grant-related data collection and reporting activities as needed

Qualifications

Required

Masters degree in social work public health sociology Indigenous studies or a related field

Demonstrated experience with qualitative research methods including interviewing focus group facilitation and/or qualitative data analysis

Familiarity with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles and practices

Strong written and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate across community clinical and academic contexts

Demonstrated commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty and culturally responsive healing-centered research practice

Ability to manage multiple projects meet deadlines and work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word Excel PowerPoint) and comfort learning new platforms and tools

Preferred

Experience with qualitative data analysis software (Dedoose NVivo or similar)

Experience with survey platforms (REDCap Qualtrics or similar)

Experience with basic quantitative data management and/or analysis software (Stata SPSS SAS)

Lived experience as a member of a Tribal urban Indian or Indigenous community or significant prior experience working in an Indigenous-serving organization

Knowledge of OCAP principles CARE principles or other Indigenous data governance frameworks

Experience supporting IRB submissions research compliance or data management procedures

Familiarity with healing-centered engagement frameworks and trauma-informed practice

Experience with community advisory boards coalition work or participatory action research

Who Were Looking For

CEDAR is a small collaborative team at the start of big relationship-centered work. We are looking for someone who brings both methodological skill and genuine relational capacity someone who understands that how we do research matters as much as what we find and can demonstrate flexibility while we build our center together.

The ideal candidate approaches research as a form of service to community takes seriously their responsibility as a steward of community-generated knowledge and is eager to grow in both technical and relational dimensions of their practice. Experience or connection to Indigenous communities is deeply valued as is self-reflection and curiosity. We welcome candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who are committed to ongoing learning and to doing this work with humility integrity and care.