A Job That Makes a Difference
At MDRC, we offer our staff a unique blend of rigorous research projects, hands-on involvement in real programs, and the chance to help turn research findings into better policies and programs that work to improve the lives of people with low incomes.
Our staff members are multidisciplinary: research assistants, economists and statisticians, sociologists and psychologists, public policy analysts and behavioral science experts, demographers and ethnographers, educators and urban planners, program operations and survey specialists, editors, accounting and budget specialists, IT systems analysts and programmers, and human resources professionals.
MDRC is committed to creating an environment that fosters teamwork, harmonious and productive working relationships, and mutual respect for all employees. We seek to ensure that no one at MDRC is excluded or discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, or other protected classification. We vigorously enforce all antidiscrimination laws at the federal, state, and local levels. MDRC is a community in which everyone works together in support of our nonpartisan educational mission to design promising new interventions, evaluate existing programs, and build better policies and programs.
Career Opportunities
We have opportunities for recent graduates, experienced researchers and service providers, and nonprofit professionals.
Internships and Fellowships
The Gueron Scholars Program offers paid internships for undergraduates and master’s-level students and doctoral fellowships (with stipends) for students engaged in dissertation research. The program is designed to introduce students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the education and social policy research communities to MDRC.
Competitive Salaries and Excellent Benefits
- Group major medical, hospital, dental, and life insurance
- Prescription drug program
- Pension plan, with contributions made by MDRC
- Generous vacation package
- Paid family leave
- Benefits for domestic partners
- Adoption benefit
- Undergraduate tuition and training certificate assistance
- Identity theft protection
- Legal services
- Professional development opportunities and a robust mentoring program
MDRC complies with all federal regulations for Transparency in Coverage (TiC) in connection with our employee health plans. Access TiC machine-readable files.
Get to Know Our Staff
In this four-minute video, Leigh Parise, Deputy Director of Program Development and a senior K-12 researcher, describes how her experiences as a former elementary school teacher and the head of a nonprofit championing school-aged kids inspire her work at MDRC.
Mentoring Program
Established in 2007, MDRC’s Mentoring Program seeks to enhance the professional development of staff by improving their understanding of MDRC’s mission and organizational culture, increasing their access to advice about career growth, and promoting inclusion. Last year, nearly 40 percent of staff members participated in the Mentoring Program.
Our Departments
MDRC’s research and technical assistance staff are housed in five policy areas and two centers:
- Family Well-Being and Children’s Development
- K-12 Education
- Postsecondary Education
- Economic Mobility, Housing, and Communities
- Youth Development, Employment, and Criminal Justice
- Center for Applied Behavioral Science
- Center for Data Insights
In addition, MDRC is supported by units focused on administration, finance, legal, IT, HR, communications, program development, data collection and data security, and research technology.
Our Locations
MDRC has offices in New York City, Washington, DC, and Oakland and Los Angeles, California.
Learn what to expect from the MDRC hiring process.