Role 

Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis, available in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Ireland. In the U.S., text 741741 to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. With over 6.5 million conversations started globally with people in crisis to-date, we’re growing quickly, but so is the need.
Our Data Team is looking for a curious and thorough Data Researcher to collaborate with our Data Team, Crisis Text Line teams, and our external research collaborators on data extraction and data-informed storytelling that centers on the voices of people in crisis, puts equity as an explicit focus area for our work, and provides a richness of analytical detail that allows our work to guide decision making of both our organization and other organizations. The audience for your work will be Crisis Text Line business stakeholders, partners, journalists, and most importantly, the mental health community.

• Fulfill data storytelling requests from our Business Development, Communications, and Public Relations teams
• Analyze Crisis Text Line’s unique dataset of over 6.5 million conversations and more than 220 million messages, and share results and insights with journalists, potential funders, and partners.
• Provide a strong analytical background to Crisis Text Line’s communications, public relations, business development, and advocacy efforts.
• Write and develop content for our research program (here are some publications that have used our data)
• Draft blog posts and other content based on the growing body of in-house and external research at Crisis Text Line, in order to share insights about mental health, stigma, and the language of crisis counseling with journalists, policymakers, our community, and other stakeholders.
• Expand our culture of robust analytics for external storytelling and advocacy.
• Create strong documentation. For example, document analyses so findings are replicable, including methodology sections in reports, running significance tests, etc.
• Improve our data collection: For example, test the validity and reliability of different ways of measuring the crisis issues raised in a conversation. Recommend solutions to improve the quality of data collection.
• Grow equity as a focus area for our analyses. For example, disaggregate analyses by demographic, develop stories with a stronger voice of the texter (e.g., include more qualitative data), and consider how we collect demographic information so we can both (a) put our data in conversation with other datasets in the crisis space and (b) allow texters to express their identities in authentic ways.

• Impact-oriented. You want to work on meaningful projects that lead to positive impact. You develop analysis and tools with people in mind.
• Curious. You have a lot of questions, and you love answering them through research.
• Thorough to the point of paranoia when it comes to vetting and interpreting data.:)
• Brave. You enjoy learning new skills and exploring new areas.
• Deliberate, mindful, team-player. You involve stakeholders early, emphasize consistent rigor and a high standard of ethics in your analyses, and document your work so it is both transparent and replicable.

• a Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field, and 1+ years of experience in a data analytics role, or
• a Bachelor’s degree in a social science or mental health field like psychology, sociology, political science, public health, or social work with 3-6 months of technical training in data analytics using python/R such as a bootcamp or online coursework, or
• 2-3 years of experience in a data analytics role

• Proficient writing and communication skills
• Proficient in Excel and SQL
• 6 months experience using python or R for data analytics
• Familiarity with the scientific method, and research concepts such as validity, reliability, representativeness, sampling weights, and convenience sampling.
• Familiarity with statistical methods such as linear regression and significance tests
• Familiarity with dashboard tools like Periscope, Looker, or Tableau a plus
• Mental health research experience is a plus