ESSENTIAL DUTIES

The Director, Research Initiatives will hold responsibilities in the following functional areas:

• External engagements for program evaluation
• • • Lead and manage the Learning & Research Team’s external research collaborations, including acting as the liaison between external researchers and/or evaluators and the internal Program team to ensure alignment and execution on research design implementation (e.g. consent processes, randomization, implementation of interventions, data collection)
    • Form and deepen partnerships with key researchers and funders 
    • Collaborate on the application process for federal or other research grants with rigorous research and/or external evaluation components
    • Lead and/or collaborate with external researchers and evaluators on district research approval processes
    • Lead and manage reporting for research projects funded by federal or other research grants or philanthropy
• Formative research for innovation
• • • With the Senior Director, collaborate with the Program team to develop and implement short cycles of formative research for programmatic innovations (e.g., A/B testing)
    • With the Senior Director, manage the support of intervention implementation, data collection, data analysis, and dissemination of results from short cycles of formative research for programmatic innovation
    • With the Program team, manage L&R’s support to the Teacher Advisory Board and other future advisory boards, including collaborating on designing engagement opportunities, analyzing, and sharing results
• Internal Evaluation of Program Impact
• • • Focus: evaluation design, evaluation tools design, analysis, data reporting, and data management
    • Act as “Analyst” on assigned program project teams, typically those that form part of internal or external research initiatives, to support data collection - attending project team meetings, advising project leader and client manager on details and timeline of data collection, supporting to interpret and translate data finding
    • Develop, iterate, and execute research designs for specific projects under the direction of the Senior Director, Learning & ResearchManage the development, iteration user-testing, and finalization of data collection tools, such as surveys, focus groups and interview guides, and other rubrics
    • Manage the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and interpretation of results for meaning and actions
    • Manage the creation of visual reports and presentations for internal and external audiences
    • Lead the reporting of results and findings to a variety of audiences, including funders 
    • Manage the L&R team’s support to the Program team to collect data from partners and disseminating results by creating communications and coaching internal teams to interpret and discuss findings, specifically projects that form part of internal or external research initiatives
    • Manage support to internal teams members to use data and evidence to make decisions with partners
    • Manage the development of “business rules” for data analysis, such as criteria for n size, protocols for missing data, etc.
    • Support the Senior Director, Research & Program Evaluation to set, evolve, and execute Teaching Lab’s overall program and impact evaluation strategy 
    • Support the Director, Research & Program Evaluation in the management of the data repository, including processes for organizing, cleaning, and maintaining data sources and codebooks, as well as reviewing internal data dashboards for accuracy
• Cross-functional Collaboration 
• • • Collaborate with others in the Shared Operations and Program divisions to generate ideas, strategies, and systems to meet both organizational, programmatic, and learning and research goals
    • Respond to evaluation tools or processes, dashboards, or data system-related issues in a timely manner
    • Engage in additional work as needed to meet organizational business needs and priorities
• Engage in Continuous Learning
• • • Stay abreast of key research and guidance in the field, attend learning experiences to build skills and competencies in program evaluation, data analysis, data management, or data visualization
    • Engage in personal and organized learning opportunities as a team member at an organization which aspires to be antiracist and champions racial equity
    • Seek and respond to feedback from staff and adjust evaluation tools or processes, dashboards, or data system-related processes accordingly
    • Create and deliver training to other team members on core skills or competencies within the Director, Research Initiatives role which is also transferable and critical for other roles.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director, Learning & Research and/or Executive Team.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, economics, social sciences, statistics, data science, learning science, or management or related field preferred
• Five years of professional working experience in program evaluation and/or data analysis
• Significant experience with several of the following functions: project and/or program evaluation, data analysis, data management, and data-informed program design
• Demonstrable track record of developing or refining tools and/or evaluation instruments, collecting and managing data, including in online surveys in third-party platforms, and analyzing data, effectively interpreting and communicating findings, and making data-driven decisions 
• Demonstrated success mobilizing partners and communicating importance of data for organizational and social sector improvement
• Experience using SQL to manage and store data, relate multiple databases 
• Experience using Excel, R, or a related programming language to perform statistical analyses
• Experience creating data visualizations
• Track record of effective people management aligned to equity values
• Background in education is not necessary, but interest in PK-12 education is a must
• Supervisory experience

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in education, public policy, economics, social sciences, statistics, data science, learning science, or management or related field preferred
• Experience with K-12 education data or context
• Experience implementing grant-funded research and/or program evaluations (e.g., philanthropic or federal)

WORKING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work a flexible schedule to support operational needs
• Ability to perform the essential project, duties and responsibilities with or without accommodation
• All team members are expected to support program/project needs which could mean that you play multiple roles at Teaching Lab (i.e., project lead, support, subject matter expert, etc.). 
• Travel could be required for the role.  Travel is determined based on business needs and can vary depending on partnership/contract requirements.

REVIEW DATE

• This position was made live on November 30, 2023 and will remain open until filled. All applications received between November 30, 2023 and December 8, 2023 will be reviewed by the hiring team. Any applications received after December 8, 2023 will be reviewed as needed.