Associate Director of Research

at  Harvard University

JOB SUMMARY

HGSE is a diverse community of learners, teachers, and employees who are passionate about changing the world through education and striving for maximum impact in the field of education.
Associate Director of Research at the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University oversees and develops the analytical work for a portfolio of research projects, contributes to the broader strategic vision of projects, and assures the quality of analytic products. CEPR partners with school districts, charter school networks, and state education agencies to bring high quality research methods and data analysis to bear on strategic management and policy decisions. We believe that (1) policy and management decisions directly influence the ability of schools and teachers to improve student achievement; and (2) valid and reliable data analysis significantly improves the quality of decision-making. We design our work around the theory of action that if we bring together the right people, the right data, and the right analysis, significantly better decision-making will occur, and student outcomes will be improved.
The Associate Director reports to CEPR’s Director of Research and oversees a team of Research Analysts.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Key responsibilities of the Associate Director include:

• Oversee and develop a portfolio of analytic research projects across the research life cycle including the establishment of research questions, design of the study, grant writing, collection of data, analysis, and writing of reports and academic papers.
• Lead a team of faculty and researchers in developing education research projects to study causal effects using randomized control trials or quasi-experimental designs, to create data diagnostics or dashboards, or to develop analytic tools and processes. Analyses will target salient and actionable questions.
• Hire and supervise research managers and research analysts for projects, coach fellows, and lead workshops.
• Provide technical training to analysts and fellows on research methods and selection of appropriate statistical methods.
• Work with project PI’s and directors to help manage analytic portion of budget, write grant reports, and set the project’s vision.
• Working closely with principal investigators, help develop ideas and strategies for new projects, including identifying funding sources, designing the research, and writing grant proposals.
• Manage the successful execution of research projects by developing work plans, meeting key project deadlines, and coordinating work for current and future CEPR projects.
• Build trusting, professional relationships with internal collaborators, including data administration staff, program staff, and principal investigators.
• Ensure the quality and reproducibility of the research by designing rigorous studies, using appropriate statistical models and tests, reviewing output, and developing protocols for documenting and checking analytic work.
• Perform complex statistical programming as needed.
• Contribute to and create research reports and academic publications. Disseminate findings through meetings and conferences.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Advanced degree (master’s or higher) in economics, education, public policy, statistics, or a related field. 3+ years management responsibility and demonstrated ability to lead a team. 6+ years experience in quantitative research (including graduate coursework and research) with responsibility for data management and cleaning, analysis, and report writing.
Experience with statistical programming and analysis in Stata and/or R and willingness to learn another software package.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

PhD in a related social science field using quantitative methods strongly preferred.
Experience developing project ideas and partnerships, grant writing, and/or project budgeting.
Experience in working with K-12 and postsecondary data sets.
Practical experience with a variety of research methods such as randomized control trials, value-added models, instrumental variables, synthetic controls, Bayesian estimation, and/or machine learning is a plus.
Ability to teach, support, and/or train others in analysis, the use of data tools, and programming through individual coaching or group learning experiences.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, in particular an ability to communicate technical topics to non-technical audiences.

• Oversee and develop a portfolio of analytic research projects across the research life cycle including the establishment of research questions, design of the study, grant writing, collection of data, analysis, and writing of reports and academic papers.
• Lead a team of faculty and researchers in developing education research projects to study causal effects using randomized control trials or quasi-experimental designs, to create data diagnostics or dashboards, or to develop analytic tools and processes. Analyses will target salient and actionable questions.
• Hire and supervise research managers and research analysts for projects, coach fellows, and lead workshops.
• Provide technical training to analysts and fellows on research methods and selection of appropriate statistical methods.
• Work with project PI’s and directors to help manage analytic portion of budget, write grant reports, and set the project’s vision.
• Working closely with principal investigators, help develop ideas and strategies for new projects, including identifying funding sources, designing the research, and writing grant proposals.
• Manage the successful execution of research projects by developing work plans, meeting key project deadlines, and coordinating work for current and future CEPR projects.
• Build trusting, professional relationships with internal collaborators, including data administration staff, program staff, and principal investigators.
• Ensure the quality and reproducibility of the research by designing rigorous studies, using appropriate statistical models and tests, reviewing output, and developing protocols for documenting and checking analytic work.
• Perform complex statistical programming as needed.
• Contribute to and create research reports and academic publications. Disseminate findings through meetings and conferences