Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG) is seeking an experienced Education Research Director to support federally funded research projects for the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. The role provides strategic, operational, client-facing, and senior leadership for large-scale education research-to-practice initiatives, overseeing applied research, partnerships, technical assistance, dissemination, compliance, budgets, and multidisciplinary teams.
Responsibilities
- Provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day management for a large-scale grant/contract focused on applied education research, evidence use, training, coaching, technical support, partnership development, and dissemination
- Serve as a primary point of contact with the client or funder and ensure timely communication regarding milestones, risks, emerging issues, proposed solutions, and contract performance
- Provide expertise in applied research, researcher-practitioner partnerships, and project management
- Lead or oversee monthly meetings with the client/funder, preparation of meeting agendas, monthly progress reports, expenditure reporting, annual work plans, and other contract deliverables
- Guide development and maintenance of partnerships with state educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional education agencies, institutions of higher education, educators, policymakers, families, community organizations, and other education stakeholders
- Ensure work is aligned with state and regional education priorities, partner-identified high-leverage needs, and measurable short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes
- Oversee the establishment, onboarding, engagement, and ongoing communication of project advisory boards
- Direct coordination and collaboration with other federal investments, federal technical assistance providers, local and national education organizations, and other partners
- Ensure that applied research studies, tools, research products, and dissemination materials meet standards for rigor, relevance, quality, clarity, plain language, and accessibility
- Oversee training, coaching, and technical support activities that incorporate rigorous research, adult learning principles, implementation support, evidence-based practices, continuous improvement, and partner-specific contexts
- Support development and monitoring of partnership logic models, measurement plans, performance indicators, milestones, stakeholder feedback surveys, and outcome data
- Ensure appropriate processes for Institutional Review Board approval, data sharing agreements, data management plans, privacy protections, OMB clearance when applicable, study registration, and restricted-use data requirements
- Supervise multidisciplinary teams, key personnel, task leads, researchers, technical assistance specialists, dissemination staff, consultants, subcontractors, and subject matter experts
- Manage project staffing, budgets, schedules, task execution, quality assurance, risk management, security clearance tracking, and compliance with federal requirements
- Represent the project team at meetings, conferences, and other stakeholder engagements
- Contribute to proposal development, staffing strategies, client presentations, and business development activities related to federally funded education research and technical assistance initiatives
Skills
- Master's degree in education, public policy, public administration, measurement and evaluation, organizational leadership, social sciences, or a related field
- At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience leading education research, evaluation, technical assistance, capacity-building, or federally funded education initiatives
- Demonstrated experience managing large, complex contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or multi-partner initiatives involving federal clients, education agencies, and partner organizations
- Substantial experience leading or contributing to applied education research, research translation, evidence use, technical assistance, or capacity-building efforts designed to inform policy and practice
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain researcher-practitioner partnerships with education stakeholders
- Established connections with policymakers, education leaders, researchers, practitioners, or other stakeholders within one or more states
- Knowledge of IES and its programs: RELs, Comprehensive Centers, State Longitudinal Data Systems, What Works Clearinghouse, Education Innovation Research, as well as evidence-based practices, federal education programs, and the use of data and research to improve educational outcomes
- Experience overseeing research or technical assistance activities that include logic models, measurement plans, performance indicators, stakeholder feedback, continuous improvement, and outcome monitoring
- Strong understanding of applied research design, implementation studies, mixed-methods research, data use, data privacy, research ethics, and dissemination of findings to non-technical audiences
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, staffing plans, timelines, deliverables, subcontractors, quality assurance processes, and multiple concurrent priorities
- Exceptional written communication, oral communication, facilitation, relationship management, and client engagement skills
- Ability to travel periodically for meetings, partner engagements, site visits, dissemination events, and conferences
- Ability to commit the level of effort required for the role, typically at least 0.5 full-time equivalency
- Must be eligible to obtain the required federal personnel security clearance
- Doctorate in education, public policy, public administration, measurement and evaluation, organizational leadership, social sciences, or a related field
- Prior experience serving as a research project director, deputy project director, principal investigator, center director, or senior leader on a federally funded education research or technical assistance initiative
- Professional publications in applied education research, peer-reviewed research, research synthesis, technical assistance, or evidence use
- Project management certification or demonstrated formal training in project management, contract management, or program operations
- Experience working directly with IES, the U.S. Department of Education, Regional Educational Laboratories, Comprehensive Centers, Regional Comprehensive Centers, State Educational Agencies, Local Educational Agencies, or other federally funded education technical assistance providers
- Experience supporting states, SEA research offices, data governance, data analysis, research-practice partnerships, or evidence-based decision-making initiatives
- Experience working with state educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional education service centers, and/or institutions of higher education in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and/or Wisconsin
- Experience overseeing research studies involving implementation studies, randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, surveys, administrative data, or mixed-methods approaches
- Experience overseeing plain-language research products, practitioner tools, toolkits, infographics, webinars, newsletters, blogs, social media, website content, or other dissemination products for policymakers and practitioners
- Experience supervising geographically dispersed teams, subcontractors, consultants, subject matter experts, and staff requiring federal security clearances
- Familiarity with Section 508 accessibility, plain language guidelines, federal data security expectations, and quality assurance processes for federally reviewed products
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