Responsibilities
- Serve as lead researcher on project teams
- Develop research work plans and serve as research lead on project teams, ensuring client deliverables meet basic research standards and Education First’s style guide
- Develop interview protocols, administer and analyze surveys, and facilitate interviews and focus groups
- Gather, organize and synthesize data from surveys, desk research, interviews and focus groups utilizing equity-centered practices to bring diverse perspectives and a broader range of data from multiple sources in order to generate ideas and narratives for landscape scans to advance team and client decisions
- Leverage research tools such as Qualtrics, Atlas.ti, Gemini and other AI tools to execute research activities and produce high-quality deliverables
- Lead key portions of projects such as particular work streams or work groups
- Develop and collaborate with project managers to create and finalize “client-ready” PowerPoint presentations, policy memos, briefs, reports, strategy documents and other products drawing from documentation and research work
- Coordinate client and project commitments
- Design and facilitate client meetings and internal project team meetings
- Cultivate relationships with clients and your professional network on behalf of the firm
- Engage and build on ongoing strategy
- Build advanced knowledge of P-16 education policy issues by staying up-to-date on legislation and research impacting the field, particularly related to assessments and high-quality instructional materials
- Mentor and create shared learning experiences for project team members to build their content expertise
- Engage in team problem solving by generating new ideas and sharing evolving trends and best practices
Requirements
- You have experience with research, project management and/or program management in a research, policy, organizational development, philanthropy, nonprofit, government, education consulting, public affairs, or other relevant role
- You are committed to the vision of a more equitable education system in the U.S. and have demonstrated understanding of current K12 education reform issues, particularly assessments and the use of high-quality instructional materials
- You are a strong, confident communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills and are highly-skilled in translating and synthesizing complex topics such as technical literature and quantitative research into a clear storyline for varied audiences
- You have strong qualitative research skills and experience, including interview and focus group analyses, landscape scans, literature reviews, legislative/policy analysis and/or synthesis
- You enjoy leading convenings, collaboratives, communities of practice, networks or member services with varying groups of stakeholders to help them seek strategic common ground and learn from one another
- You have strong problem-solving skills, can lead through ambiguity and are willing to ask difficult questions
- You are a strong project manager with excellent time-management skills who is self-motivated and results oriented
Nice to Have
- Understanding of equitable design processes
Benefits
- Telework subsidy
- Professional development stipend
- Foundational Bonding and Maternity Leave
- PTO days, 11 holidays and two firmwide shutdown weeks
- Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- 401(k) match
Work Arrangement
Hybrid
Additional Information
- Employees living in the following locations are eligible for a location-based supplement: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, District of Columbia, Denver, Hoboken N.J.,, Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle.
