PowerSchool

Research Director / Principal Researcher

PowerSchool

full-time

Posted on:

Origin:  • 🇺🇸 United States

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Salary

💰 $142,700 - $192,500 per year

Job Level

Lead

Tech Stack

CloudPythonSQL

About the role

  • Lead the design and execution of complex research projects on K-12 education topics, from initial concept and research questions through final deliverables.
  • Develop detailed project work plans, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches that align with organizational goals.
  • Ensure rigorous study design, including appropriate sampling, checks for data quality, bias, and limitations.
  • Make high-stakes decisions on project direction and adjust strategies as needed to achieve research objectives.
  • Work with Project Manager to identify project staffing, task delegation, timeline management, and multi-project coordination.
  • Manage project budgets, vendor relationships, and purchasing functions and related contractual agreements.
  • Monitor and regularly report on project resources and operations, including hours, revenue, deliverables, and contracts.
  • Ensure compliance with PowerSchool’s financial and operations policies, funding agencies, sponsors, ethical and legal standards, and data privacy.
  • Develop and manage strong relationships with clients, partners, and K-12 education stakeholders to understand client needs, ensure client satisfaction, and develop business pipeline.
  • Lead and oversee the team’s communication of complex analyses into clear findings and recommendations through meetings, presentations, high-quality research reports, white papers, and executive summaries.
  • Champion the publication of findings where appropriate and the sharing of insights internally and with the wider education and research community.
  • Play a key role in shaping the long-term research strategy and identifying new opportunities.
  • Evaluate emerging K-12 education trends and policy issues to propose research initiatives that will position the organization as a thought leader.
  • Contribute to business development by supporting grant proposals, RFP responses, and other funding opportunities.
  • Work closely with senior leadership to align research projects with product development and organizational goals.
  • Mentor multidisciplinary team of researchers/data scientists and other staff by providing feedback on project content, methodological decisions, analysis techniques, and code.
  • Work cross-functionally with project contributors from different PowerSchool teams—including developers, data engineers, designers, copyeditors, etc.—to execute projects.

Requirements

  • Bachelo'rs degree or a post graduate degree or years of relevant experience.
  • Extensive experience in designing and conducting research studies and/or consultancy projects from start to finish using rigorous quantitative research methods.
  • 5 years of progressive experience executing and leading research or consultancy projects in the K-12 education domain
  • Deep knowledge of and demonstrated experience with K-12 education topics and data.
  • Specialization in K-12 school finance and/or administrative- or systems-level areas (e.g., school-, district-, state-, or federal-level level policies or student performance) preferred.
  • A passion for using data and data analysis/science methods to address social science questions, especially with an eye towards improve the K-12 education landscape for students and educators
  • Experience in grant and RFP writing a plus
  • Experience building or implementing educational products a plus
  • Experience working in a school or education agency, especially in a leadership position, a plus
  • PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Education, Education Policy, Education Leadership, Sociology, Computational Social Science, Statistics, Data Science) (or equivalent combination of advanced degree and experience) strongly preferred.
  • Advanced knowledge of statistical methodologies (e.g., linear and logistic regression, hierarchical linear modeling, time-series analysis, etc.), experimental or quasi-experimental designs (e.g., regression discontinuity, difference-in-differences, etc.) and when to apply them
  • Familiarity with data science concepts and machine learning techniques (supervised learning, unsupervised learning, optimization, natural language processing) strongly preferred
  • Strong attention to detail, ability to independently problem-solve, a self-starter attitude, a high-quality results-oriented mindset, and a desire to continue to learn and develop quantitative/technical skills
  • Fluency in statistical software and/or programming languages, such as R (preferred), Python (preferred), SQL, or Stata.
  • Proficiency with version control software (GitHub preferred) and best practices
  • Proficiency with project/task management software (Jira a plus)
  • Translate technical and academic information quickly and accurately to diverse audiences
  • Keep current with education research outputs and methodological techniques in academia and industry