Director, Research

Description

The Director of Research ensures that Commit uses the best available empirical evidence to inform decisions internally and with external partners. Working within Commit's priority areas, the Director shapes and executes a research and evaluation agenda that serves the organization's Dallas County and statewide goals, determining what works, for whom, and under what conditions, and translating findings into credible recommendations that district leaders, funders, board members, and policymakers can act on. Reporting to the Managing Director of Research, Analytics, and Data, the Director leads a research team and serves as the organization's authority on methodological rigor, ensuring that the evidence behind Commit's programmatic and policy work holds up to scrutiny.

This position also looks ahead to identify the priorities that can work at scale. Commit's place in the education ecosystem gives the Director a hand in shaping how students learn, how teachers are trained, and how outcomes improve statewide. It suits someone who thinks at the systems level and understands how actionable research, communicated clearly and to the right people, can support students across Texas.

The role requires a researcher with deep methodological expertise, fluency in education policy, and the judgment to select the right method for a given question. Beyond individual expertise, the Director builds the systems and team capacity that keep Commit's analyses accurate, efficient, and accessible.

This job description is a summary and is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee.

The salary range for this role is $117,260-$143,318 annually.

Please note that for external candidates, the expected salary range is approximately $117,260-$130,000 depending on experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Research: Translate Commit’s priority areas into focused research questions and conduct rigorous quantitative studies that seek to better understand progress being made in Dallas County and opportunities to scale innovative ideas across the state.
2. Evaluation: Support evaluation of the high-stakes strategies and programs Commit invests in, through a combination of conducting internal evaluations and partnering with or overseeing external evaluators. Measure program impact and effectiveness so that findings are rigorous enough to inform high-stakes decisions.
3. Research Partnerships: Build and sustain partnerships across multiple local research institutions, school districts, and non-profits to drive stronger alignment of research projects within the Dallas County and statewide community. Build capabilities for data sharing and data collection across multiple institutions that reduce duplication of efforts.
4. Translation & Communication: Synthesize findings into clear, credible insights adapted to audiences ranging from district data directors to funders and elected officials. Report progress toward goals to senior leaders and external stakeholders, with concrete recommendations for scaling effective practices through policy.
5. Methodological Leadership: Serve as the organization’s standard-bearer for research rigor. Provide thought partnership and technical review to analytics and program teams so that methods are sound, interpretations are valid, and evidence is used consistently and honestly across the organization.
6. Team Leadership & Management: Lead and develop a research team, providing oversight and technical mentorship. Directly manage at least one team member supporting high-visibility, ad-hoc analysis requested by senior leaders or key stakeholders. Lead annual planning and goal-setting for the research function.
7. Capacity Building: Train staff in evaluation methodologies and the responsible use of evidence, raising the organization’s collective fluency in interpreting and applying research.
8. Compliance & Ethical Standards: Ensure all research and evaluation activities adhere to ethical standards, student privacy laws, and Education Research Center (ERC) data use requirements.

Requirements

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Methodological Expertise

• Deep knowledge of quasi-experimental design, with a clear understanding of the tradeoffs between methods and of when a rigorous causal design is and isn’t feasible.
• Fluency in mixed methods, pairing quantitative results with qualitative evidence to explain not just whether something works but why.
• Experience with broader statistical and data science methods, such as predictive modeling.

Research Judgment

• Sound judgment under uncertainty, offering well-reasoned recommendations when the data is imperfect or causal claims aren’t possible, and being candid about the limits of the evidence while still supporting the decisions that have to be made.
• Ability to scope answerable research questions against the data and capacity actually available, and the intellectual honesty to report inconvenient findings.

Communication and Translation

• Strong ability to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical audiences alike.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including a sensibility for data visualization that makes findings legible at a glance.

Execution and Project Management

• Excellent project management skills, moving research from question to finished product on schedule while managing a portfolio of projects, prioritizing across competing demands, and anticipating obstacles rather than waiting for direction.

Collaboration and Partnership

• Proven ability to build and sustain research-practice-policy partnerships, working across internal teams and external institutions with competing priorities.
• Skill in stewarding data-sharing relationships and agreements that keep sensitive data accessible and compliant.

Leadership and Continuous Improvement

• Ability to develop researchers and analysts and to raise the research fluency of colleagues who are not researchers themselves.

Domain Knowledge

• Knowledge of education policy, program evaluation frameworks, and education data standards, ideally in the Texas context.
• Knowledge of student privacy laws (e.g., FERPA) and nonprofit data management practices.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, data analytics, social sciences, or a related field. Master’s or doctoral degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in research, program evaluation, or applied data analysis, preferably in the education or nonprofit sector.
• Demonstrated experience conducting quantitative or mixed-methods research within the Texas Education Research Center (ERC) environment. 
• Minimum of 3 years managing a team of researchers or analysts preferred.
• Proficiency in statistical and data analysis tools (e.g., R, Stata, SAS, Python, or SQL), and familiarity with visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).