Senior Research Manager

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Job Summary:

The Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University seeks a Senior Research Manager to oversee and further develop the analytical work of the Center. 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. CEPR seeks to transform education through the power of research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using evidence, rather than hunches and untested assumptions. In pursuit of this end, CEPR both conducts cutting-edge quantitative research on critical topics for the field and develops new and faster models of education research that can better support education leaders. The SRM will be a critical part of the CEPR team, helping education leaders to learn what’s working and what’s not in education.

The Senior Research Manager will develop, manage, conduct, and ensure quality of analyses relating to important educational topics. The SRM hired under this posting will likely manage projects as part of a research partnership with an education non-profit organization in the Philippines and their government partners, supporting school improvement and developing a research agenda. The SRM may also support additional projects within CEPR and manage Research Analysts across projects.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities for the Senior Research Manager include:

• Lead analytics across multiple projects and 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.
• Manage research analysts and lead professional development workshops as needed. This includes training and mentoring research analysts to develop their research and professional skills, as well as leading group learning experiences.
• Provide technical training to analysts and local education agency-based staff on research methods and selection of an appropriate statistical method.
• Plan and lead joint meetings of the research team, project directors, and principal investigators.
• Work closely with executive leadership, principal investigators, and leadership at partner organizations to further develop ideas and strategies for new projects, including identifying funding sources and designing the research for those projects.
• 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 and external collaborators, including data administration staff, program staff, and principal investigators.
• Ensure the quality and reproducibility of the research by designing rigorous studies, identifying threats to the study design, reviewing statistical programming and output to identify errors and anomalies, and developing protocols for documenting and checking analytic work.
• Conduct analytic work to fulfill project obligations, answer research questions, including performing complex statistical programming when needed
• Review code and conduct quality control checks to ensure accuracy and reproducibility of all analyses.
• Contribute to and create research reports and academic publications. Present analytical findings and methods at meetings and/or conferences. 

Basic Qualifications

• Advanced degree (master’s or higher) in education, public policy, economics, statistics, or at least 5 years of directly related work experience  
• 2+ years management responsibility and demonstrated ability to lead a team.
•  5+ 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
• Experience working with large-scale education data from varied source systems
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously
• Experience presenting research findings to both technical and non-technical audiences

Candidates who move beyond an initial phone screen will be required to complete a case study, submit sample Stata code, provide a writing sample, and share requested transcripts. Candidates invited to a final round will be required to give a presentation on their prior work.

Candidates should submit a cover letter and resume as a single PDF document. Any applicant wishing to be considered for this position should indicate that they meet all of the basic requirements in either the cover letter or resume.

This position is a term appointment for one year from the date of hire, with a strong possibility of continuation.

The position is currently a hybrid position with 3 days in the Cambridge office and 2 days remote.

Additional Qualifications:

• PhD in quantitative methods for social sciences is strongly preferred.
• Ability to teach, support, and/or train others in analysis, the use of data tools, and programming.
• Experience working directly with state education agencies, K-12 districts, or postsecondary institutions
• Understanding of program evaluation methods, including impact evaluation and causal inference
• Experience with partnership management and stakeholder engagement
• Demonstrated success managing full research projects from conception to completion
• Proven ability to work under pressure, assess problems accurately, and develop innovative solutions
• Experience creating materials for non-technical audiences
• Additional programming languages, such as R or Python, preferred

• Appointment End Date: 1 year from date of hire
• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Compensation Range/Rate (including Shift Differential if applicable): $100,000 - $105,000 commensurate with experience
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity and Education

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 057. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

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