Senior Researcher
- Job Title
- Senior Researcher
- Job ID
- 27419240
- Description
-
This is a senior level position, reporting to the Director of Research & Impact. The Senior Researcher will have primary responsibility for:
- Implementing and refining Mass Insight’s on-going evaluation of its School Improvement initiatives,
- Collaborating with the Director of Research & Impact and other Mass Insight stakeholders to design, secure funding for, and implement research studies to examine and enhance the impact of Mass Insight’s programs and initiatives,
- Publishing and presenting the results of evaluation and research activities for to policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers.
The table below describes the competencies Mi expects all staff at the Senior Researcher level to model. Given the nature of the work described above, Mi will place special emphasis on:
- Quantitative and qualitative research skills, including measure identification/instrument design, psychometric testing, and inferential statistics,
- Experience helping practitioners use data for program improvement,
- Experience developing programs or designing and conducting program evaluation
- Successful grant writing experience
This is a MA-based position, at least initially.
Qualifications
Mass Insight has identified a set of Core Competencies that it expects to see in all staff members. Candidates for the Senior Researcher position should demonstrate competence in each of the following areas at the level described:
Core Competencies
Senior Researcher Expectations
Champions our Theory of Action
Understands, commits to and furthers our theory of action.
- Understands and helps others to understand how Mi’s School Improvement work advances each element of Mi’s theory of action
- Leads efforts to test and refine School Improvement’s logic model
- Identifies and develops new opportunities to examine Mi’s programming in light of our theory of action
Communicates effectively
Listens, writes, speaks and presents in a manner that both conveys accurate information and motivates others to take relevant action.
- Actively listens and efficiently gathers and organizes relevant information
- Excellent written communication
- Clearly expresses technical concepts to a non-technical audience
- Develops clear and concise research proposals
- Creates clear, concise, and visually appealing data visualizations
- Contributes to Mi’s knowledge and outreach through publications and speaking
- Capably represents Mi with partners and other stakeholders
Continuously builds both education & specific subject-matter expertise.
Brings and continuously grows both education and specific subject matter expertise within and outside the education field.
- Has a solid and growing understanding of education reform (history, current research, emerging topics) and draws connections to Mi’s work
- Identifies research questions and study designs to address research aims
- Identifies or develops instruments (surveys, interview protocols, etc.) to capture changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
- Examines the psychometric properties (e.g., reliability and validity) of data collected with quantitative and qualitative measures.
- Creates, cleans, and ensures the accuracy of various data sets
- Performs a range bivariate and multivariate analyses independently
- Codes and identifies themes in qualitative data independently
- Expertise in STATA or a similar quantitative platform
- Proficient in NVIVO or a similar qualitative platform
Effectively works as a team player
Operates with self-awareness, maintains a sense of humor and rolls up sleeves to support the team.
- Effectively manages both team process and products to meet MI and partner goals
- Provides recognition to teammates for behaviors that support and advance the work
- Establishes positive and productive team norms, models those norms and holds team accountable for adhering to them
Establishes partner trust
Builds trust through reliability, credibility and empathy.
- Develops trusted advisor relationships with School Improvement and other Mi staff that extend beyond individual projects
- Understands staff challenges and anticipates staff needs
- Consistently balances candor and transparency without antagonizing staff
Facilitates effectively
Leverages a variety of protocols, tools and adult learning techniques in order to engage groups in learning, problem-solving, decision-making and action-planning.
- Meaningfully contributes to the planning and facilitation of data exploration and meaning-making meetings
Believes in and grows people
Believes in and grows people and resilient in the face of challenge.
- Energizes others through a sense of optimism and commitment to the work
- Intentionally builds the skills and knowledge of Mi staff
- Provides feedback to other staff in a positive and constructive manner
Manages projects to impact despite ambiguity
Gets it done, even where there’s grey area and obstacles.
- Makes effective decisions and prioritizes the work of self and/or team members based on organizational needs
- Comfortable adapting to change and helps teammates manage their response
- Helps internal and external teams maintain focus on key objectives while being responsive to on the ground complexities.
Promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness
Works effectively in culturally diverse environments and enacts a commitment to equity and to the full inclusion of all stakeholders.
- Interacts in both internal and external relationships with a high level of self-awareness, recognizing how identity can impact perception and action
- Uses facilitation techniques to promote honest dialogue and expression of diverse, at times dissenting, perspectives to advance the work
- Supports an inclusive team culture that encourages diverse perspectives and innovative thinking
- Cultivates, develops, and helps retain diverse and skilled staff
- Identifies and challenges cultural assumptions at the individual, team, and organizational levels
Solves complex problems systematically
Breaks problems into their component parts, analyzes a variety of data, takes broader conditions into consideration, and systematically devises solutions that match problems.
- Organizes projects to meet objectives in a timely manner
- Provides strong solutions to all problems related to data management and analysis for Mass Insight’s School Improvement work and other research initiatives as assigned.
In addition to demonstrating the core competencies described above, a Senior Researcher must have a bachelor’s degree. A PhD or comparable past experience is preferred but not required.Applications
Please create an account below to submit your resume and cover letter in one document.
About Mass Insight
Mass Insight Education & Research is a Boston-based nonprofit serving schools and districts nationwide. Our mission is to provide leadership in closing achievement and opportunity gaps for underserved students by focusing on system transformation and student academic success. Mass Insight is a leader in education reform, providing academic programs, research, and strategic consulting services across the United States. We take a design-based approach to implementing our theory of action by building networks, coherence, and capacity in order to make learning rigorous for all students.
We seek to dramatically improve student achievement at scale by transforming state and local education systems, structures, and policies. We also work directly with schools and districts to develop, implement and assess plans to improve school and district performance. Mi organizes its work around our theory of action for improving schools:
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