Job Description

Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG) is seeking an experienced Education Research Director to support proposals for research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The Education Research Director will provide senior leadership for major federally funded education research-to-practice initiatives that support education stakeholders in using data, evidence, and applied research findings about evidence-based practices to improve student academic and related outcomes.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of applied education research expertise, researcher-practitioner partnership experience, and complex project management capacity. To be successful in this role, candidates must demonstrate the ability to lead a team across applied research, training, coaching, technical support, collaboration, partnership development, and dissemination while ensuring compliance with quality standards, federal contract/grant requirements, and stakeholder priorities.

The Education Research Director will serve as a primary strategic, operational, and client-facing leader for the contract and will work closely with other team members, federal program staff, state education leaders, and other partners to ensure that project activities are rigorous, relevant, non-duplicative, timely, accessible, and responsive to regional needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day management for a large-scale grant/contract focused on applied education research, evidence use, training, coaching, technical support, partnership development, and dissemination.
• Serve as a primary point of contact with the client or funder and ensure timely communication regarding milestones, risks, emerging issues, proposed solutions, and contract performance.
• Provide expertise in applied research, researcher-practitioner partnerships, and project management.
• Lead or oversee monthly meetings with the client/funder, preparation of meeting agendas, monthly progress reports, expenditure reporting, annual work plans, and other contract deliverables.
• Guide development and maintenance of partnerships with state educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional education agencies, institutions of higher education, educators, policymakers, families, community organizations, and other education stakeholders.
• Ensure work is aligned with state and regional education priorities, partner-identified high-leverage needs, and measurable short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes.
• Oversee the establishment, onboarding, engagement, and ongoing communication of project advisory boards.
• Direct coordination and collaboration with other federal investments, federal technical assistance providers, local and national education organizations, and other partners.
• Ensure that applied research studies, tools, research products, and dissemination materials meet standards for rigor, relevance, quality, clarity, plain language, and accessibility.
• Oversee training, coaching, and technical support activities that incorporate rigorous research, adult learning principles, implementation support, evidence-based practices, continuous improvement, and partner-specific contexts.
• Support development and monitoring of partnership logic models, measurement plans, performance indicators, milestones, stakeholder feedback surveys, and outcome data.
• Ensure appropriate processes for Institutional Review Board approval, data sharing agreements, data management plans, privacy protections, OMB clearance when applicable, study registration, and restricted-use data requirements.
• Supervise multidisciplinary teams, key personnel, task leads, researchers, technical assistance specialists, dissemination staff, consultants, subcontractors, and subject matter experts.
• Manage project staffing, budgets, schedules, task execution, quality assurance, risk management, security clearance tracking, and compliance with federal requirements.
• Represent the project team at meetings, conferences, and other stakeholder engagements.
• Contribute to proposal development, staffing strategies, client presentations, and business development activities related to federally funded education research and technical assistance initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in education, public policy, public administration, measurement and evaluation, organizational leadership, social sciences, or a related field.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience leading education research, evaluation, technical assistance, capacity-building, or federally funded education initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience managing large, complex contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or multi-partner initiatives involving federal clients, education agencies, and partner organizations.
• Substantial experience leading or contributing to applied education research, research translation, evidence use, technical assistance, or capacity-building efforts designed to inform policy and practice.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain researcher-practitioner partnerships with education stakeholders.
• Established connections with policymakers, education leaders, researchers, practitioners, or other stakeholders within one or more states.
• Knowledge of IES and its programs: RELs, Comprehensive Centers, State Longitudinal Data Systems, What Works Clearinghouse, Education Innovation Research, as well as evidence-based practices, federal education programs, and the use of data and research to improve educational outcomes.
• Experience overseeing research or technical assistance activities that include logic models, measurement plans, performance indicators, stakeholder feedback, continuous improvement, and outcome monitoring.
• Strong understanding of applied research design, implementation studies, mixed-methods research, data use, data privacy, research ethics, and dissemination of findings to non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, staffing plans, timelines, deliverables, subcontractors, quality assurance processes, and multiple concurrent priorities.
• Exceptional written communication, oral communication, facilitation, relationship management, and client engagement skills.
• Ability to travel periodically for meetings, partner engagements, site visits, dissemination events, and conferences.
• Ability to commit the level of effort required for the role, typically at least 0.5 full-time equivalency.
• Must be eligible to obtain the required federal personnel security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctorate in education, public policy, public administration, measurement and evaluation, organizational leadership, social sciences, or a related field.
• Prior experience serving as a research project director, deputy project director, principal investigator, center director, or senior leader on a federally funded education research or technical assistance initiative.
• Professional publications in applied education research, peer-reviewed research, research synthesis, technical assistance, or evidence use.
• Project management certification or demonstrated formal training in project management, contract management, or program operations.
• Experience working directly with IES, the U.S. Department of Education, Regional Educational Laboratories, Comprehensive Centers, Regional Comprehensive Centers, State Educational Agencies, Local Educational Agencies, or other federally funded education technical assistance providers.
• Experience supporting states, SEA research offices, data governance, data analysis, research-practice partnerships, or evidence-based decision-making initiatives.
• Experience working with state educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional education service centers, and/or institutions of higher education in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and/or Wisconsin.
• Experience overseeing research studies involving implementation studies, randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, surveys, administrative data, or mixed-methods approaches.
• Experience overseeing plain-language research products, practitioner tools, toolkits, infographics, webinars, newsletters, blogs, social media, website content, or other dissemination products for policymakers and practitioners.
• Experience supervising geographically dispersed teams, subcontractors, consultants, subject matter experts, and staff requiring federal security clearances.
• Familiarity with Section 508 accessibility, plain language guidelines, federal data security expectations, and quality assurance processes for federally reviewed products.

Application Instructions

• Submit a tailored cover letter that:
• Describes how your experience aligns with the Education Research Director role, including your experience leading applied education research, researcher-practitioner partnerships, technical assistance, dissemination, and complex federally funded projects.
• Identifies the states, jurisdictions, or regions in which you have worked directly with education agencies, policymakers, practitioners, or other education stakeholders, and briefly describe the nature of each engagement, your role, the stakeholders involved, and the outcomes or products supported.
• Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae that:
• Summarizes your education, employment history, and experience.
• Lists your peer-reviewed publications, applied research reports, or other relevant products or reports, as well as any relevant presentations that demonstrate your expertise in education research.
• Identifies any relevant certifications, training, or credentials, including project management certifications, What Works Clearinghouse certification, human subjects research training, or other relevant credentials.