Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist
United States - Remote | Full-time
Job Description
Safal Partners is seeking a Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist to lead the research and evaluation function on a multi-year contract supporting a state education agency. The work supports a statewide program that reviews and approves instructional materials for use in public schools, with findings that inform decisions made by the agency and its governing board. The program operates on an annual cycle and supports the review of several hundred programs each year. In this role, you will own the research and evaluation infrastructure that supports each program cycle, develop the strategic and cycle-level evaluation plans that the client approves before data collection begins, and produce the program evaluation reports that anchor governing board decisions and inform the design of subsequent cycles. You will work alongside content, training, recruitment, review operations, and project management teams, and you will collaborate directly with client program staff and the client’s data and analytics team.
This is the right role for a research professional who is comfortable taking full ownership of a defined evaluation function, who knows how to convert cycle-over-cycle data into evidence that informs program design, and who is energized by work with a direct line to statewide instructional decisions.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Develop and revise multi-year and cycle-level research and evaluation plans in partnership with the client, defining research questions, data sources, sampling approach, methodology, and reporting timeline for each cycle.
- Maintain a comprehensive data inventory in a client-approved data management environment that covers every data source the program generates, including qualitative feedback from focus groups, scoring data from program reviewers, recruitment and selection data, training performance data, longitudinal participant surveys, NPS scores, and stakeholder support records.
- Build and maintain multi-audience dashboards with row-level access control that serve client program staff, leadership, external partners, reviewers, and other stakeholders from a single build, including operational, summary, and external-facing views.
- Design and administer the program’s full suite of structured instruments, including focus group protocols, longitudinal participant surveys, training assessments with embedded competency checks, performance-based instruments for reviewer certification, NPS surveys, and interview protocols. Run all instruments through the client-approved survey platform with appropriate authentication and access controls.
- Lead mixed-methods analysis at the point of reporting, integrating inter-rater reliability and scoring consistency, certification pass rates, appeals volume, scoring metrics across program offerings, NPS scores, and qualitative findings from focus groups and open-response data.
- Apply inferential analysis where sample size and research design support it, including matched comparisons of reviewer subgroups, training pathway comparisons, and module-level predictors of later scoring consistency.
- Benchmark program performance against internal cycle-over-cycle targets and, where comparable data exist, against peer programs in other states.
- Track stakeholder support data by category, resolution time, and resolution pattern, and conduct cycle-over-cycle analysis on which categories are growing, shrinking, or shifting.
- Lead production of the cycle-level evaluation report presented to the client’s governing board and contribute to cross-cycle programmatic evaluation that accumulates evidence on rubric performance, training effectiveness, reviewer pool development, and downstream use of program reports.
- Coordinate with the client’s data and analytics team to maintain continuous API access from the program’s data environment to the client’s broader data infrastructure throughout the contract.
- Provide guidance to data specialists and junior research and evaluation staff on research design, instrument development, analytic approach, and reporting.
- Ensure that all data collection complies with the client’s confidentiality, and information security requirements.
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Education Research, Educational Psychology, Statistics, Public Policy, or a closely related field is required. Doctorate preferred.
- At least five years of experience in applied education research or program evaluation, with demonstrated leadership on multi-cycle or multi-cohort projects.
- Proficiency in mixed-methods research, including instrument design and validation, inter-rater reliability analysis, and inferential techniques appropriate to applied evaluation work.
- Working proficiency with statistical software such as R, SPSS, or Stata.
- Demonstrated experience designing surveys with complex skip logic, branching, validation rules, and access-controlled distribution on enterprise-grade survey platforms.
- Experience building multi-audience dashboards, managing data pipelines, and configuring row-level access controls on enterprise data management and visualization tools.
- Track record of producing clear, decision-ready research reports and presentations for non-technical audiences, including agency leadership and governing boards.
- Strong understanding of research ethics, and responsible data management practices.
- Experience evaluating K-12 instructional materials, curriculum implementation, or related state-level education initiatives is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with state-level education policy and statewide instructional materials review or approval processes is a plus.
- Must be authorized to work in the United States.
Additional Information
Safal Partners is committed to supporting your mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance and employee assistance programs
- Paid federal holidays, generous PTO, and dedicated sick leave
- 401(k) plan with immediate vesting and competitive company matching
- Flexible pathways that support advancement, mobility, and long-term development, including access to courses and certifications
- Opportunities to contribute to innovative, mission-driven projects with impact at the federal, state, and national levels
- A collaborative environment grounded in continuous improvement, and shared purpose
