Research Project Manager - Digital Promise

About Digital Promise Global
Digital Promise is a global nonprofit working to expand opportunities for every learner. We work with educators, researchers, technology leaders, and communities to design, investigate, and scale innovations that support learners, especially those historically and systematically excluded. Our vision is that every person engages in powerful learning experiences that lead to a life of well-being, fulfillment, and economic mobility.

About the Position
Digital Promise’s Learning Sciences Research (LSR) team focuses on the why, what, and how of learning in and out of school. This Washington, DC-based position will work with teams on two recently-funded projects, the “Using Generative AI for Reading R&D Center” (U-GAIN Reading) and a project closely related to SEERNet.org, which focuses on digital learning platforms as an infrastructure for educational research. These projects are at the state of the art in educational research and development, and align with LSR’s strong commitment to equity.

Working closely with one of LSR’s Executive Directors, the Research Project Manager will coordinate and organize the efforts of the project teams at Digital Promise as well as the additional universities, nonprofits, school districts, and scientific advisors we work with on these projects. The Research Project Manager will draw on their experience working on research projects in K-12 education and coordinating with schools. Because we anticipate working with schools local to the Washington DC and Baltimore area, this position requires a location in the region and willingness to work from our DC office or local school sites up to 3 days per week.

The projects have a strong focus on serving populations who are historically and systematically underserved. For example, U-GAIN Reading focuses on serving the strengths and needs of English Learners in elementary schools, while SEERNet aims to enable alignment of research on digital learning platforms to practitioner needs. Experiences and strengths that align with this focus are desired in the successful candidate.

The projects also aim to communicate insights and recommendations for solutions that improve education outcomes for all learners and mitigate persistent achievement and attainment gaps to national audiences. As such, this role will involve large-scale coordination of schedules and events with educational leaders, teachers, researchers, educational product developers, and
relevant partners and constituents. Strong ability to communicate verbally and in writing (e.g. emails) with a wide range of audiences is important to the role.

This position will be supported by interactions across the 30-person LSR team, including with project managers elsewhere in LSR. The role will be able to work with others in LSR on additional projects or initiatives, as time allows. LSR is a community and this role will be a member of the community; likewise, opportunities for interaction will be available across Digital Promise. LSR provides professional development opportunities for all staff.

Responsibilities

• Leading specific research project management and logistical tasks, in collaboration with researchers, partners, and practitioners
• Collaborating with school districts to facilitate research in schools, e.g. scheduling classroom observations, encouraging student and teacher engagement, supporting fidelity of implementation.
• Maintaining agendas for meetings, taking notes, following up to ensure action items are completed and contributors are prepared for future meetings.
• Supporting research-related activities, such as communication including emails, social media, and newsletters; research events including convenings, professional development, technical assistance, and data collection.
• Tracking and managing progress towards project milestones and deliverables including production of required quarterly and annual reports to funders.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master’s degree and 4 years of experience in educational research and project management; or a Bachelor’s Degree and 8 years of experience.
• Substantive knowledge of educational research processes and a desire to learn more about complex, mulit-institutional research
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues early, analyze root causes, and develop effective solutions in coordination with the team.
• Possess relevant experiences and/or expertise directly related to the equity challenges that are the focus of our research, e.g. serving the strengths and needs of multilingual learners as they learn to read. This includes an understanding of issues in educational research and an ability to apply this knowledge in addressing challenges within the project scope.
• Demonstrable ability to communicate in written and verbal formats with a variety of roles to facilitate engagement in the research both internal to DP and with partners, participants, and funders.

At Digital Promise, we also seek candidates with:

• A strong commitment to improving equity and accessibility in education
• A commitment to anti-racist approaches to our work
• Diverse life experiences
• An interest in redesigning learning systems
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional team members to ensure information is shared, projects are completed on time, and goals are reached.

Working Conditions:

Digital Promise Global is a hybrid organization. Employees are expected to travel at least 4 times a year for in-person meetings and the annual staff retreat. Additional travel may be required based on role and responsibilities.
(a)Travel up to 15%. 15% additional local travel to schools in the DC / Baltimore area, but some project related trips will be elsewhere in the United States.
(b)Physical/Sensory Demands Fast-paced working environment. Extensive computer usage and online engagement & communication. Must be willing to build inclusive relationships and collaborate with employees at all levels within the organization and external partners.
(c)Special Provisions:
Occasional work outside of normal business hours, such as weekends and evenings required.

Compensation
We consider candidate experience and location when determining where a candidate may fall within that range. Digital Promise offers a competitive total rewards package that includes 85% of health insurance premiums for employees and 75% of health insurance premiums for dependent and family coverage, 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, a 3% 401k employer contribution, a 3% employer 401k match, and a flexible work environment.

The full-time salary range for the Research Project Manager based on geographical regions, is listed below. The exact salary depends on relevant experience.

DC Metro Area $94,554 - $102,897

To Apply

Please apply and submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis until the search is successful.

Digital Promise is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.