Detroit Public Schools Community District · 1 month ago
Senior Director - Research & Data Science
Detroit, MI
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$99K/yr - $135K/yr
3+ years expDetroit Public Schools Community District is seeking a Senior Director for Research & Data Science to lead their Research and Data Science department. The role focuses on executing research that enhances student outcomes and involves collaboration with district leaders to translate findings into actionable insights.
Education
Responsibilities
Develop proactive, transparent annual research agendas aligned to strategic priorities and school needs
Lead strategic research that drives district thinking on critical issues including student outcomes, program effectiveness, and return on major investments
Build sustainable systems, standardized workflows, and technical best practices that enable high-quality, reproducible work
Cultivate an empowered team culture where staff understand how their work impacts students and contribute their expertise to research design
Partner with school and district leaders to translate findings into actionable insights for decision-making
Establish research infrastructure and documented processes that create consistency and enable knowledge transfer
Provide strategic leadership focused on student impact
Articulate a compelling vision for how research drives student outcomes and ensure research priorities align with school needs and strategic objectives
Collaborate with senior leaders to develop coherent research agendas
Work with practitioners and district leadership to develop research priorities aligned to the strategic plan
Develop and manage transparent annual research plans
Create clear year-long calendars with defined timelines and deliverables that balance responsive requests with comprehensive evaluations
Build and maintain sustainable research systems
Establish and document standard operating procedures, technical standards, and quality assurance protocols including version control, code documentation, and peer review
Lead research design and set quality standards
Maintain high standards for analysis planning, replicability, data visualization, and presentation
Design and support high-value analyses for decision-making
Ensure research approaches generate insights that are accessible and actionable for school and district leaders
Conduct and support rigorous program evaluations
Oversee evaluations that assess the impact and effectiveness of district programs and initiatives
Oversee research application and external reporting
Manage the district-wide research agenda and coordinate external reporting including strategic plan metrics
Communicate and disseminate research findings broadly
Leverage presentations, publications through SharePoint and internal systems, and other communication channels to share research insights across teams and stakeholders
Build and lead a high-performing, empowered team
Coach and develop staff through management that encourages analytical independence, critical thinking, and shared responsibility for outcomes
Partner collaboratively across the district
Work with school and district leaders to define research questions, coordinate shared work products, and manage up effectively
Support analytical practices across central office teams
Contribute to development and implementation of common data science principles and analytical standards across the district
Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Strategy, Data, and Accountability
Qualification
Required
Must possess and provide evidence of a Bachelor's, with preferred focus in education, public administration, public policy, or related field. Master's degree preferred
Minimum of three (3) years of experience designing and conducting educational research with direct connection to practice and student outcomes
Minimum of three (2) years of experience leading effective teams and building positive team culture; experience managing research or technical analysts strongly preferred
Deep commitment to equity and improving outcomes for students, with ability to articulate clear connections between research activities and student impact
Strong interpersonal and coaching skills with ability to create empowering team environments; growth mindset approach with openness to feedback
Experience developing annual research plans with clear priorities and timelines that balance proactive strategic work with responsive analyses; demonstrated ability to manage stakeholder expectations and protect team capacity
Track record of building sustainable systems and implementing research best practices including version control, code documentation, and reproducible analysis pipelines
Strong analytical background with understanding of applied statistics, program evaluation, and experimental design in education settings
Proficiency in statistical software (R preferred) with focus on leading others' technical work
Strong written and oral communication skills that enable effective collaboration with school leaders, practitioners, and both technical and non-technical audiences
Preferred
Experience managing research projects of varying scope and duration, from rapid-turnaround analyses to multi-year comprehensive evaluations
Knowledge of research ethics and legal requirements in educational research, including student data privacy and security
Experience working in urban school district settings
Company
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Detroit Public Schools Community District educate and empower every student, in every community, every day, to build a stronger Detroit.
5001-10000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Joseph Flint
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TITLE I SCHOOL REFORM SPECIALIST
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