Director of Qualitative Strategy

Department

UEI ToThrough Initiative

As one of the first schools of social work in the United States, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has shaped the field for more than 100 years. As part of the University of Chicago, the Crown Family School shares the University’s core values and distinctive intellectual culture. Faculty, staff, and students focus on identifying solutions to complex social problems through research, training, and direct community engagement.

Guided by an interdisciplinary tradition, scholars conduct innovative research to address interconnected social challenges such as educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare—working at multiple scales, from individual to policy‑level interventions. More than 10,000 graduates hold leadership positions in academia, nonprofits, business, and government.

The ToThrough Project is one of five units at the Kersten Institute for Urban Education that work toward a shared mission of improving educational outcomes and promoting equity in schools and communities. It is rooted in the belief that schools should be places where all students have access to equitable learning experiences and pathways from the middle grades through college graduation.

The team focuses on three pillars:
Data, Inquiry, and Impact. Data involves analyzing and sharing quantitative and qualitative insights on students’ educational journeys. Inquiry supports educators and stakeholders in making sense of data to shift practice. Impact culminates in realizing equitable learning experiences and outcomes for Chicago Public Schools students.

Reporting to the Executive Director of the ToThrough Project, the Director of Qualitative Strategy will provide vision, leadership, and strategic direction for all qualitative and storytelling‑based work within the project. The role integrates strategy, research, storytelling, and people management to advance qualitative data as a core pillar of the project’s approach to research, professional learning, and systems change.

• Set and steward a coherent vision for qualitative inquiry and storytelling across all ToThrough Project initiatives.
• Articulate the value of qualitative data as a complement to quantitative data for equitable educational practice and decision‑making.
• Collaborate with the Consortium on School Research and other Kersten Institute units on qualitative projects and learnings in the field.
• Develop frameworks, guiding questions, and quality standards for qualitative work across the organization.
• Partner with leadership to align qualitative strategy with organizational priorities, timelines, and dissemination goals.
• Lead the design and execution of qualitative research projects, including case studies, interviews, focus groups, observations, and participatory storytelling approaches.
• Engage directly in fieldwork—observing, interviewing, and learning alongside educators, counselors, higher education staff, students, and families.
• Ensure practitioner‑rooted, ethically grounded work attentive to power, identity, and context.
• Translate findings into compelling narratives, professional learning resources, and public‑facing materials.
• Improve team‑wide frameworks for data collection in line with university ethics and processes.
• Coordinate with the Director of Learning & Engagement to prepare qualitative resources for diverse audiences.
• Work closely with CPS offices, school‑based practitioners, and community partners to identify practice problems benefiting from qualitative documentation.
• Support practitioners in applying qualitative insights to practice and systems change.
• Manage, mentor, and support 1–2 direct reports in professional growth and leadership development.
• Support the Qualitative Data Strategist in strategic vision for Student Stories and Family Stories work streams.
• Provide regular feedback, coaching, and skill‑building opportunities in qualitative research, writing, and facilitation.
• Prepare and submit research protocols to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review and approval,…