Evaluation and Research Scientist

Evaluation And Research Scientist

The Evaluation And Research Scientist will lead and support program evaluation and research projects focused on kindergarten–adult STEM education, with an emphasis on high school and postsecondary data science and AI education. The Evaluation And Research Scientist will report to the Director of Outlier Research and Evaluation and will work collaboratively with senior researchers, DSI colleagues, funders, and partner organizations. This role involves managing multiple stages of the research and evaluation process, including project design, literature reviews, instrument development, data collection and management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, IRB compliance, and the preparation of reports, presentations, manuscripts, and other written deliverables.

The Evaluation And Research Scientist will also contribute to funding strategy and proposal development, including identifying relevant funding opportunities, drafting research and evaluation plans, developing scopes of work, and preparing funder-facing materials for grants, contracts, and sponsored projects. The ideal candidate is an experienced, organized, and self-motivated research and evaluation professional with strong experience in program evaluation and mixed-methods research.

The successful candidate should be able to lead projects with minimal guidance, contribute effectively to collaborative projects, communicate findings clearly to multiple audiences, and translate findings into actionable recommendations for programs, partners, and funders.

Responsibilities

• Leads research and program evaluation projects related to STEM, data science, and AI education, while also supporting other projects across the team's research and evaluation portfolio.
• Manages program evaluation projects, including evaluation design, data collection planning, instrument development, analysis planning, reporting, and partner communication.
• Collaborates with senior researchers, research staff, DSI colleagues, funders, and partner organizations to design, implement, and disseminate research and evaluation work.
• Contributes to the development of evaluation frameworks, logic models, research questions, data collection strategies, analysis plans, and reporting structures.
• Leads or substantially contributes to IRB submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, and related compliance processes.
• Contributes to funding strategy and proposal development, including identifying relevant funding opportunities, drafting research and evaluation plans, developing scopes of work, and preparing proposal materials for grants, contracts, and sponsored projects.
• Drafts or contributes to proposal materials, including statements of need, background sections, project descriptions, research and evaluation activities, timelines, deliverables, and descriptions of organizational capacity or prior work.
• Serves as a resource to colleagues on research and evaluation procedures, data collection, analysis, reporting, IRB processes, and proposal development.
• Presents research findings at meetings and conferences, as well as to funding agencies. Conducts literature reviews. Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
• Guides data collection, evaluation and analysis. Designs and manages databases. Writes reports, articles and manuscripts.
• Performs other related tasks as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with progressively responsible research, program evaluation, and/or STEM education experience.
• Substantial experience designing, managing, and implementing program evaluation projects, preferably in education, workforce development, youth programming, higher education, informal STEM learning, or related settings.
• Experience leading research and/or…