Director, Qualitative Research & Insights | Research, Data Insights Team

About the Role

Good Reason Houston is seeking a leader to serve as the Director, Qualitative Research & Insights. This role is essential in driving the organization’s mission to advance Houston as a leading education city through the production and strategic use of data, research, and evaluation. The Director leads the production of high‑quality, timely, relevant and rigorous qualitative research and data analysis that can be shared across stakeholders, including policymakers, school district leaders, and community members, to accelerate and amplify our impact.

This experienced professional collaborates across the organization to augment quantitative analyses with insightful qualitative storytelling to illuminate the context behind the numbers.

• Manage capacity (staff and contractors) to conduct recurring and ad‑hoc qualitative data analysis that maximizes Good Reason Houston’s impact and aligns with strategic objectives.
• Lead planning and execution of a portfolio of research projects with a significant qualitative analysis component, including refining research questions, developing and codifying research methods, accessing and/or collecting data, analyzing data, surfacing insights, and creating visualizations, presentations, and reports.
• Collaborate with the Director, Quantitative Research & Data on integration of qualitative and quantitative research and creation of mixed‑methods studies.
• Ensure timely and accurate delivery of initial and final findings from research projects.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional leaders and external partners to develop research questions and data collection instruments, and coordinate research activities and dissemination.
• Serve as lead consultant on publicly available state‑ and national‑ data sources on education and data requirements and access.
• Build staff capacity to interpret and leverage data by developing training and workshops, providing coaching, and serving as a consultant to internal teams.
• Facilitate collaboration across communications, advancement, and client service teams to integrate qualitative insights into broader business strategies.
• Maintain expertise on relevant research topics and methods, encouraging innovation in qualitative methodologies through continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

• Surface insights from data analyses and create visualizations, presentations, memos, and reports that communicate key insights to various audiences.
• Present findings internally and externally and ensure staff and partners understand methodology and results.
• Collaborate with leadership teams to develop presentations that center data in support of key messages and organizational objectives.
• Manage development of deliverables (reports, presentation slides, one‑pagers, etc.) that support cross‑departmental goals and key messages.

• Oversee district data relationships and data sharing agreements and respond to data requests from partners and internal teams.
• Coordinate IRB and ensure documentation of informed consent with research participants. Lead ethics oversight.
• Create and maintain systems for organization of data inputs and deliverables that streamline access and collaboration while ensuring consistency, accuracy, and compliance with data sharing agreements and privacy laws.
• Serve as liaison between Good Reason Houston and other local and national organizations focused on education research.
• Develop and maintain dashboards or databases to share frequently requested data from stakeholders.

• Lead and mentor a team of qualitative researchers, strategists, and analysts, fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and methodological rigor.
• Provide clear guidance, coaching, and performance feedback to support professional growth.
• Manage performance evaluations, career progression plans, and succession planning for key research talent.
• Manage resource allocation, workload balancing, and project assignments to optimize team efficiency and well‑being.
• Champion best practices in qualitative research design, analysis, and storytelling through active mentorship and…