Associate Director of Research

Associate Director of Research

Do you have a passion for research and advanced analytics that are used to make decisions? Can you successfully balance innovation with operational reliability? Do you lead with accountability for outcomes and organizational impact? Then apply today for this Associate Director of Research opportunity!

NOTE
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This is not a fully remote position. Must be able to reliably commute to Scottsdale, Arizona three days a week.

We are seeking an Associate Director of Research to co‑lead the research strategy and execution for Action Lab, ASU's data‑driven, research‑focused service organization. Every day you will make a difference in the lives of others by shaping and advancing a rigorous, actionable, and scalable research portfolio that directly informs institutional decision‑making across enrollment, persistence, student success, innovation, and emerging technologies.

• Define and co‑lead Action Lab's applied research strategy across enrollment, persistence, student success, and educational innovation, ensuring alignment with EdPlus and ASU priorities.
• Oversee a portfolio of mixed‑methods research and advanced analytics initiatives, ensuring methodological rigor, data integrity, reproducibility, and measurable institutional impact.
• Establish and execute existing Action Lab and ASU standards for data collection, research design, modeling, governance, and ethical data use; partner with analytics, Action Lab colleagues and other ASU teams to deliver scalable, actionable research products.
• Lead various analytics efforts, including portfolio management, intake, prioritization, service delivery, and lifecycle oversight, ensuring accountability for outcomes, not just outputs.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior and executive leadership, translating complex analyses into clear, actionable insights that inform planning, performance, and decision‑making.
• Direct development of research products and staff to execute the work, KPIs, forecasting models, and performance measurement systems, co‑supporting student success, operations, finance, and R&D.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team; oversee hiring, performance management, and professional development while fostering a culture of rigorous ethical and data‑informed decision‑making that is woven tightly with our analytics colleagues in Action Lab.
• Ensure compliance with IRB and data governance standards; represent Action Lab in cross‑institutional partnerships, committees, and external engagements as a guide and collaborative thought partner.
• Perform other duties or projects as assigned or directed.

Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field including two (2) years managerial experience; OR, any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

• PhD in Statistics, Economics, Education Policy, Data Science, Organizational Research, Behavioral Sciences, Learning Science, or a related quantitative or interdisciplinary field.
• Seven to ten plus years of progressively responsible experience leading applied research and analytics functions in complex organizations (preferably higher education, edtech, or mission‑driven enterprises).
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling an applied research or analytics organization with measurable institutional impact.
• Proven record of aligning research strategy to enterprise strategy and delivering actionable insights that directly influence executive decision‑making.
• Demonstrated advanced expertise in quantitative methodologies first and foremost, including generalized linear modeling, mixed‑effects models, causal inference, experimental and quasi‑experimental design, structural equation modeling, and predictive analytics.
• Demonstrated fluency in integrating qualitative (minor skill) and quantitative (major skill) methods into cohesive, decision‑ready narratives.
• Extensive experience using R and creating reproducible workflows.

$130,000 - $140,000 per year, DOE

• Healthcare
• Financial Security
• Retirement
• Family Resources
• Tuition Reduction (Eligible ASU Employee, their dependents and spouse)
• Discounts

Applicant must be eligible to work in the United States. ASU EdPlus will not be a sponsor for this position.