Temporary - Research Associate

The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation is a large, multi‑faceted Institute housed in a 33,000 square foot state‑of‑the‑art facility on NC State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh. Our work encompasses educational research, professional development, policy and program evaluation, and direct services to schools, districts, state departments of education and public‑ and private‑sector organizations. We are deeply involved in work throughout North Carolina, leading many of the major statewide K‑12 education initiatives and working closely with the Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, and the majority of school districts in the State on the transition to digital teaching and learning.

Since opening in 2005, the Friday Institute has developed a strong national presence, working with organizations throughout the country, and is increasingly developing international connections. More information is available .ncsu.edu.

We are seeking a Research Program Manager to help build and scale a growing portfolio of work focused on digital learning priorities. This role is pivotal in translating research and partner input into coherent programs, implementation supports, and field‑facing deliverables. The successful candidate will be a strong project and portfolio manager; bring experience working at the intersection of research, policy, and practice;

excel at building relationships across diverse stakeholder groups; and demonstrate strengths in synthesis, strategic communication, and continuous improvement.

• Conduct structured discovery (interviews, listening sessions, document review) to understand needs, constraints, and opportunities across partners and initiatives.
• Synthesize research, practitioner feedback, and implementation data into clear insights, recommendations, and decision points for project teams and leadership.
• Translate strategy into actionable workplans (milestones, dependencies, risks, resourcing) and maintain visibility across the portfolio.
• Identify gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for alignment across initiatives; propose pragmatic ways to streamline and strengthen the portfolio.
• Define and track meaningful indicators of progress (implementation readiness, participation, adoption signals, quality measures, partner satisfaction).
• Support lightweight evaluation and learning cycles: collect feedback, document lessons learned, and integrate improvements into next iterations.
• Monitor the broader landscape (policy, research, edtech and AI developments) and flag implications for program design and partner needs.
• Facilitate and/or contribute to convenings, trainings, and other partner‑facing learning opportunities.
• Coordinate project meetings, working groups, governance structures, and partner communications to support timely decisions and follow‑through.
• Prepare, maintain, and update partner‑ready project materials for online and print dissemination (briefs, agendas, decision memos, implementation supports), ensuring outputs are clear, consistent, and publication‑ready.
• Contribute to project and grant proposals, including framing problems and possibilities of practice and aligning deliverables.
• Draft and coordinate funder‑facing reports and updates that communicate progress, evidence, and impact with clarity and credibility‑translating project activity into outcomes, lessons learned, and next‑phase recommendations.
• Track and support a pipeline of aligned opportunities; maintain portfolio‑level visibility into funding status, commitments, and next steps.
• Support day‑to‑day operations for the Director of Digital Learning.
• Coordinate project meetings, organization structures, and communications.
• Prepare, maintain, and update project materials for online and print dissemination.
• Up to 20% travel within or outside the state.

Relevant Master’s degree in Education or Technology, or relevant Master’s degree plus five or more years of experience as a K‑12 educator, technology leader, or researcher.

• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Willingness to take initiative and learn new skills,…