Education Research Associate / Technical Assistance (TA) Associate - SRI International

Overview 
SRI Education is committed to supporting research, evaluation, and the implementation of equitable and effective practices in K-16 education. We are seeking to hire up to three Research and/or Technical Assistance Associates to work as a team member on multiple ongoing projects in the areas of K-16 systems change, teacher development, STEM and computer science education, digital learning, multilingual learners, and college and career pathways. 
 
We describe general job responsibilities here as well as more specific research and technical assistance responsibilities. If your skills and experiences align with the following roles, we'd love to hear from you! 
 

The ideal location for this employee is within an occasional commutable distance to our Menlo Park, CA, or Arlington, VA office. However, we will consider fully remote candidates highly as well.

All successful candidates will be responsible for:

• Conducting literature, website, document, and policy reviews
• Providing project management support (e.g., tracking progress toward project milestones; making recommendations for project procedures; creating, organizing, and managing project documents and databases, such as schedules and status reports for clients)
• Contributing to the design of instruments such as surveys and interview and observation protocols
• Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data
• Preparing reports, briefs, and presentations of research findings appropriate for non-academic, academic, and policy audiences
• Applying an equity lens to and engaging diverse perspectives in our work
• Growing professionally and developing new skills through ongoing project-embedded mentorship and professional development opportunities

Research candidates will be responsible for:

• Coordinating, scheduling, and monitoring data collection activities, such as survey administration, observations, and interviews
• Preparing district research applications and Institutional Review Board (IRB) packages
• Participating in data collection activities such as interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations 

Technical assistance candidates will be responsible for:

• Coordinating technical assistance activities, including scheduling, supporting logistics, and communicating logistics to participants
• Contributing to meeting facilitation via activities such as taking notes, summarizing and synthesizing themes, coordinating collection of feedback, and analyzing data and summarizing results
• Communicating and engaging with technical assistance partners, participants, and clients
• Designing and delivering professional development and learning opportunities with and for educators and administrators 

Requirements:

• A master’s degree in the social sciences, education, policy, or related fields with one year of prior work experience or equivalent experience
• Experience with multiple research or technical assistance methods
• Research methods may include large-scale surveys, experimental research, or case study methods, with strong preference for experience in educational settings
• Technical assistance methods may include activities such as contributing to needs sensing, conceptualizing technical assistance plans, designing educator professional learning activities, developing tools to support data use and/or use of equitable and evidence-based practices, and developing activities and tools facilitate improvements to educational culture and climate
• Research, professional, or volunteer experience in or with the US public PreK–16 education system working with Black, African American, Latinx, Hispanic students, rural communities, or students and families with limited financial means
• Experience writing well-structured, clear, and concise research summaries and sections of reports or briefs, or translating existing research into presentations, tools, and resources for educators and/or policymakers
• Ability to discuss research tasks or technical assistance activities with individuals and organizations in the field, study sites, or study participants
• Capacity to support multiple projects simultaneously and change focus as priorities shift through use of strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Willingness to travel 5-6 times per year for site visits and client meetings; many visits will be for 3-4 days each
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both in research/technical assistance and in the workplace 

 
Preferred Qualifications:

• Part of this work is for a federal contract requiring passing a federal background check.  Therefore, we have a preference for permanent residents or U.S. citizens.
• In your cover letter please include information about your training and experience in the relevant content (e.g., teacher development, STEM and computer science education, digital learning, multilingual learners, and college and career pathways) and methods (e.g., research/evaluation, technical assistance) areas described above. 

The salary range is: $72,500 to $80,000/hr. Salary ranges will vary and are based on several factors, including geographic location, market competitiveness and equity amongst internal employees in similar roles. Positions may also qualify for SRI's Pay for Outstanding Performance program or the annual Performance Based Compensation program.

SRI also has a competitive benefits package, to view details please go to https://www.sri.com/resources/benefits/. SRI is an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with a rich history of supporting government and industry. We create and deliver world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. For more than 75 years, we have collaborated across technical and scientific disciplines to discover and develop groundbreaking products and technologies and bring innovations and ideas to the marketplace.