Director of Qualitative Strategy

Job Summary

Categories of job responsibilities and approximate percentages

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Elevate the role of qualitative data as a core pillar of To&Through’s approach to research, professional learning, and systems change.
• Articulate the value of and advocate publicly for qualitative data as a complement to quantitative data in informing equitable educational practice and decision-making.
• Collaborate with the Consortium on School Research and other Kersten Institute of Urban Education unit colleagues on qualitative data projects and learnings in the field.

Qualitative Research & Storytelling

• Develop frameworks, guiding questions, and quality standards for qualitative work across the organization.
• Lead the design and execution of qualitative research projects, including case studies, interviews, focus groups, observations, and participatory storytelling approaches.
• Engage directly in fieldwork—observing, interviewing, and learning alongside educators, counselors, higher education staff, students, and families.
• Translate complex qualitative findings into compelling narratives, professional learning resources, and public-facing materials.
• Improve team-wide frameworks for qualitative data collection in a way that aligns with university ethics and processes.

Professional Learning & Practice Engagement

• Partner with the Director and Manager of Learning & Engagement to ensure our qualitative data resources are ready for facilitation and engagement for various audiences.
• Work closely with CPS offices, school-based practitioners, and community partners to identify problems of practice that would benefit from qualitative documentation and dialogue.
• Support practitioners in making meaning of qualitative insights and connecting them to changes in practice and systems.

Team Leadership & Management

• Manage, mentor, and support 1–2 direct reports in their professional growth, learning, and leadership development.
• Support the Qualitative Data Strategist in strategic thinking and vision setting for Student Stories and Family Stories workstreams.

Cross-Team Collaboration & Dissemination

• Provide regular feedback, coaching, and opportunities for skill-building in qualitative research, writing, and facilitation.
• Prepare and submit research protocols to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review and approval, ensuring compliance with university standards for ethical research practice, as needed.
• Foster a collaborative, reflective, and equity-centered team culture.
• Contribute to the ongoing evolution of To&Through’s culture, practices, and ways of working.
• Solve complex problems relating to the administration of projects, including planning new procedures, adapting existing procedures to the needs of the project, and making significant contributions to methodology.
• Design and manage databases.
• Write reports, articles, and manuscripts.
• Present research findings at meetings and conferences, as well as to funding agencies.
• Conduct 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.