Director of Research and Evaluation

Job Description Summary

The Director of Research and Evaluation reports to the Chief Accountability Officer and is situated within the Data, Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (DREA) division. This role leads the district's research, evaluation, and analytic reporting functions to support instructional leadership, improve student outcomes, and enable evidence‑based decision‑making. The director ensures timely completion and clear communication of analytic products and evaluation reports, maintains continuity of ongoing work while responding to emerging district priorities, and supervises staff to ensure accountability for work products and timelines. The position also manages capacity, scope, and prioritization by coordinating across departments to ensure expectations are realistic, appropriately sequenced, and achievable.

Essential Functions

• Lead and manage the Research and Evaluation function, ensuring planning, execution, quality assurance, and on‑time delivery of research studies, program evaluations, and analytic reports aligned to district priorities.
• Oversee the Data Reporting Team, including development and delivery of district insight reports; administration and governance of the Qualtrics survey platform; creation, maintenance, documentation, and updating of interactive data reports, ad‑hoc requests, monthly reports, dashboards, progress‑monitoring tools, analytic code, and insight reports; and provision of staff training on these tools.
• Establish, maintain, and implement clear work plans, timelines, and deliverables for research and evaluation projects, ensuring transparency of expectations for staff and stakeholders.
• Supervise, hire, and evaluate assigned staff, setting performance expectations, monitoring progress, providing feedback and coaching, and holding staff accountable for high‑quality, timely completion of work.
• Balance new requests with existing commitments, preserving the department’s ongoing work while incorporating emerging priorities.
• Proactively manage workload and capacity, escalating concerns about scope, staffing, or competing priorities to the Chief of DREA with recommended options and trade‑offs.
• Coordinate with internal district partners to align timelines, clarify roles, and prevent duplicative or conflicting work, fostering cross‑departmental collaboration.
• Oversee design and execution of program evaluations, including logic‑model development, methodological selection, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Serve as Chair of the Pittsburgh Public Schools Internal Review Board (IRB), ensuring compliance with FERPA, PPRA, and district research‑governance standards.
• Monitor and oversee research conducted by external partners, ensuring alignment with district goals, approved protocols, and agreed‑upon timelines.
• Translate complex research findings into clear, actionable insights for non‑technical audiences, including district leadership, school leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Participate in departmental and individual planning, goal‑setting, and progress‑monitoring activities.
• Represent the district with external agencies and professional organizations related to research, evaluation, and data use.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor in support of departmental, school, and district goals and the Superintendent’s Priority Goals.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Educational Assessment, Research, Evaluation, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Analytics, Data Science, Public Health, or a related field, with a minimum of 10 years experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, or a closely related field, including at least 5 years of direct supervisory experience.
• Master’s degree in the same fields, with a minimum of 6 years experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, or a closely related field, including at least 5 years of direct supervisory experience.
• Doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) preferred.

Certification / Licensure

None required.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to manage teams responsible for complex analytic products, including reports, dashboards, and survey systems.
• Strong understanding of data reporting pipelines, dashboard lifecycle management, and analytic code maintenance.
• Experience overseeing survey design, administration, governance, and data quality (e.g., Qualtrics or similar platforms).
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining operational continuity.
• Strong project management, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to translate technical analysis into clear narratives for decision‑makers.
• Experience in staff supervision, project management, and delivery of complex work products.
• Direct supervisory experience includes work assignment, performance feedback, and accountability for deliverables.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerBI, PowerPoint).
• Enthusiasm for advancing student achievement in an urban public‑school district.
• Commitment to valuing, demonstrating, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

Office‑based work with regular use of computers and virtual meeting platforms. Periodic attendance at meetings outside standard work hours. Reasonable accommodation may be made.

Schedule

12 months per year.

Residency Requirement

This position does not have a residency requirement.