Technical Assistance (TA) Education Researcher / Specialist - Early Childhood Education

Overview

SRI Education staff support early care and education practitioners, program administrators, and policy leaders to identify and implement evidence-based practices that promote equitable child and family outcomes. We provide rigorous research and evaluation services, develop innovative solutions to current education and human services challenges, and provide training and technical assistance (TA) to strengthen learning outcomes for all young children and families and the systems that serve them. Our collective work covers a range of topics: early learning and development, disability and inclusion, supporting multilingual learners, student behavior and well-being, teaching quality, digital learning, STEM and computer science, literacy and language arts, and college and career pathways.

We are seeking an experienced professional — a Senior Education Researcher & Technical Assistance Specialist — who can develop and deliver state-of-the-art TA that addresses early care and education priorities, including the inclusion of children with disabilities; the use of data for continuous quality improvement; and the promotion of equity in practices, policies, and outcomes. The position will require completion of a wide range of TA, research and evaluation, project management, and support activities, working closely with other project directors and other senior staff.

For example, the Senior Education Researcher & Technical Assistance Specialist will:

• conduct needs assessments and strategic planning;
• plan and deliver tailored and responsive evidence-based services and supports;
• develop and deliver training and professional development;
• facilitate workgroups and communities of practice;
• develop and disseminate toolkits, briefs, and other products; and
• provide data analysis and interpretation support.

The successful candidate will engage with and communicate effectively and respectfully with federal and state leaders, TA participants, clients (including representatives from commercial and philanthropic organizations), and colleagues inside and outside of SRI.

Responsibilities

TA activities may include a range of strategies and approaches to address the wide variety of needs (universal, targeted, and intensive) and adult learning principles, including the following:

• Examining evidence-based practices in many topics relevant to early care and education systems, including programs that serve young children with disabilities, data use and continuous quality improvement, and policies and practices that promote equity.
• Supporting states’ and U.S. territories’ implementation of comprehensive early care and education systems with an emphasis on IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619.
• Providing TA support to state/territory IDEA Part C and Part B 619 programs in developing high-quality early intervention and preschool special education service systems, through collecting, analyzing, reporting, and using data for program improvement and federal reporting.
• Generating well-structured, clear, and concise TA products and technical reports.

Research and evaluation activities may include the following:

• Developing research designs, using quantitative and qualitative research methods, to investigate the impacts of policy and practice.
• Developing and implementing moderately complex data collection and analysis tasks that include state- and federal-level administrative data.
• Using effective data visualization techniques to summarize and communicate results to interested parties.

Project management activities will include the following:

• Establishing and meeting project timelines, within budget constraints and according to high-quality standards.
• Leading successful projects and proposals (of any size) for federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, the Administration for Children and Families and Office of Head Start in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), state agencies, foundations, and/or commercial clients.

Qualifications

A doctoral degree in education, psychology, human services, public policy administration, or other social science field (e.g., social work) with a minimum of 3 years of related experience, or a master’s degree and 6 years of related TA and research experience.

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• Demonstrated ability to lead tasks for a national TA center
• Contribute independent recommendations related to project activities
• Adapt to changes in client priorities
• Take individual responsibility to complete work assigned with minimal supervision
• Have ample experience providing TA on the use and reporting of IDEA Part C/Part B 619 data
• Have an understanding of the early childhood care and education service delivery and data systems
• Experience working with marginalized, diverse, and multilingual populations.
• Have demonstrated organizational skills; the ability to manage multiple tasks and collaborate with both internal and external team members; and excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Have an understanding and use of technology tools to manage projects and conduct job activities (e.g., virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom; Microsoft Outlook, Excel, SharePoint)

This position will require periodic travel.

In your cover letter, please include information about your training and experience in the relevant content, provision of TA, development and/or implementation of federal or state policies, project management, and research and evaluation. Candidates who proceed to the interview process will be asked to provide writing samples and a job talk.

The salary range is: $100,000 - $125,000. 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