ABOUT GIBSON CONSULTING GROUP
Gibson Consulting Group, Inc. is a privately held and nationally recognized education consulting and research firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1998, we have decades of experience working with school districts of all sizes, state education agencies, and other educational organizations throughout the United States. Our mission is to “Better the lives of students by providing exemplary educational consulting and research services that make education systems more efficient and effective.” We work to accomplish this mission through a unique blend of competencies, including program evaluation, educational research, administration of large-scale surveys, as well as management and efficiency consulting, and internal audit services.
Gibson’s research team is a small group of passionate and intellectually curious social scientists. We conduct policy-relevant education research at the district, state, and federal levels, exploring interesting questions informed by some of the most pressing, challenging problems confronting educators, researchers, and policymakers today. We regularly partner with some of the largest social policy research companies in the world.
POSITION SUMMARY
This position is for a senior-level researcher with a strong background in mixed-methods education research and evaluation. This position will be responsible for leading education research and program evaluations for school districts, state education agencies, foundations, federal education agencies, and other public and private educational organizations. The position will involve a leadership role in the design and execution of complex studies related to the impact of educational initiatives on students, teachers, and school systems, including project management, research and evaluation design, supervision of qualitative and quantitative data collection, supervision of analyses, and execution of results reporting.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- - Direct and manage a portfolio of work which includes large, complex, multi-year projects and smaller-scale studies with responsibility for study design, budget management, task delegation, interim project deliverables, report development, and client relations.
- - Provide leadership and knowledge in the development of research frameworks that measure the impact of programs on interim and long-term outcomes or that answer key questions in the current field of education research.
- - Participate in the improvement and implementation of processes ensuring the integrity and quality of research activities and project deliverables.
- - Design evaluation frameworks that measure the impact of programs on interim and long-term outcomes.
- - Lead the development of qualitative and quantitative analysis plans for all projects in a portfolio of work.
- - Develop and align research protocols, including surveys, interviews, and focus group protocols.
- - Support large-scale multi-site data collection (district administrative data, student/staff/parent survey data).
- - Communicate results of statistical analyses through written reports, presentations, briefings, and other media for dissemination to clients.
- - Provide statistical consulting to clients regarding the appropriate use of existing data.
- - Contribute expertise to the development of evaluation and research proposals in response to competitive Requests for Proposals or grant funding opportunities issued by school districts, state education agencies, the federal government, and private foundations.
- - Provide mentorship and guidance to a team of quantitative and qualitative analysts.
REQUIRED SKILLS
- - Strong written and verbal communications skills which translate to broad audiences of education stakeholders.
- - Extensive background in research and evaluation methods in educational settings.
- - Deep understanding of and experience in the public education sector.
- - Experience translating complex statistical concepts and research findings into understandable and actionable results.
- - Experience through applied research projects with statistical methods commonly used in social science research.
- - Familiarity with the principles of sound research design.
- - Experience leading teams of qualitative and quantitative researchers, assigning work, and providing actionable feedback on work products.
PREFERRED SKILLS
- - Familiarity with state and federal education policy.
- - Familiarity with instructional best practices.
- - Experience supervising the work of subcontractors.
- - Experience using a wide range of evaluation frameworks.
DESIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. or graduate training in a social science field, such as political science, psychology, economics, educational psychology, sociology, or human development, AND at least five (5) years of experience in education research. Relevant experience can substitute for advanced educational credentials.
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS, EXPECTATIONS, AND ASSURANCES
This exempt, full-time position will require 40 hours of work per week, usually Monday through Friday. Flexible hours and work schedules will be considered after an individual establishes a track record of strong performance. This position requires that the incumbent sit or stand for extended periods of time while working on a computer. The ability to travel occasionally is required.
Candidates may work remotely from anywhere in the United States. Gibson offers a competitive salary, opportunities for performance bonuses, generous vacation and personal leave, retirement benefits that include 401(k) matching, and employer contributions to health and life insurance. All employment with Gibson is at-will. The salary range for this position is $110,000 to $135,000 and is commensurate with the candidate’s experience.
Gibson Consulting Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To apply please send a cover letter and CV to: jobs@gibsonconsult.com.