Director of Research and Evaluation

Pittsburgh Public Schools; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pittsburgh Public Schools seeks a Director of Research and Evaluation to lead the district's data, research, and analytic reporting functions in support of instructional leadership, improved student outcomes, and evidence-based decision-making.

The role reports to the Chief Accountability Officer, supervises staff, advances work plans, coordinates across departments, and translates complex findings into clear insights for district leaders and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with extensive experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, including supervisory experience.
• Master's degree with substantial experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, including supervisory experience.
• Doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Research and Evaluation function, ensuring on-time delivery of studies and reports.
• Oversee the Data Reporting Team and governance of data tools like Qualtrics.
• Establish work plans, timelines, and deliverables for projects.
• Supervise staff with performance feedback and accountability for deliverables.
• Balance new requests with existing commitments and priorities.
• Coordinate with internal partners to align timelines and avoid duplicative work.
• Design and execute program evaluations, logic models, data collection, and reporting.
• Translate complex findings into clear insights for district leadership and external stakeholders.

Skills

Team management

Data dashboards

Qualtrics

Project management

Communication

Data analysis

PowerBI

PowerPoint

Excel

Data reporting pipelines

Education

Bachelor's in Educational Assessment/related field

Master's in Educational Assessment/related field

Ph.D. preferred

Tools

Qualtrics

PowerBI

Excel

Outlook

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

POSITION TITLE

Director of Research and Evaluation

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Director of Research and Evaluation is directly supervised by the Chief Accountability Officer and is situated within the Data, Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (DREA) division. This position leads the district's research, evaluation, and analytic reporting functions in support of instructional leadership, improved student outcomes, and evidence-based decision-making.

The Director of Research and Evaluation is responsible for ensuring the timely completion and clear communication of analytic products and evaluation reports, maintaining continuity of ongoing work while responding to emerging district priorities, and supervising staff to ensure accountability for assigned work products and timelines. Additionally, the position manages capacity, scope, and prioritization by coordinating across departments to ensure expectations are realistic, appropriately sequenced, and achievable.

WORK MONTHS

12 months

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Lead and manage the Research and Evaluation function, ensuring the 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 responsibility for the development and delivery of district insight reports; the ongoing administration and governance of the Qualtrics survey platform; the creation, maintenance, documentation, and updating of interactive data reports and other data requests-including, but not limited to, ad hoc requests, monthly reports, data dashboards, progress monitoring tools, analytic code, and insight reports; and the provision of staff training to support effective use of interactive reports, dashboards, and other data 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, including setting clear performance expectations; monitoring progress toward deliverables; providing timely feedback, coaching, and course correction; and holding staff accountable for the timely and high-quality completion of assigned work.
• Balance new requests with existing commitments, ensuring the status quo work of the department is maintained while incorporating emerging priorities.
• Proactively manage workload and capacity, including elevating concerns regarding 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, supporting cross-departmental collaboration rather than siloed execution.
• Oversee the design and execution of program evaluations, including logic model development, appropriate methodological approaches, 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.
• Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor in support of the department's or school's goals and objectives and the District's mission and Superintendent s Priority Goals.

EDUCATION REQUIRED

Bachelor's degree in Educational Assessment, Research, Evaluation, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Analytics, Data Science, Public Health, or a related field with 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 Educational Assessment, Research, Evaluation, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Analytics, Data Science, Public Health, or a related field with minimum of 6 years of 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 REQUIRED

None required

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, or a closely related field, including at least 5 years of direct supervisory experience.

Masters degree with a minimum of 6 years of experience in educational research, evaluation, data analytics, or a closely related field, including at least 5 years of direct supervisory experience.

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.

Demonstrated experience in staff supervision, project management, and delivery of complex work products. Direct Supervisory experience refers to direct supervision of staff, including responsibility for work assignment, performance feedback, and accountability for deliverables.

Proficiency in Microsoft office suite software including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerBI, and PowerPoint

Enthusiastic about the fundamental goal of advancing student achievement in an urban public school district.

Value, demonstrate, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The working conditions and physical requirements described here are representative of, but not limited to, those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made.

Office-based work with regular use of computers and virtual meeting platforms

Periodic attendance at meetings outside standard work hours

APPLICANT ELIGIBLE CRITERIA

N/A

CITY OF PITTSBURGH RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

This position does not have a residency