Strategic Research Analyst

Research & Evaluation – 63 E Main St

Mesa Public Schools is an award-winning district and voted Best Place to Work in Mesa. With over 9,000 employees, we are the largest school district in Arizona. Families have sent generations of students through our schools, as we are the premier educational choice in Arizona.

Overview: Mesa Public Schools is seeking a passionate and detail-oriented Strategic Research Analyst to join our Research and Evaluation team. As a member of an energetic and collaborative team committed to educational excellence, the Analyst will collaborate with department, district, and school level leadership in institutional research on programs and initiatives that support the superintendency’s strategic goals through research design, instrument development, data collection, dataset validation, and analysis of data. Working with department colleagues to employ high-quality research designs and careful analysis, the Analyst will help district teams better understand the reach and characteristics of district programs and support those teams as they plan for continued success.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree
• Two years of full-time professional experience with/in K-12 education

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree or higher in education, social science research, statistics, or a related field
• Full-time teaching or administrative experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS (KSAO)

• Knowledge of and experience with K-12 curriculum and assessment
• Experience in data collection and analysis through multiple methods, such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace and experience with statistical software packages, such as R, Stata, or SPSS
• Proficiency in combining and cleaning multiple data sources to develop analytic datasets, preferably in SQL
• Experience with data visualization tools, such as Tableau or Power BI
• Experience with survey development, construct validation, survey administration, and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative survey data; Qualtrics proficiency desired
• Experience in conducting literature reviews to synthesize educational research
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic environment

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Collaborate with departmental colleagues and other district constituents on the design and execution of institutional research in support of the superintendency’s strategic goals
• Maintain documentation for pending and approved requests for permission to engage in research within the district
• Create, administer, and analyze key surveys utilizing tools such as Qualtrics or PowerBI
• Conduct literature reviews to connect district initiatives with existing research and to inform the design of instruments for these initiatives
• Design and validate survey questionnaires and interview/focus group protocols
• Collect data through fieldwork and institutional data mining
• Integrate and validate analytic datasets drawing from student testing, survey responses, and other data sources
• Conduct the qualitative coding of data, including observational data, written documents, audio-visual data, and other institutional artifacts
• Analyze quantitative data using a variety of statistical approaches
• Communicate findings of institutional research through written reports and data visualization tools
• Collaborate and work on projects/tasks within the Research and Evaluation department as a whole
• Complete data requests and collaborate with district employees and external parties as assigned
• Foster a continuous learning, professional development and growth mindset amongst team members
• Maintain department procedures and policies in alignment with district, state and federal statutes and regulations
• Produce documentation to ensure consistency, quality, and transparency across the district
• Perform other duties as assigned

SUPERVISION

Senior Program Evaluator and Lead for Strategic Research Partnerships

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ORGANIZATION: The district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or marital status.