Associate Director of Research

Do you have a passion for research and advanced analytics that are used to make decisions? Can you successfully balance innovation with operational reliability? Do you lead with accountability for outcomes and organizational impact? Then apply today for this Associate Director of Research opportunity!

NOTE: This is an in-person, hybrid position. Must be able to reliably commute to Scottsdale Arizona three days a week.

ASU EdPlus is a dynamic unit of Arizona State University focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models to increase student success and reduce barriers to achievement in higher education. We advance the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the local, national, and international communities served by ASU.

Action Lab is a learning laboratory at ASU that is housed inside EdPlus. As a data-driven, research-focused service organization—an impact hub—Action Lab supports ASU and EdPlus initiatives by equipping leaders with the insights and analyses they need to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Action Lab’s goal is to support ASU with data and scholarship that foster transformations within higher education. With an emphasis on online learning, our predictive and evaluative analyses support student success and persistence from curiosity to graduation. Our research is actionable and operationally oriented, and we support and coordinate with high-level university stakeholders to improve student learning, motivation, and persistence and to increase equity across the university. We are a fast-paced unit that gets stuff done, makes a difference in the lives of our ASU students to drive change, and bolsters successes grounded in data and research.

Want to know more about working at EdPlus? Click here!

We are seeking an Associate Director of Research to co-lead the research strategy and execution for Action Lab, ASU’s data-driven, research-focused service organization. Every day you will make a difference in the lives of others by shaping and advancing a rigorous, actionable, and scalable research portfolio that directly informs institutional decision-making across enrollment, persistence, student success, innovation, and emerging technologies.

As a senior strategic advisor to executive leadership, you will be accountable for measurable impact and value realization from Action Lab’s research investments. You will oversee a diverse research portfolio, define success metrics, ensure methodological rigor and reproducibility, and track adoption and return on research insights. Reporting to the Senior Director or Executive Director of Action Lab, you will ensure Action Lab’s research capabilities evolve in step with institutional strategy, scale, and complexity while remaining deeply grounded in real-world decision contexts.

Essential Duties:

• Define and co-lead Action Lab’s applied research strategy across enrollment, persistence, student success, and educational innovation, ensuring alignment with EdPlus and ASU priorities.
• Oversee a portfolio of mixed-methods research and advanced analytics initiatives, ensuring methodological rigor, data integrity, reproducibility, and measurable institutional impact.
• Establish and execute existing Action Lab and ASU standards for data collection, research design, modeling, governance, and ethical data use; partner with analytics, Action Lab colleagues and other ASU teams to deliver scalable, actionable research products.
• Lead various analytics efforts, including portfolio management, intake, prioritization, service delivery, and lifecycle oversight, ensuring accountability for outcomes, not just outputs.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior and executive leadership, translating complex analyses into clear, actionable insights that inform planning, performance, and decision-making.
• Direct development of research products and staff to execute the work, KPIs, forecasting models, and performance measurement systems, co-supporting student success, operations, finance, and R&D.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team; oversee hiring, performance management, and professional development while fostering a culture of rigorous ethical and data-informed decision-making that is woven tightly with our analytics colleagues in Action Lab.
• Ensure compliance with IRB and data governance standards; represent Action Lab in cross-institutional partnerships, committees, and external engagements a guide and collaborative thought partner.
• Perform other duties or projects as assigned or directed.

NOTE: This is an in-person, hybrid position. Must be able to reliably commute to Scottsdale Arizona three days a week.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field including two (2) years managerial experience; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

Desired Qualifications:

• PhD in Statistics, Economics, Education Policy, Data Science, Organizational Research, Behavioral Sciences, Learning Science, or a related quantitative or interdisciplinary field.
• Seven to ten plus years of progressively responsible experience leading applied research and analytics functions in complex organizations (preferably higher education, edtech, or mission-driven enterprises).
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling an applied research or analytics organization with measurable institutional impact.
• Proven record of aligning research strategy to enterprise strategy and delivering actionable insights that directly influence executive decision-making.
• Demonstrated advanced expertise in quantitative methodologies first and foremost, including generalized linear modeling, mixed-effects models, causal inference, experimental and quasi-experimental design, structural equation modeling, and predictive analytics.
• Demonstrated fluency in integrating qualitative (minor skill) and quantitative (major skill) methods into cohesive, decision-ready narratives.
• Extensive experience using R and creating reproducible workflows.

NOTE: Please answer the following questions in your cover letter:

• Describe your experience using R to conduct analyses or build reproducible workflows.
• Applied research impact (aligned to role expectations): Provide an example of how your research or analysis directly informed a decision or action within an organization.

Salary & Benefits:

$130,000 - $140,000 per year, DOE

ASU offers a total compensation package that includes valuable employee benefits. Click here to explore options:

• Healthcare
• Financial Security
• Retirement
• Family Resources
• Tuition Reduction (Eligible ASU Employee, their dependents and spouse.)
• Discounts

Working Environment:

Your desk will be in the beautiful, cutting-edge, and collaborative workspace at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. The Center houses a diverse business community that links technology, research, education, and entrepreneurship to position ASU and Greater Phoenix as global leaders in the knowledge economy.

ASU EdPlus supports flexible work options, ranging from alternate work schedules to hybrid remote work schedules, subject to approvals per ASU policy. (This is NOT a fully remote position.)

Applicant must be eligible to work in the United States. ASU EdPlus will not be a sponsor for this position.

Department Statement:

EdPlus defines itself through a culture of curiosity, risk-taking and refusing to accept the status quo. As a central enterprise unit for ASU focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models to increase student success and reduce barriers to achievement in higher education, our commitments support the University charter. ASU is a national service university and aspires to accelerate positive social outcomes through the seamless integration of cutting-edge technological innovation and scalability.

EdPlus employees are valued, respected, and encouraged to be their unique selves. We know that our ability to deliver high-quality services and educational experiences is strengthened by our culture of inclusion. Our innovative approach drives outcomes through serving learners, achieving milestones, striving for excellence, solving problems, embracing urgency, and being bold.

ASU EdPlus

Apply by 11:59 pm Arizona time: Monday, April 20, 2026