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Senior Research Scientist

Employer
Northwest Evaluation Association
Location
Portland, OR, US
Salary
Competitive
Description

Senior Research Scientist, Collaborative for Student Growth

Who you are....
You are an experienced mid - to senior-level r esearch er w ith exceptional research knowledge in special education and early reading interventions, as well as state and federal policy landscape. We are particularly interested in researchers with an expertise in dyslexia .

For this position , you will have the opportunity to work closely with a small group of researchers and content specialists to build out a research agenda focused on students with disabilities : academic growth and seasonality of achievement, impact of accessibility and universal design , early reading disabilities including dyslexia . You will also work closely with our product and content advocacy , policy & advocacy , and professional learning teams t o elevate research to support content , guide product decisions, and inform product creation and revisions. Given the opportunities presented by the Collaborative, we are seeking someone with expertise in assessment, policy, or interventions with a focus on special education . Further, desired candidates will share many attributes with scholars in academia (self-directed, productive, communicative), but be interested in a work environment that places equal weight on doing research and producing products that can improve teaching and learning, how schools and districts function, and the ways policymakers make decisions.

Finally, the Collaborative is a new entity within NWEA. Strong candidates will be interested in helping the team expand its reach and develop its brand. Thus, applicants who bring effective problem solving, communication, and strategic planning skillsets will be preferred. Note: This is a full-time opportunity with competitive compensation and outstanding benefits package. Candidates may work remotely from their home office anywhere in the United States.

Roles and responsibilities ...
  • Publish in academic journals, influence testing/education policy, pursue grant funding and present at conferences
  • Work closely with Researchers and Content Specialists to build a research agenda focused on students with disabilities and academic growth.
  • Collaborate with Professional learning teams to elevate research, support content, guide product decisions , and inform product creation and revisions.
  • Impact the accessibility and universal design for early reading disabilities including dyslexia.
  • Lead quantitative research projects in special education.
  • Engage stakeholders' groups across the organization to create cohesion and support development of internal and external training tools, collateral, and product FAQs

Competencies...
  • Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
  • Collaboration: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
  • Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions
  • Drives Results: Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances
  • Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honest, integrity, and authenticity
  • Manages Complexity: Making sense of high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems
  • Strategic Mindset: See ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies

Education and experience...
  • A Ph.D. in special education, cognitive science /neuroscience , developmental psychology , quantitative methods, education policy, or related field is required
  • Preferred experience working as an educator or administrator in K-12 systems, or as a researcher working in direct collaboration with K-12 schools.
  • Demonstrates knowledge and application of state and federal special education policies and regulations as well as research, issues, and trends in the special education field.
  • Have a strong understanding of learning disabilities specifically dyslexia and reading disabilities
  • E xtensive knowledge of role assessments play in the multiple frameworks such as MTSS, RTI in relation to qualifications and eligibility of special education
  • A minimum of three years of relevant experience after degree completion
  • Strong methodological training and demonstrated ability to analyze large data sets efficiently
  • Significant track record of professional achievement through presentations at professional conferences and publications in professional journals or equivalent
  • Experience conducting applied research and meeting related deliverables
  • Statistical software background in at least one general language (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, SPSS) and, preferably, other more specialized packages (e.g., Mplus, HLM, FlexMIRT, Stan)
  • Ability to explain complex measurement and statistical concepts to a variety of audiences
  • Track record of developing grant-supported research across a variety of competitive grant opportunities

About us...
NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.

What we can offer you...
At NWEA we not only offer a competitive base salary, we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees' base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; career development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees' holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here.

NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization's mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions, and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.

NWEA™ endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

NWEA™ is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website .

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