Literacy Researcher - Education

SRI International • Remote, CA

2d • $95,232 - $135,680 • Remote

About The Position

SRI Education is seeking a passionate Literacy Researcher to support and partner with educators, focusing on English language arts/literacy instruction. The role involves using research skills to improve teaching, learning, and supporting systems. SRI Education designs and implements high-quality research, evaluation, and technical assistance in K-12 and postsecondary education, focusing on improving systems, enhancing instruction, addressing student wellbeing, and supporting diverse learners. The ideal candidate will have expertise in designing and conducting research, capable of leading small projects or large tasks in ELA/literacy and supporting projects in other education content areas.

Requirements

• Cover letter required, detailing interest in the position and information about training and experience in ELA/literacy.
• PhD in education or social sciences discipline OR a similar master’s degree and 5 years’ experience conducting research and/or providing technical assistance.
• Demonstrated expertise in ELA/literacy through coursework, prior work experience, and a dissertation or publications.
• Experience with multiple research and/or technical assistance methods (e.g., large-scale surveys, experimental research, case study methods, needs sensing, conceptualizing technical assistance plans, designing educator professional learning, developing tools for data use).
• Strong preference for experience in K-12 school settings.
• Capacity to support and lead multiple projects simultaneously and change focus as priorities shift.
• Prior experience generating well-structured, clear, and concise verbal and written communications for a broad range of audiences.
• Willingness to travel 5-6 times per year for school site visits (3-4 days each).
• U.S. citizenship is required due to contract requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Teaching experience (K–12) in the US public education system, especially in historically underserved communities.
• Expertise in studying systems change at the school, district, or state levels.
• Multilingual, multicultural experiences and exposure to multiple perspectives.
• Expertise and experience in foundational literacy (e.g., phonological awareness, phonics, fluency).
• Expertise and experience in reading comprehension.
• Expertise and experience in classroom instructional practice.
• Expertise and experience in English language arts/literacy instructional materials/curriculum.
• Expertise and experience in measuring instructional quality (e.g., through structured classroom observations).
• Expertise and experience in pre- or in-service K–12 teacher professional learning.
• Expertise and experience in literacy assessment.
• Expertise and experience in intervention and/or multi-tiered systems of support.
• Expertise and experience in instructional leadership (e.g., collaborative use of data).
• Expertise and experience in culturally sustaining practices.
• Expertise and experience with multilingual learners.
• Expertise and experience in the use of artificial intelligence in writing instruction or assessment.

Responsibilities

• Work on an interdisciplinary team to evaluate and/or provide technical assistance for large-scale improvement efforts, including professional learning programs or the development of new resources for foundational skills, reading comprehension, multilingual learners, writing from source material, and disciplinary literacy.
• Lend ELA/literacy expertise to projects on an ad hoc basis, providing consultation on literacy assessment, measuring literacy-focused instructional practice, review of ELA curricular materials, and synthesizing current literacy research.
• Provide project management to ensure project goals are met by establishing systems for and managing large tasks on complex projects, including survey collection and analysis, training and leading teams for classroom observations, and assisting with budgeting and management activities.
• Communicate data and findings effectively to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences.
• Consider diverse perspectives and experiences in all work.
• Contribute to or lead proposal writing efforts to advance SRI’s mission and generate innovative ideas in literacy education.
• Mentor and support colleagues for professional growth and celebrate successes.
• Engage in professional learning through ongoing project-embedded mentorship and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package (details available at https://www.sri.com/resources/benefits/)
• Positions may qualify for SRI's Pay for Outstanding Performance program.
• Positions may qualify for the annual Performance Based Compensation program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree