Manager, Quantitative Research & Data Analytics | Research, Data, & Impact Team

Good Reason Houston•Houston, TX

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Quantitative Research & Data Analytics ensures Good Reason Houston’s efforts are shaped by rigorous data analysis and that insights are shared across the community to accelerate impact. Working with the Research, Data, and Impact team, the Manager executes the organization-wide research agenda set by the Director by identifying research questions and data collection methods, conducting analysis, and surfacing insights for different audiences. The role builds and manages data systems and may develop staff capacity to use them. The team codes in R, manages code in GitHub, is transitioning data from shared drives to a SQL database, and is moving dashboards from Tableau to R Shiny. This is a hands-on builder role and reports to the Director, Quantitative Research & Data Analytics. The Manager leads quantitative research and analysis, data storytelling, data management and partner relationships, and people management. The role includes mentoring an Associate, Data Analytics, and working with internal teams and external partners. Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization that allows virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; equivalent combinations of relevant education and experience will be considered.
At least 4 years of professional experience in quantitative research or data analytics.
Prior experience independently leading quantitative research and data analytics projects.
Demonstrated project management experience.
Strong proficiency coding in R for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization.
Experience with version control such as GitHub and writing documented, reproducible code.
Experience with Texas public education data (TAPR, PEIMS, STAAR) or comparable state education data.
Working knowledge of FERPA and masking small counts in public reporting.
Prior experience with data analysis or statistical software such as R, SPSS, Alteryx, or Stata.
Familiarity with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Canva.
Experience working in an organization or team requiring flexibility, responsiveness, and comfort with ambiguity.
Ability to produce quality work under tight deadlines and translate complex data outputs into meaningful insights.
Sound judgment using AI tools: verify outputs, understand and explain the work and rationale, and hold managed staff to the same standard.
Ability to receive feedback openly and adapt quickly to changing information.
Strong data visualization, relationship management, written communication, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize and present analytics accurately to varied audiences.
Extremely strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree in a relevant field.
Experience with SQL or relational databases.
Experience with data visualization software such as Tableau; R Shiny experience is a plus.
Experience with THECB, TWC, National Student Clearinghouse, or student-level data.

Responsibilities

Support development and execution of the organization-wide research agenda, drawing on focus questions across programmatic areas.
Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to develop research questions and data collection instruments.
Design methodologically sound analytic plans and conduct analyses in R using appropriate descriptive, regression, cohort, or longitudinal methods.
Partner with the Qualitative Research & Insights team on mixed-methods studies, including joint analysis plans and integrated findings.
Conduct recurring and ad hoc quantitative analyses aligned with Good Reason Houston’s impact, strategic, and external affairs objectives.
Write reusable, documented R scripts and functions for recurring analyses and maintain them in the team’s GitHub repository so published numbers can be traced to their source code.
Use existing data sources, including large administrative datasets, to address secondary research questions and execute new mission-aligned research projects.
Develop, maintain, and share expertise on public state and national education data, including Texas Education Agency data, and working knowledge of higher education and workforce data sources.
Support research using student-level longitudinal data through the Texas Education Research Center, including proposals, IRB submissions, analysis, and compliance with output review requirements.
Develop and facilitate data trainings and workshops, provide coaching, and consult with internal teams on research questions.
Create visualizations, dashboards, presentations, blogs, memos, and reports that communicate analysis insights to varied audiences.
Own recurring dashboards and data products from understanding user needs through building and maintenance in Tableau and R Shiny, including deployment of R Shiny apps.
Present findings internally and externally and help staff and partners understand methodology, interpret results, and apply findings to strategies and communications.
Collaborate on reports and external communications, including presentations, annual reports, grant reports, funder updates, and content sharing data insights.
Help design, document, and maintain the team’s SQL database, including table structure, naming conventions, data dictionary, refreshes, user access, refresh schedules, and backups, following standards set by the Director.
Establish and perform quality-control checks on data and analyses; review the Associate’s work and code before release and submit own code and methods for Director review.
Manage internal and external data requests, including Public Information Reports from the Texas Education Agency, districts, and nonprofit organizations.
Manage district data relationships, draft data-sharing agreements for Director review, apply an understanding of FERPA, and oversee appropriate data selection, transfer, storage, and destruction.
Review tables, charts, and dashboards against Good Reason Houston’s data-masking rules before sharing.
Maintain project plans and communicate contingencies and changes to timelines and deliverables to internal and external partners.
Lead and mentor an Associate, Data Analytics, providing guidance, coaching, feedback, performance evaluations, and career progression planning.
Assign and prioritize the Associate’s projects and workload while attending to their well-being; support onboarding and ongoing training, including in R, GitHub, and team data sources.
Champion best practices in quantitative research design, analysis, and storytelling through mentorship and peer review, and promote a positive, inclusive team culture.
Perform other duties as assigned.