Senior Research Associate

TalkingPoints

34d•$105,000 - $115,000•Remote

About The Position

TalkingPoints is an award-winning education technology nonprofit on a mission to unlock every student’s potential by activating one of the most underutilized forces in education - families. We believe that when families and schools work together, students thrive - and we’re building the tools to make that partnership possible for every family. Our platform helps schools reach and engage every family - including those historically underserved - through accessible, two-way communication in 150+ languages, along with data, insights, and supports that strengthen relationships and drive student success. Today, millions of educators and families are using TalkingPoints in their classrooms, schools, and districts across the U.S. to build stronger partnerships and improve outcomes for students. Our work is grounded in research and has been shown to meaningfully impact attendance, learning, and more. We partner with leading school districts nationwide and are supported by a strong community of philanthropic and strategic partners, including major foundations, technology leaders, and education organizations. TalkingPoints is at an exciting stage of growth and impact. As we continue to expand our reach and deepen our impact, we’re looking for passionate, mission-driven team members who want to help schools and families succeed - together. Learn more at www.talkingpts.org. Diversity: we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it! The Senior Research Associate (SRA) generates rigorous, actionable research that demonstrates and deepens TalkingPoints' impact on student outcomes through family-school partnerships. They apply mixed methods research skills to a variety of studies including both causal and correlational designs. This person thrives on doing the work: building the research plan, getting into the data, and seeing a project through from design to dissemination with rigor, care, and follow-through. They manage timelines, drive work forward independently, and translate complex findings for varied internal audiences (product, engineering, philanthropy, partner success) and district partners. Reporting to the Director of Research, the SRA works cross-functionally within a fast-paced team that values both rigor and rapid iteration.

Requirements

Master's degree in social science, education, public policy, or related field with strong research methods training
5+ years applied research experience focused on K-12 education, in nonprofit/edtech/mission-driven settings (academic-only or district-only backgrounds unlikely to be a fit)
Expertise in mixed methods design and data analysis, including comfort with proxy measures and honest communication of methodological tradeoffs
Strong project management and follow-through, with minimal need for oversight
Excellent communicator who can tailor research findings to diverse non-research audiences through clear writing and data visualizations
Strong cross-functional collaborator
Experience with public education datasets (e.g., NCES, state longitudinal systems)
Proficiency in R or Python; working knowledge of SQL and self-service data tools (e.g., Sigma)
Comfort using AI tools in research workflows
Experience handling PII/sensitive data appropriately

Nice To Haves

PhD with quantitative/mixed methods focus
Background in family engagement, attendance, early math, and/or early literacy research
Experience with Snowflake or similar cloud data warehouses

Responsibilities

Execute research studies from rapid descriptive analyses to quasi-experimental designs
Develop and maintain clear research plans: defining questions, selecting methods, setting timelines, and tracking deliverables from kickoff through dissemination
Manage, clean, and analyze data from TalkingPoints’ platform, partner datasets, and public sources (e.g., NCES, state data systems)
Apply methods appropriate to the question, from exploratory and descriptive analyses to advanced approaches including quasi-experimental design, hierarchical linear modeling, and natural language processing
Use R/Python for data analysis and visualization, SQL and tools like Sigma for data exploration, and AI tools (including coding assistants) to accelerate work from analysis to research communications
Turn findings into clear, compelling impact stories — presentations, reports, and publications — for district partners, internal teams, and senior leadership
Generate insights that inform product development and partnership strategy
Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to connect research to organizational priorities and support revenue generation
Engage with external district contacts in coordination with the Senior Research Manager and Director of Research
Co-develop study questions and approaches with internal and external partners