Sr Research Scientist

HMH

1d•$120,000 - $130,000•Remote

About The Position

The NWEA Learning Sciences Division seeks a Senior Research Scientist to join the Research and Policy Partnerships (RPP) team, focusing primarily on research consulting and applied partner support. RPP produces rigorous, actionable research and helps educators, policymakers, and HMH colleagues use research, assessment, and MAP Growth data effectively. This role bridges research and application by translating technical expertise into practical guidance, helping partners address complex questions with data and evidence, and ensuring research insights inform educational decisions. The Senior Research Scientist will work directly with school districts, researchers, and HMH colleagues to understand their questions, determine what research or analysis can appropriately address them, and translate findings into useful recommendations. The role also contributes to RPP’s broader research agenda, particularly work that arises from or strengthens understanding of partner needs. The position is remote in the U.S. and requires approximately 10–20% travel for partner consulting engagements, conferences, and other events.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience conducting educational research and/or providing research, data, or assessment consultation; experience involving large-scale assessment or longitudinal education data is preferred.
Ph.D. in Education, Educational Measurement, Public Policy, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field.
Strong quantitative research background and demonstrated ability to select and apply methods appropriate to applied research questions.
Proficiency with statistical software such as R, Stata, Python, or similar tools.
Experience working directly with educators, district or state leaders, or other stakeholders to scope and address research and data questions.
Experience translating complex research findings, analyses, and assessment concepts into practical guidance for nontechnical audiences.
Experience independently managing partner-facing projects from initial scoping through analysis and delivery.
Experience conducting rigorous educational research using large-scale assessment or longitudinal data.
Experience building productive relationships and collaborating across disciplines and functions.
Understanding of K–12 educational assessment and measurement, including appropriate uses of assessment data in educational decisions.
Understanding of K–12 education policy and practice.
Understanding of the strengths and limitations of research designs and data sources and how they affect responsible conclusions and recommendations.
Ability to move effectively between technical analysis and partner-facing consultation.
Ability to clarify ambiguous questions, identify the underlying decision or need, and recommend an appropriate analytic or research approach.
Ability to communicate clearly with audiences with varying levels of research, data, and assessment expertise.
Ability to exercise sound judgment about what research and data can and cannot appropriately answer and communicate those boundaries clearly.
Ability to balance multiple consulting engagements and research responsibilities while delivering high-quality work on agreed-upon timelines.
Ability to travel approximately 10–20% of the time.
Physical ability to remain stationary for considerable periods, operate a computer constantly, collaborate through in-person, conference-call, and online meetings, and sit, stand, and walk for extended periods.

Nice To Haves

Strong SQL skills and experience independently querying and working with large-scale datasets.
Experience with Tableau or other data visualization tools.
Experience with MAP Growth, including its reporting ecosystem, appropriate uses, and application across educational contexts.
Experience with large-scale assessment or longitudinal education data.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted research advisor to school districts, researchers, and internal HMH stakeholders, helping them interpret and appropriately use MAP Growth data and research evidence.
Lead research consulting engagements from initial scoping through delivery, including clarifying partner questions, selecting appropriate analytic approaches, defining feasible deliverables, conducting analyses, and communicating findings and implications.
Use statistical software such as R, Python, or SQL to independently access, query, and work with large-scale assessment data in HMH’s Snowflake data environment.
Apply expertise in educational research, assessment, and research design to address complex and ambiguous questions.
Translate technical research, data, and assessment concepts into clear, actionable guidance for audiences with varying levels of research expertise.
Design and deliver partner-facing presentations, technical consultations, custom analyses, data visualizations, and other applied research support.
Collaborate across NWEA and HMH to respond to partner needs and identify opportunities to develop reusable resources and scalable approaches to common questions.
Conduct and contribute to rigorous applied research using large-scale assessment and education data in alignment with RPP’s mission and research agenda.
Communicate findings through audience-appropriate research reports, policy and practitioner briefs, presentations, data visualizations, and other accessible products.
Build and maintain productive relationships with educators, district leaders, researchers, and colleagues across HMH.
Travel approximately 10–20% of the time for partner consulting engagements, conferences, and other internal and external events.