ENLACES Research Director

Compensation

Annual Salary: $79,930.00 - $120,000.00

Position Overview

The ENLACES Project is a federally funded Full‑Service Community School (FSCS) implementation grant. The ENLACES Research Director is a key leadership role reporting directly to the Dean, Sanford College of Education. The role leads research efforts across functional areas related to research, grants/RFPs, policy, and supports the development and evaluation of services provided to children, families, and teachers within the community schools initiative.

Essential Functions

• Develop and execute a research agenda centered on efficacy, outcomes, and child/family growth in Full‑Service Community Schools implementation.
• Partner with National University faculty and staff to create structures for staff and graduate/undergraduate students to participate in research activities.
• Research and evaluate programs utilizing quantitative and mixed‑methods designs; produce research briefs, white papers, and tools to enhance user experience.
• Collaborate with researchers, graduate students, and post‑docs at NU Cause Research Institute, Sanford College of Education, JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences, and School of Health Professions to co‑develop a robust research agenda.
• Engage in research‑practice partnerships with partner districts and strategic partners to better understand implementation of ENLACES solutions.
• Manage research projects with a team (graduate students and RAs) ensuring projects remain on track and within budget.
• Train, coach, and support graduate and undergraduate students in research projects.
• Collect, assemble, and maintain datasets related to services provided; analyze data to generate evidence that informs policy and practice.
• Write research reports, briefing memos, summaries of journal articles, books, blogs, and news articles; present results in clear tables and graphical formats.
• Contribute to grant writing to support continuation of funding for community school initiatives.
• Support content development of RFPs and review products to ensure evidence‑based practices.
• Attend conferences and seminars as needed.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in education, psychology, research methodology, or related field with minimum three years of related experience.
• Five years’ experience leading research projects (project director or task lead).
• Experience with project management and continuous improvement (preferred).
• Experience with data collection or evaluation in community‑ and school‑based settings (preferred).
• Experience with mixed‑methods research (preferred).
• Experience building and maintaining partner relationships (preferred).
• Experience with grant writing (preferred).
• Experience designing analyses with practice implications (preferred).
• Schedule flexibility for late afternoon, evening, and weekend events.

Location

Remote, USA. Travel to San Diego approximately 20%, or 4‑5 days per month.

Equal Opportunity Statement

National University is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state, and local laws.