Senior Research Associate

About TalkingPoints:

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 Opportunity:

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.

In this role, you will:

• Research Design & Project Ownership: 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
• Data Management & Analysis: 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
• Research Translation & Communication: 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
• Internal & External Collaboration: 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

Who You Are:

• 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

The base salary range for this role is $105,000 – $115,000, commensurate with experience. The actual base compensation may vary depending on factors such as relevant experience, location, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. This range does not include bonuses, other forms of compensation, or benefits.

Overall fit with our org culture - we look for team members who are:

• User and mission-oriented: we are devoted to our mission with empathy towards the communities we serve.
• All-in together: we go above and beyond the job description, working together as a team.
• Agile & action-oriented: we get things done, knowing that our progress is urgent to our communities.
• Always learning: we are always learning, with a growth mindset, to reach our full potential.
• Boldly courageous: we take risks in order to achieve big things.
• Resourceful: We are creative, solution-oriented, and scrappy.

What We Offer

• An incredible opportunity to build a mission-driven, rapidly growing startup tech nonprofit
• Competitive salary, health insurance, benefits, and flexible time off 
• 401K match
• Annual professional development benefit
• Flexibility to work remotely
• Fun, smart, dynamic, motivated team focused on working together to transform family engagement to serve the families who need it most

How to Apply

Please submit your resume, a brief paragraph describing your interest, and a link to your LinkedIn profile

TalkingPoints is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all qualified individuals have an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.