Senior Research Manager

Senior Research Manager

About TalkingPoints

TalkingPoints is an award-winning education technology non-profit organization with the mission to unlock the potential of low-income, underserved families to support their children’s learning by partnering with their children’s schools. We’re building a one-of-a-kind product in the market, a multilingual family engagement platform that connects families and teachers using human and artificial intelligence powered, two-way translated messages and personalized supports — eliminating language, time limitations, and know-how as barriers to school/family connection.

Millions of teachers and families are using TalkingPoints in their classrooms, schools and districts across the U.S. TalkingPoints works with key school district partners such as Seattle Public Schools, Boston Public Schools, Buffalo Public School, Wake County and NYC DOE. We have won awards from NYU, MIT, Google, Forbes and are backed by Google, Eric Schmidt, AT&T, Cisco, and Stanford University to name a few.

TalkingPoints is at a critical inflection point in the organization's growth. We continue to see exponential growth in both our user base and our own internal structure. It's an important time to join our team and build on our momentum and ability to support students and families during this critical time in which education equity gaps are more concerning than ever. Learn more.

Diversity: we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it!

The opportunity

The Senior Research Manager (SRM) will play a vital role in strengthening research team systems, operations, and cross-organizational collaboration. Reporting to the Director of Research, the SRM will develop and implement tools and processes that enhance the team’s ability to execute complex, mission-critical projects while conducting and translating rigorous research into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences. This will be a “player/coach” type of role; it will require both strong management and research skills. More specifically, the SRM will require strong project, program, and resource management skills, ensuring research initiatives are well-coordinated, on time, and aligned with organizational goals. The SRM role will also require strong data management, analysis, and synthesis skills, including working with complex, varied datasets to produce accessible summaries, visualizations, and reports that drive informed decision-making.

As a key thought partner to the Director of Research, the SRM will help shape the research strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities. Additionally, they will build and maintain strong partnerships with external research and district partners to amplify the reach and influence of the organization’s work. Collaborating across teams — including philanthropy, sales, product, marketing, and partner success — the SRM will ensure research insights inform key decisions and programmatic efforts. This is an ideal opportunity for a strategic, detail-oriented leader with exceptional organizational and communication skills and a passion for conducting and using research to drive educational impact.

Your Responsibilities

Project, Program, & Resource Management

• Lead and manage multiple research projects, ensuring efficiency, timely delivery, alignment with organizational goals, high-quality outcomes.
• Collaborate on the design and manage research processes that enhance predictability, efficiency, and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Manage the full lifecycle of research projects, including developing and maintaining project timelines, task management, milestone tracking, and interdepartmental collaboration.
• Take ownership of research tasks, delivering high-quality results independently while balancing multiple priorities and deadlines.

Research Strategy & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a thought partner to the Director of Research, contributing to the development of research strategy, roadmap, and key initiatives.
• Collaborate with philanthropy, sales, product, marketing and partner success teams to align research insights with funding priorities, product development, and stakeholder needs.
• Facilitate cross-department collaboration to integrate research findings into programmatic and operational decision-making.
• Promote clear communication of research goals and outcomes across the organization, ensuring alignment and shared understanding.
• Support research grant efforts by contributing to written deliverables, including LOIs, concept papers, proposals, and reports.
• Contribute positively to the research culture, fostering a collaborative environment that values feedback, growth, and continuous improvement.

Data Management & Analysis

• Manage and analyze complex and varied datasets (qualitative and quantitative) to produce actionable insights and evidence-based recommendations ensuring accuracy, relevance, and rigor in support of research objectives.
• Ensure data security, compliance, consistency, and high-quality data analysis within and across research projects, maintaining high standards of integrity and confidentiality.
• Use the latest technologies to conduct efficient analyses, including exploratory analyses

Research Translation & Communication

• Translate research findings into clear, actionable insights and accessible formats for diverse audiences, including educators, funders, and researchers.
• Develop accessible data summaries, tables, and visualizations to clearly communicate findings to both academic and non-academic audiences.
• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., marketing and communications) and external partners to disseminate research findings effectively.
• Lead the development of reports, presentations, and strategic communications that reflect the organization’s research findings and impact.

External Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, including educators and research institutions, ensuring smooth collaboration, alignment on goals, and effective execution of joint initiatives.
• Act as a primary point of contact for district research office partners and other external collaborators.

Who You Are

• 5+ years in applied educational research, with experience in technology-based products/interventions.
• Proven ability to manage complex research projects, timelines, and resources.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data and translate findings into clear and actionable insights.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and deadline-driven.
• Self-motivated and able to take initiative and work independently.
• Excellent communicator, skilled in presenting findings to diverse audiences.
• Strong relationship-builder with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience with and/or openness to learning about using AI models for research purposes.

Nice to Haves

• Experience working within the U.S.-based K-12 education system
• Expertise in family engagement in education
• Advanced degree in education-related field

The base range for this role is $110,000 - $125,000. The actual base compensation may vary depending on factors such as experience, location, market conditions, education/training, and skill level, and 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.