Research and Policy Research & Development Program Manager
Job Description
Background NYC Skills Lab
NYC Skills Lab is an initiative funded by the GE Foundation and managed by the NYC Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness (OPSR). The purpose of NYC Skills Lab is to help educators and their partners, both employer and youth service professionals, to incorporate 21st century skills development into in and out-of-school learning.
The Research & Development Program Manager (R & D Manager), will be an integral part of the NYC Skills Lab team. This role will serve as the NYC Skills Lab’s bridge between research and practice. The research lead by the R & D Manager and the dissemination of findings will inform program support provided, schools and other stakeholders. The primary responsibilities of the R & D Manager will be to help manage all aspects of the research associates work on the project; analyze survey assessment data; contribute to the development of 21st century skills assessment material; conduct semi-structured interviews; analyze qualitative and quantitative data; participate in collaborative project meetings with NYC Skills Lab team members; present research in formal and informal settings; and lead and help draft manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication and other publication venues. The expectation for the R & D Manager is that s/he will not only be a consumer of knowledge, but a producer of knowledge.
Program Overview
The NYC Skills Lab offers targeted support to educators and their partners through three programs:
Skills Fellowship
The Skills Fellowship coaches innovative teachers who desire to enhance their teaching practices by making 21 st century skills development more prominent in their instruction, feedback and assessment practices.
Workforce Alliance
The Workforce Alliance coaches diverse school professionals, charged with facilitating work-based learning (i.e. internships) at a school-wide level, to support students in transferring developed 21st century skills into internship placements.
Integrated School Partnerships
The Integrated School Partnership supports schools to integrate youth-service organizations into their school structure, with a focus on providing students meaningful and effective 21 st century skill building experiences.
Research & Development Manager Primary Roles
Research and development generated from within the NYC skills Lab’s three program areas
- Attending NYC Skills Lab program convenings and team meetings to document, share & discuss best practices
- Managing the documentation and synthesis of information and insights flowing from all three programs
- Leading both group and individual meetings with NYC Skills Lab staff to share insights gained to drive program effectiveness
- Strategizing creative ways to share program learnings externally with various stakeholders
- Managing and recruiting members for project research team Research and development generated from external research
Research and development generated from external research
- Researching current and best practices for enhancing educator and partner capacity to foster 21st century skills development
- Share relevant external research found with NYC Skills Lab staff
Examples of Expected Work Deliverables
- Digital library of research on the role and importance of 21 st century skills development in post secondary preparation
- Submitted research articles for publication on the impact of 21 st century skills development in postsecondary preparation and emerging ideas
- Informal and formal reports such as White Papers to share internal research & promising practices
- Course offering proposals to higher education institutions focused on training educators to teach and make 21st century skills development more prominent in everyday student learning
- Visual graphics that portray documented student performance data
Selection Criteria
- Deep interest in NYC Skills Lab work and 21st century skills (see framework)
- Ph.D from an accredited institution in a discipline-based in education research, secondary education, youth-studies, higher education, psychology or a related field
- Demonstrated experience with one or more of the following: secondary education/higher education research using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods; instrument development and assessment; analyzing qualitative data
- Work experience in the K-12 setting and or experience doing research for educational programs (i.e. schools, youth service organizations, nonprofits)
- Familiarity with competency-based education, mastery-based learning, project-based learning & instructional design
- Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills, including public speaking
- Ability to work as a part-time consultant for approximately 20-30 hours a week for the 2017-2018 academic year (with the possibility to continue work during the following school year)
- Ability to participate in virtual meetings and regularly scheduled in-person face-to-face meetings (living in the NYC area)
Additionally the ideal candidate will have:
- Interests in integrating 21st century skills development into everyday student learning
- Ability to seamlessly translate research into practical application
- Ability to work/collaboratively with others and work independently
- Creative eye for identifying best practices
