Position Overview
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools is seeking a highly motivated and entrepreneurial Data Manager to join our team. The Data Manager will work with the leadership team and play a critical role in managing complex educational data systems that support high-quality research and evaluation projects. This position combines technical data management expertise with strategic partnership development and community engagement responsibilities. The role involves stewarding and expanding our data archive while improving existing systems and protocols and implementing new ones that enhance data quality and organizational efficiency. The Data Manager will collaborate closely with researchers to produce rigorous research and provide technical leadership and support around using the archive to staff and affiliates. They will serve as a liaison with education agencies and community partners, and conduct targeted outreach to enhance data sharing and broaden participation in education research. The Data Manager is also expected to contribute to organizational sustainability by identifying grant opportunities, writing proposals, and exploring other innovative approaches to funding our data infrastructure. Ultimately, this role will enhance the Research Alliance’s responsiveness to NYC's education stakeholders and communities, enabling us to more fully deliver on our commitment to advance equity through meaningful partnerships and rigorous research.
Job Description / Key Responsibilities
The data manager will work with our team to develop and implement a strategic plan to improve our data archive infrastructure and expand its use to address a wider spectrum of pressing questions for policy and practice. The data manager will supervise 1-2 staff. Specific responsibilities include:
Data Systems and Infrastructure Management
- Oversee and improve documentation, data processing and management, and data access protocols and practices for the Research Alliance data archive
- Develop standardized processes for data cleaning, transformation, and analysis workflows, including data quality assurance procedures and automated validation checks
- Work with NYU's IT staff to monitor, maintain, and contribute to strategic planning for the organization's data systems
- Oversee data use agreements and manage relationships with partner agencies (e.g., NYCPS, CUNY, community-based organizations)
- Ensure compliance with data use agreements and institutional review board (IRB) requirements and adherence to data security protocols and privacy regulations (FERPA, etc.)
Research Support and Technical Operations
- Process or oversee and support data production specialists and analysts in processing data in SAS, including macro programming, and support/troubleshoot staff programming difficulties
- Provide technical assistance, training, and support to research staff on data management best practices
- Work closely with researchers to determine data requirements for rigorous research and evaluation designs and prepare comprehensive data sets for multi-level and longitudinal data analyses
Partnership Development and Outreach
- Conduct outreach to raise awareness of the archive's capabilities among community members, nonprofit organizations, and university-based scholars, and funders, with a focus on groups that have been underrepresented in education policy and research
- Develop and manage new partnerships with public agencies and nonprofits, to integrate additional data into the archive (e.g., on employment and earnings, health, etc.)
- Explore strategies to support "match-making" and collaboration between researchers and practice partners to leverage our data archive to inform policy and practice
Development and Funding
- Assist in/lead development of grant proposals and other funding mechanisms to support the data archive management and infrastructure. Explore innovative approaches to developing funding and support for data management and infrastructure
Requirements and Skills
Education and Experience
- Master’s degree or higher with extensive experience in data science, education policy, economics, statistics, applied psychology, sociology, or related social science field (Ph.D. preferred)
- Five or more years of experience leading accountability and/or data management in state or local school system or policy research organization
- Track record of raising funds to support research or data infrastructure strongly preferred
Technical Skills
- Experience managing large-scale datasets, including processing, manipulating, and developing comprehensive documentation
- Demonstrated programming and statistical analysis skills in SAS and other database software packages (proficiency in Stata and R preferred)
- Proficiency with SQL for database querying and management
- Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, R, Python)
- Knowledge of Linux/Unix systems
- Experience with cloud-based data storage and computing platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, etc.)
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Proven ability to work productively under pressure and manage competing priorities
- Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and integrity
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
- Knowledge of New York City Public Schools and its data systems highly desirable
- Experience in education policy research or program evaluation preferred
Must be eligible and authorized to work in the U.S. without needing employment sponsorship. This position does not provide employment sponsorship.
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary: $90,000 - $110,000 commensurate with experience
- Comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, tuition remission, and professional development opportunities
- Access to NYU resources and facilities
- This is a hybrid position
Application Process
Submit application materials online using this link.
Required Materials
- Cover letter discussing interest in the position and relevant qualifications
- CV or Resume
- At least one sample work product showcasing your experience. Samples should include sample code demonstrating database management capacity and a database documentation report or technical memo. It may also include data visualizations, a written research report, slide deck, etc.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
About the Research Alliance
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools is an independent research center housed in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU. We conduct rigorous research to inform education policy and practice in New York City and beyond. We work closely with leadership of the New York City Public School system (NYCPS), as well as a variety of education-focused agencies and organizations, to ensure that the evidence produced by our studies is relevant to their needs. We also share findings with the public (through briefs, events, media, etc.) to generate support for evidence-based decisions.
The Research Alliance data archive—one of the largest education databases in the country, and the only one of its kind in NYC—is central to our capacity to fulfill our mission and has extraordinary potential to serve our local education and nonprofit sectors. The archive links over 30 years of individual-level data from different sources, providing a rich picture of students’ experiences, opportunities, and outcomes, as well as extensive information on teachers, administrators, and schools. This includes data from the annual NYC School Survey, which gathers feedback from teachers, students, and parents about their school learning environment. In addition, the archive houses information from other public agencies (e.g., the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics, CUNY), allowing us to study how a broad range of factors shape students’ educational journeys.