Senior Research Analyst

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 Analyst (SRA) plays a pivotal role in advancing TalkingPoints’ mission by conducting research that demonstrates and deepens the organization’s impact on family engagement and student outcomes. This individual designs and conducts studies ranging from descriptive, exploratory analyses to complex causal investigations, leveraging both traditional and AI-powered methods to analyze a variety of data including large-scale, time-stamped datasets, public data, and partner-specific usage and student outcome data. The role also includes applying mixed methods research to identify usage patterns and support implementation fidelity for new district partners. The analyst contributes to executing the research roadmap, supporting cross-functional initiatives and partnerships. The insights generated inform product development, partnership strategy, fundraising, and organizational decision-making, all aligned with TalkingPoints’ mission and theory of change.

The SRA is a key member of a high-performing, mission-driven research team and collaborates closely with cross-functional partners in product, engineering, data, and partner success. Reporting to the Director of Research, the SRA operates within a fast-paced, innovative environment that values both research rigor and rapid iteration.

Your Responsibilities:

Research and Impact

• Analyze TalkingPoints’ platform and usage data to identify patterns, uncover trends, and generate actionable insights.
• Collaborate on the design and execution of research studies — both quantitative and qualitative — with a focus on engagement and efficacy.
• Analyze public data and literature to help articulate efficacy and long-term impact of TalkingPoints.

Study Design and Execution

• Design and execute quasi-experimental and correlational studies with a focus on both causal inference and rapid iteration.
• Create clear project plans, manage timelines, and track deliverables for both rapid-turnaround and long-term research projects.
• Conduct quick descriptive and exploratory analyses to understand and describe trends in data and support decision-making and storytelling.
• Identify usage patterns to support implementation fidelity.

Collaboration and Partnerships

• Collaborate across departments, including product, engineering, and data teams to drive cross-organizational learning.
• Partner with data and engineering teams on advanced analysis, including NLP and/or large-scale data processing.
• Serve as a liaison with external research partners and support relationship management in coordination with the Director and Senior Research Manager, as needed.
• Serve as a key point person for the data team and support Senior Research Manager and Director of Research in developing ways of working and clarifying roles responsibilities.

Research Translation and Communication

• Translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations for internal teams, district partners, funders, and the broader education community.
• Create presentations, reports, and publications to summarize findings for both researcher and non-researcher audiences.
• Share insights from the field to improve the TalkingPoints platform and support the organization's impact goals.
• Create and use data visualizations to communicate findings.
• Generate research insights that inform product development and contribute to the broader education field.

Who You Are:

• Masters degree in a quantitatively-focused social science discipline such as education, psychology, or sociology. Candidates with a PhD will also be considered, though a PhD is not necessary for this position.
• 5+ years of experience in applied education research, with a focus on K-12 education.
• Experience in designing and executing quantitative research studies, with a focus on engagement and/or efficacy.
• Strong foundation in applied education research, advanced technical and AI skills, and a passion for turning complex data into actionable insights.
• Excels at cross-functional collaboration
• Comfortable balancing fast-paced, iterative work with rigorous, long-term studies.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in and see the value in a variety of study designs including causal, correlational, descriptive, and exploratory analyses.
• Strong technical skills and experience working with large, time-stamped datasets using methods including time series analysis, natural language processing, and hierarchical linear modeling.
• Proficiency in R/Python for data preparation, visualization, and statistical/machine learning analyses
• Basic knowledge or above in SQL and experience interacting with relational databases
• Experience with Sigma or other self-service data analytic tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI)
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, including research translation
• Proven track record of securing and properly maintaining the PII of data from private sources.
• Experience working with and analyzing public data sources
• Advanced organizational skills and ability to multitask effectively and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, work as a team player, and treat staff and partners respectfully.

Nice to Haves:

• Ph.D. with strong quantitative methodology focus
• Knowledge and/or background of family engagement research
• Experience in K-12 education and/or working in or with school districts
• Experience working in snowflake
• Demonstrated experience in EdTech.

The base range for this role is $115,000 - $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.