Education Researcher III - Project LIFT - 530414

Pay Grade/Pay Range:  Minimum: $68,500 - Midpoint: $89,100 (Salaried E11)

Department/Organization: 212701 - Special Education

Normal Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm

Note to Applicants: Position is eligible for remote work subject to University policy.   

Salaries are commensurate with education and experience of the candidate.

Job Summary: The Education Researcher III assumes full responsibility for overall support of education research activities. Makes significant contributions to the planning and design of research and creative projects. Assists in short- and long-term planning and project goals. May assist with research and creative proposals and dissemination of project findings.

Additional Department Summary: The University of Alabama, College of Education, Department of Special Education is embarking on a five-year Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Mid-Phase grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Project LIFT: Literacy Improvement through Focused Tutoring, is scaling Friends on the Block, an evidence-based early literacy intervention with strong evidence of efficacy for students with disabilities, to 75 primarily rural elementary schools across Alabama over three cohorts. The project supports K–2 struggling readers with and without disabilities and develops the implementation infrastructure, a program implementation guide, a train-the-trainer model, and coaching protocols needed to sustain and scale the intervention within schools and districts.

This position reports directly to Principal Investigator Dr. Gregory J. Benner and serves as the project's most senior operational leader. Works in partnership with the PI, Co-PIs (Southern Methodist University and Oregon Research Institute), the Design and Implementation Research Consultant, the Data Manager, the Evaluation Team, and consortium districts to execute Project LIFT at the University of Alabama. Ensures that Project LIFT is delivered on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with university and federal requirements. Leads the Project Management Core of Project LIFT and provides executive operational oversight across the project's six working subgroups.

Required Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree and ten (10) years of education or closely related research experience; OR master's degree and eight (8) years of education or closely related research experience; OR doctoral degree and five (5) years of education or closely related research experience. Post-Baccalaureate degree is highly preferred (Master’s degree or higher).

Additional Required Department Minimum Qualifications: Must have valid U.S. driver's license. Must be at least 19 years of age at time of hire and have an acceptable Motor Vehicle Report that is in compliance with University policies. Applicants under the age of 21 will have some driving restrictions.

Skills and Knowledge: Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and organizational communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with executive leaders, funders, school district administrators, teachers, families, and community partners. Familiarity with early literacy intervention, the science of reading, high-impact tutoring, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), implementation science, and/or What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards. Knowledge of the Alabama educational context, Alabama Literacy Act, Alabama Reading Initiative, and Alabama school district operations. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, and shared document-management platforms such as SharePoint or Box. Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently, prioritize competing demands, and maintain professional relationships with partners. Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect sensitive student, school, personnel, and project information. Demonstrated commitment to serving students with disabilities and students in high-need schools.

Preferred Qualifications: Doctoral degree in Education, Special Education, Educational Leadership, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field and seven (7) years of relevant professional experience. Executive-level educational leadership experience as a principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent, district-level administrator, MTSS/literacy director, or senior program administrator in a school system, state agency, university, or education nonprofit. Experience leading operations for a federally funded education research grant (e.g., EIR, IES, OSEP, NIH, NSF) or foundation-funded initiative of comparable scale. Experience coordinating multi-site randomized controlled trials, implementation studies, or large-scale education initiatives in K–12 settings. Experience partnering with rural school districts, Alabama LEAs, and school-based implementation teams. Experience coordinating subawards, subcontracts, consultant agreements, IRB submissions, human subjects protection processes, or data-use agreements.

Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.