Associate Research Scientist

**A strong internal candidate has been identified for this role.**

About the Team 

The College Access and Readiness Research Team designs and conducts research and analyses focused on improving student access to, persistence in, and completion of higher education. We pay particular attention to outcomes of the over one million students who participate in the Advanced Placement Program before graduating high school. The evidence we generate supports claims about the AP Program, a broader understanding of high school experiences, and evidence on the relevant high school opportunities that propel students on various postsecondary trajectories. Our research drives strategic organizational decisions, serves College Board membership, and contributes to the larger literature on educational outcomes.  

About the Opportunity  

The Associate Research Scientist works with members of the College Access and Readiness Research Team, the larger Research team, product owners, and field staff to answer critical research and data analysis questions to advance the mission of the College Board and sustain and grow the Advanced Placement Program. The Associate Research Scientist designs, conducts, and interprets research findings on AP courses and exams, to inform new AP courses, to describe the broader high school ecosystem in which AP operates, and investigates the postsecondary outcomes of students who participate in college-level coursework while in high school. This person works iteratively and collaboratively with stakeholders to produce high quality data, visualizations, and deliverables, and effectively communicates findings to a wide-variety of audiences. 

In this role, you will:  

Provide Thought-Leadership and Strategic Guidance Using Data and Analyses (20%) 

• Contribute to the development and refinement of data-driven programs, products, and services, particularly related to the Advanced Placement program   

• Identify unique and previously unseen opportunities and data resources where College Board is positioned to influence student success, postsecondary access, and school/district/state decision-making. 

• Create compelling presentations, data visualizations, and written documents that relay information with clarity for diverse audiences.  

Develop and Lead an Applied Scholarly Research Agenda with a Particular Focus on Topics Related to High School Relevance (60%) 

• Collaborate with other internal and external researchers to develop, design, and conduct research on high school opportunities that are relevant to students’ futures 

• Obtain, create, and manipulate large educational datasets and lead analyses using advanced statistical methods to answer the most pressing questions  

• Collaborate with program partners, product owners, field staff, and membership to identify research needs and opportunities to support student success through actionable evidence-based claims  

• Build and maintain a research footprint by crafting new research ideas, conducting analyses, writing reports/articles and shepherding these through publication and dissemination processes 

• Synthesize research findings in memos with digestible talking points and visuals for both technical and non-technical audiences. 

Work Collaboratively with Teams Across the College Board to Engage in Strategic Analyses (20%) 

• Generate rapid, data-driven insights for internal clients and partners that inform external conversations 

• Collaborate with colleagues across the Research team on survey research and data tools to provide deeper understanding and actionability of results 

• Anticipate stakeholder needs and propose research studies and analyses to address those needs  

You have:  

• PhD in a relevant discipline such as education, economics, measurement, psychology, or sociology is required.  

• Strong expertise in statistical modeling and data analysis using appropriate statistical methods and software (e.g., SAS, Stata, SPSS, R, Python)   

• Experience with large, national datasets related to the education industry and the ability to work accurately and quickly with new datasets  

• Experience using SQL to access data for data analysis and/or a willingness to learn  

• Experience with survey design and analysis, and Qualtrics a plus 

• Adept problem-solving skills, including using data to inform decisions and actions     

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with experience presenting to both technical and non-technical audiences   

• Strong organization and prioritization skills and the proven ability to move forward multiple projects in concert, both independently and as a member of the team     

• A passion for supporting the educational opportunities for millions of students     

• A strong interest in collaborating in a team environment and working agilely with researchers and non-researchers to support organizational priorities.   

• Excellent interpersonal skills  

• Authorized to work in the United States 

About Our Process   

• Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled   

• While the hiring process may vary, it generally includes: resume and application submission, recruiter phone/video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise such as live coding, a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks.    

About Our Benefits and Compensation 

College Board offers a competitive benefits and compensation program that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education. As a self-sustaining non-profit, we believe in compensating employees equitably in relation to each other, their qualifications, their impact, and the relevant market.  

The hiring range for a new employee in this position is $80,000 to $135,000. College Board differentiates salaries by location so where you live will narrow the portion of this range in which you can expect a salary.  

Your salary will be carefully determined based on your location, relevant experience, the external labor market, and the pay of College Board employees in similar roles. College Board strives to provide our best offer up front based on this criteria.  

Your salary is only one part of all that College Board offers, including but not limited to:    

• A comprehensive package designed to support the well-being of employees and their families and promote education. Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, fertility benefits, pet insurance, tuition assistance, retirement benefits, and more 

• Recognition of exceptional performance through annual bonuses, salary growth over time through market increases, and opportunities for merit raises and promotions based on increased scope of responsibility 

• A job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive 

You can expect to have transparent conversations about benefits and compensation with our recruiters throughout your application process.