Job Summary/Overview:
Join our mission to revolutionize education through data-driven innovation where expertise will directly shape the future of learning. The organization seeks a visionary Research & Data Lead to oversee data-driven product growth initiatives. In this pivotal role the incumbent will lead the charge in leveraging complex data to unlock new growth opportunities optimize user engagement and drive measurable improvements across the adaptive learning platform. This position will define the data strategy build groundbreaking data products and cultivate a culture of experimentation and excellence within the data & research team.
Roles & Responsibilities:
Statistical Modelling & EDA:
Lead the design and implementation of advanced statistical models to deeply understand student learning behaviours profile skills and inform personalized product experiences that drive engagement and mastery.
Drive comprehensive exploratory data analysis on large-scale educational datasets translating complex patterns and insights into actionable product strategies and growth opportunities.
Architect build and validate robust multivariate models (e.g. regression SEM HLM Bayesian methods) to rigorously evaluate the causal efficacy of product interventions and inform data-driven product iteration.
Algorithm Development & Deployment:
Lead the optimization and innovation of Computerised Adaptive Testing (CAT) algorithms and personalized learning pathways to maximize user engagement learning efficacy and retention.
Work with Psychometricians and Technology teams to drive the integration of advanced psychometric frameworks with cutting-edge machine learning methods (e.g. classification predictive analytics reinforcement learning) to develop and deploy dynamic AI-powered content recommendation systems that enhance user satisfaction and drive product growth.
Cross-Functional Partnership:
Serve as a strategic data partner and trusted advisor to Product Engineering Instructional Design and Marketing teams proactively embedding data-driven insights and experimentation into product roadmaps feature prioritization and growth initiatives.
Champion data literacy and a culture of experimentation across the organization translating complex analyses into compelling narratives and actionable recommendations that drive strategic business decisions and product outcomes.
Lead mentor and inspire a high-performing team of researchers fostering a culture of technical excellence innovation and continuous improvement through rigorous code reviews knowledge sharing and professional development.
Research & Thought Leadership:
Lead advanced research and simulation studies to continuously benchmark refine and innovate adaptive learning algorithms ensuring the product remains at the forefront of educational technology and delivers superior user value and measurable growth.
Actively monitor and integrate emerging trends and technologies in educational measurement AI ML and product growth analytics translating cutting-edge research into practical applications that drive competitive advantage and future product development.
Experience Required:
PhD or Masters degree in Statistics Mathematics Data Science or a closely related quantitative field
Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in data science with at least 3-4 years in a leadership role driving data-driven product growth initiatives preferably within EdTech or adaptive learning.
Proven track record of leveraging advanced statistical modeling and data driven analytics to inform product strategy optimize user experiences and achieve measurable business outcomes in an EdTech or adaptive learning environment.
Extensive hands-on experience in designing executing and analyzing A/B tests and controlled experiments to drive product iteration and validate hypotheses.
Exceptional ability to translate complex business problems and ambiguous product challenges into solvable data science initiatives and actionable product strategies.
Demonstrated expertise in hypothesis generation experimental design causal inference and synthesizing complex data into clear impactful insights that directly drive product decisions and iteration.
Outstanding communication skills capable of articulating complex technical concepts and strategic recommendations to diverse audiences including executive leadership product managers engineers instructional designers and non-technical stakeholders.
Strong influencing skills with the ability to build consensus navigate organizational complexities and drive data-informed decisions across cross-functional teams.
Highly organized outcome-oriented and adept at managing multiple complex projects simultaneously in a fast-paced agile development environment.
Key Technologies & Methodologies:
Product Growth A/B Testing Experimentation Product Strategy KPIs User Engagement Retention Causal Inference Data Governance Ethical AI.
Cognitive Diagnostic Model (CDM) Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Mathematician Statistician Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) Computerised Adaptive Testing (CAT) Python /R SQL Spark Multivariate Analysis (SEM HLM Bayesian) Visualization tool like PowerBI/Quicksight Educational Measurement Simulation Studies.