Director of Data Analysis and Research, Salem Public Schools [SY 2026-2027]

Director of Data Analysis and Research Salem Public Schools SY 2026-2027

About Salem Public Schools where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged globally connected and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging equity and opportunity in everything we do. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students regardless of ability economic status gender/gender identity language race/ethnicity sexual orientation or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website at Youll Do:

The Director of Data Analysis and Research leads the development and implementation of the districts data strategy to support instructional improvement operational decision-making and accountability reporting. This role oversees data analytics research and evaluation and performance reporting across the district. The Director works collaboratively with district leadership school leaders and external partners to ensure data is accessible accurate and actionable to improve student outcomes. The Director will support the strategic oversight critical review and comprehensive reporting of key performance indicators including all relevant assessment attendance culture survey high school on-track graduation & drop-out rates and other educator related data.

Role Responsibilities:

1. Data Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a district-wide data strategy that supports instructional improvement and strategic planning.
• Produce timely reports on student growth and achievement including but not limited to MCAS ACCESS Star and district common assessments that align with district strategic benchmarks.
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of and compliance with the school and district accountability system of the Department of Education.
• Lead the conceptualization development and refinement of district-wide metrics to measure and drive student progress and performance.
• Direct the development of internal data files to support complex analytic projects and inter-departmental collaboration.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to district and school leadership on data-driven decision making.

2. Data Leadership and School Improvement

• Serve as a member of the Districts Teaching & Learning Team.
• Develop and deliver high-level reports and presentations to communicate data findings on school and district improvement efforts and accountability measures to senior leadership and the School Committee.
• Identify key strategic questions derived from data analysis to effectively drive and prioritize school improvement work and district level projects across departments.
• Develop and implement district-wide protocols processes and routines for consistent high-leverage data analysis at the school level.
• Identify trends and provide insights that inform district and school improvement planning.
• Collaborate closely with academic directors to adopt and/or develop assessment systems that are tightly aligned with and accurately measure student performance and growth in relation to curriculum standards.

3. Data Management and Systems Alignment

• Proactively identify and report systemic gaps in data collection methodologies prior to the internal and external release of compiled data.
• Oversee the development of dashboards reports and performance metrics related to student achievement attendance discipline enrollment and staffing.
• Oversee integration and effective use of district data systems including student information systems and assessment platforms.
• Review and approve data privacy agreements with third parties in accordance with district procedures.
• Improve access to data tools for school leaders and staff.

4. Research & Program Evaluation

• Design and conduct research studies and program evaluations to assess school and district initiatives.
• Partner with academic researchers universities and evaluation organizations when appropriate.
• Translate complex data findings into clear actionable recommendations for educators and district leaders.

5. Training & Data Literacy

• Build data literacy across the district through training and professional development.
• Support principals and department leaders in using data to guide instructional and operational decisions.
• Promote a culture of evidence-based decision making.
• Maintain protocols for secure and ethical use of student and staff data.

What Youll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change childrens lives through education. Youll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant diverse in background ethnicity language and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.

• Hold high expectations for yourself students and colleagues You see potential in all especially our SPS students and maintain high expectations for achievement while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.

• Build authentic caring relationships with colleagues students and families You build strong relationships across students families and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.

• Embrace feedback You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• Masterss Degree; supplemented by a minimum of five (5) years of previous data analysis experience in an educational setting with experience managing large datasets and leading data strategy strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of advanced querying using SQL or related systems for data extraction and manipulation.
• Proficiency in automated reporting programming languages such as Python or R.
• Familiarity with dashboarding tools such as Tableau Power BI or Looker to create interactive reports.
• Uses an equity-centered approach to data analysis to identify systemic barriers and inform inclusive solutions.
• Demonstrates exceptional organizational data analysis written verbal and oral skills. Sophisticated skills in a range of technology tools and software are required.
• Ability to think critically and offer productive strategic solutions to identified gaps. Must work effectively with principals and other leaders contributing to and aligning with the district-wide vision.
• Commitment to high performance standards and an unwavering belief that all students can excel. Demonstrates problem-solving and persistence proactively developing solutions to problems with a determination to achieve district goals.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all relevant stakeholders and establish sound and efficient working relationships with colleagues.
• Second Language (Spanish) proficiency a plus. Experience working in urban schools is preferred.

Work Year: This is a full-time full-year position. Please click here to view the 2026-27 district and/or school calendars.

Salary: Associate Principal (Elementary) salaries in the Salem Public Schools are determined by the Salem Administrators Association collective bargaining agreement. Salary information can be found in Appendix A.

Benefits: The City of Salem offers Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits to all full-time employees. Click here for more information about our health benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race color religion national origin pregnancy gender identity sexual orientation marital/civil union status ancestry place of birth age citizenship status veteran status political affiliation genetic information or disability as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.

Required Experience:

Director