Description

The Assistant Director of Research position is located within the WIDA Educator Learning, Research, 
and Practice (ELRP) department and will report to the Chief Educator Learning Officer (CELO). This 
position will be responsible for leading the research agenda within WIDA¿s ELRP department and 
contributing to the larger WIDA research agenda. In addition, the Assistant Director will lead a team 
of cross-functional researchers, represent research priorities as part of the department's leadership 
team, and conduct research focused on but not limited to the following topics or categories: 
implementation research, efficacy research, product research, and grants/special projects.

Working fully remote is an option for this position within the United States (working remotely 
internationally is not an option). Requests to work remotely would need to be reviewed based on the
UW and School of Education (SoE) remote work policies and go through the SoE implementation 
process. To learn more about these policies, visit https://businessoffice.education.wisc.edu/human resources/remote-work/. 

WIDA values linguistic and cultural diversity both as an end and a means for success in the field of 
education. As such, we strongly encourage applications from a diverse pool of candidates. For more 
information on WIDA's Mission and Values, please visit https://wida.wisc.edu/about/mission-history. 

Summary: Plans and leads operational, outreach, and promotional activities of a research program and serves 
as a subject matter expert.

Essential Responsibilities:

• 30% Plans and directs the day-to-day operational activities of one or multiple research 
  programs or units according to established research objectives in alignment with strategic plans and
  initiatives
• 15% Assists in the development, coordination, and facilitation of trainings and workshops for 
  internal and external audiences to disseminate research program developments and information
• 10% Plans, develops and implements processes and protocols to support research aims
•  10% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, 
  managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or 
  approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• 25% Serves as a unit liaison and subject matter expert among internal and external stakeholder 
  groups, collaborates across disciplines and functional areas, provides program information, and 
  promotes the accomplishments and developments of scholars and research initiatives
• 5% Monitors program budget(s) and approves unit expenditures
•  5% Develops policies, procedures, and institutional agreements on behalf of the program
  initiatives

Additional Information:
What is WIDA? For over 20 years, WIDA has provided a trusted, comprehensive approach to 
supporting, teaching, and assessing multilingual learners. We are an educational services 
organization that advances language development and academic achievement for multilingual 
children in early childhood and grades K-12. In short, we provide educators around the world with 
high-quality language standards, assessments, professional learning, and research. We are proud to 
be a part of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) within UW-Madison's nationally 
ranked School of Education. Visit https://wida.wisc.edu/about/careers and watch our Introduction 
to WIDA video to see why WIDA is an incredible place to work! 

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), established in 1964, is one of the first, most 
productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. 
WCER's researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all 
ages and all people. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student 
populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic 
disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, 
submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research.

WCER's Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison and The Wisconsin 
Center for Education Research (WCER). Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative 
and equitable outcomes. WCER actively affirms values and seeks to increase diversity in our 
everyday interactions, practices, and policies.

For more information and news about our center, please go to https://wcer.wisc.edu/. 
If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment process, 
please email education-HR.DDR@education.wisc.edu, and one of our Division Disability 
Representatives will contact you. More information can also be found at 
https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/.

Requirements

Qualifications:

Required 
* Minimum of 5 years of experience designing and leading the implementation of a research agenda. 
* Minimum of 3 years of experience researching topics related to K-12 education.
* Demonstrated knowledge of the field of second language acquisition including the use of English 
language proficiency (ELP) standards; the role of academic language in content learning, and 
research-based instructional practices.
* Experience in the development of organizational systems, on-going strategic planning, 
administration, and management of projects, deadlines, and budgets.
* Experience supervising and coaching a team and contributing to strategic planning. 
* Experience writing scientific papers and grant proposals in the areas of language acquisition, 
educator practice, and educational policy & leadership.
* Experience directing product/program evaluation as well as qualitative and quantitative research.
* Superior writing, communication and presentation skills.

Preferred
* Familiarity with the WIDA ELP Assessment system, which includes ELP standards, assessments and
professional learning.
* Experience working with multilingual learners (MLLs).
* Direct experience supervising a team of researchers.
* Multilingual or bilingual/biliterate in Spanish.

Education:
Required
Master's Degree
Field of Education.

Preferred
PhD

How to Apply: 

To apply for this position, you will be required to submit:
- A cover letter describing how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements of this position.
- A current resume or CV.
- A list of at least three professional references, including contact information.