Managing Director, Data Strategy & Impact

Houston, TX

Full Time

Experienced

About Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston exists to create a future where every child in every neighborhood of Houston has access to a world class public education that prepares them to thrive in the Houston of tomorrow. We believe that all Houston students deserve an excellent education, and work to reshape the Houston education landscape by inspiring hope, possibility, and action as we work towards our mission of growing the number of students learning in great public schools.

Good Reason Houston builds awareness of, advocates for, and advises school systems on measures aimed to improve the quality of education available to all. Today the organization partners with 25 public school systems that collectively serve 700,000 students across 900 public schools in the Houston region. We seek to cultivate a shared regional vision for educational quality, to build the capacity for change required within districts and the greater Houston community, and to foster collective ownership to support student-level results for kids across our city.

About the Role

Good Reason Houston aims to make Houston the top public education city in the nation by transforming the educational experience for over 700,000 students. The Managing Director, Data Strategy & Impact will play a pivotal role in achieving this by leading the organization’s ability to harness the power of data to drive impact, shape strategy, and influence action across Houston’s education ecosystem.

As the architect of our data strategy, the Managing Director will shape the strategic direction for our data and research initiatives, aligning data efforts with organizational priorities to drive real impact. They will oversee client relationships and manage a team to prioritize critical research agendas, addressing the needs of internal teams (communications, district advisory services, and advocacy-building) while managing inbound data requests from staff, board members, and external stakeholders.

This role demands a thought leader and skilled storyteller who can interpret data insights, influence public discourse, and inspire aligned action. The Managing Director will ensure data and research efforts support organizational messaging, helping stakeholders focus on the most critical questions and information sets that will result in impact.

Ultimately, the Managing Director will expand Good Reason Houston’s capacity to provide responsive analyses, shape public discourse, build its brand as the premier education data source in Houston, and deliver key insights to internal staff, partners, policymakers, parents, media, and the public.

This position will also support the work of our partner organization, Houstonians for Great Public Schools, by sharing data relevant to its advocacy efforts.

Key Responsibilities

Vision & Strategic Leadership [30%]

Set a bold vision for leveraging data and research to drive systemic education change in Houston, positioning Good Reason Houston as a leader in education data and reporting.
Set a vision for quality data storytelling and build internal capacity to produce compelling data products that meet a high bar for rigor, clarity, and accuracy.
Determine resource needs and guide the team’s strategic direction, fostering innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Develop frameworks to track key impact indicators (e.g., pre-K enrollment, achievement) and explore new metrics, like regional economic impact, to expand our narrative.
Prioritize a research agenda aligned with organizational goals, ensuring focus on high-impact questions.
Coordinate with Insights, Policy & Advocacy, and District Partnerships leaders to align data findings and research with broader trends and divisional efforts.

Thought Leadership & Public Engagement [30%]

Act as a public-facing leader on education data, offering timely commentary and thought pieces (blogs, reports, op-eds) that influence stakeholders and shape public discourse.
Create compelling content that highlights findings and aligns external audiences with organizational priorities; present findings to external audiences
Advise local education leaders on data insights to inform decision-making.
Partner with Communications to amplify data insights to the right audiences.

Research Agenda & Prioritization [25%]

Oversee the development and prioritization of research projects, in partnership with the Director of Research & Data, to ensure alignment with strategic priorities and that high-impact opportunities receive the necessary focus and resources.
Prioritize team focus, balancing short-term, long-term, and ad-hoc demands with agility.
Collaborate with the Director of Research & Data to build processes that ensure the team can anticipate and manage inbound requests from staff, leadership, board members, and external constituents.
Support team to leverage multiple data sources, including original research, public datasets, stakeholder input, and qualitative data (e.g., focus groups), to build comprehensive insights.

Collaboration & Influence [15%]

Work with internal teams to ensure research insights inform strategy, messaging, and engagement.
Cultivate relationships with regional and national organizations to strengthen our data network and influence.
Support stakeholders, including district leaders, policymakers, funders, community organizations, and business allies, in understanding data insights and aligning their actions with Good Reason Houston’s strategic priorities.

Qualifications

Strategic Data Leader: 10+ years leading research, data, or strategy teams, ideally in education, public policy, or nonprofit settings.
Insightful Communicator: Skilled at translating data into clear narratives that shape public discourse and inform decisions.
Public-Facing Collaborator: Experienced in stakeholder engagement, public presentations, and positioning organizations as trusted resources.
Effective Communicator: Strong writer and speaker, adept at creating reports and presentations for diverse audiences.
Prioritization & Project Management: Proven ability to align research with key goals, balancing short- and long-term projects.
Experienced Team Leader: Skilled in mentoring high-performing teams with strong coaching and interpersonal skills.
Data Proficiency: Familiar with education datasets and analytics tools (e.g., Excel, Tableau, Alteryx, or similar tools).
Equity-Driven & Mission-Oriented: Dedicated to public education and advancing equitable outcomes for students.
Current Affairs Awareness: Well-informed on social issues, with experience in crafting and communicating impactful viewpoints.

Our Team

Along with our core beliefs, the traits listed below were generated by the team to capture what it looks like in action when operating at our best.

We embrace and drive change.

We are flexible and fierce.

We operate with a bold bias toward action.

We fess up when we mess up.

We dare greatly and engage humbly.

We grow as we go.

We turn up the love when we turn up the heat.

We root for each other.

Good Reason Houston staff are expected to support this organizational culture by promoting and adhering to these team traits to maintain an open and cohesive work environment & relationships.

Working at Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The starting salary for this position is $130,000. New hires are offered a salary depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role.

Good Reason Houston also has a 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages.

Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year.

Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.

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SHORT ANSWER: In this role, you will lead Good Reason Houston’s data strategy to drive impact, inform decision-making, and influence public discourse on education in Houston.

In 500 words or less, tell us how your experiences have prepared you to:
-Lead impactful data and research efforts to drive systemic change.
-Set and prioritize a high-impact research agenda aligned with organizational goals.
-Serve as a public-facing advocate, translating insights into narratives that resonate with diverse stakeholders.

Please include specific examples that highlight your skills in strategic leadership, public engagement, and collaboration.*

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