We seek a Project Manager to support the coordination, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale literacy research initiatives. The Project Manager will play a central role in advancing the project’s goals by managing day-to-day research operations, coordinating activities across research teams and participating school or community organization sites, and supporting the development and use of web-based instructional and educational measurement tools.

This position will oversee the monitoring of classroom implementation fidelity, coordinate training and supervision of student staff administering and scoring assessments, and support data collection workflows in collaboration with research and technical team members. The Project Manager also will ensure adherence to grant requirements, institutional policies, and district-level procedures, contributing to accurate reporting and high-quality research outcomes.

The position is based in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is fully supported through grant funding.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (preferably in education, special education, or instructional technology)
• 3-5 years of work experience in K-12 education or project management of educational technology.
• Skills in applying project management principles, methods, and practices.
• Analytical skills.
• Ability to understand and oversee technical design and implementation of digital tools, web applications, and learning management systems.
• Skill in researching and analyzing complex problems and developing innovative solutions.
• Ability to develop and present clear, concise management reports.
• Skills as an effective leader.
• Ability to delegate responsibilities and to hold others accountable.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and balance workload on concurrent projects.
• Ability to collaborate and consult with others.
• Ability to develop strong cross-functional relationships.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree
• 3-5 years of work experience in a literacy teaching (reading, English language arts, writing, ESL) position or educational research position.
• Experience administering educational assessments.
• Experience using protocols to observe and document classroom instruction.
• Experience designing digital educational applications.
• Knowledge of educational and/or literacy research.
• Proficient knowledge of spoken and written Spanish, French, or Arabic.
• Proficient knowledge of computer programming languages such as Python and JavaScript.
• Knowledge of university policies and procedures.
• Ability to develop training programs for deployment in a digital environment.
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and UI/UX design.

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR11

• Anticipated hiring range: $65,000-$72,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before January 30, 2026.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References

About The College/Department/Division

The Tennessee Reading Research Center (TRRC) is conducting state-level evaluations of literacy initiatives as well as federally funded research to identify effective literacy instructional practices and improve the determination of students’ literacy outcomes. The projects are led by Professor and Director Dr. Deborah K Reed. The TRRC works with a dynamic team of professional and student staff as well as external collaborators from other universities, state education agencies, and school districts.

Additional Information on all postings provided by UTK

• Coordinate communication among internal and external team members
• Support development and management of digital data collection tools and instructional technology
• Analyze completion of project activities and short- and long-term goals
• Ensure the project deliverables are on time and within the scope of the project
• Coordinate distribution of deliverables and other materials
• Provide metrics, data analytics, and other regular progress reports to the Principal Investigator
• In conjunction with the Principal Investigator, develop project timelines and delegate responsibilities to appropriate internal or external experts
• Supervise research assistants
• Coordinate meetings, hiring, and student work schedules
• Coordinates project implementation activities while designing and providing educational, end-user materials in a digital environment as well as on-going support to the project team
• Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation
• Design end-user literacy instructional and assessment tools in a digital environment
• Design end-user training, utilizing principles of adult learning and online technology
• Conduct team training sessions
• Provide troubleshooting services for internal and external users of the digital platform
• Support the operational needs of fully remote partners
• Manages all reporting requirements of the project
• Manage the documentation for the performance agreement with the funder
• In collaboration with the Principal Investigator and project team, communicate with contractors to establish clear definitions of acceptable work and timeline for completion of deliverables