[Hiring] Learning Scientist, Early Literacy @HMH

Role Description

The Learning Scientist, Early Literacy brings together deep expertise in how young children learn to read and develop as readers and writers with rigorous research methods to design and evaluate theoretically coherent products. The immediate focus of this role is early learning, where you will help build substantive models of how early literacy develops, capturing the skills and understandings students acquire and how they build on one another. These models are encoded as ontologies and knowledge graphs that underpin product development, and you will carry out studies to understand whether those products work for students and teachers in the early grades (PreK-5). While early literacy is the immediate focus, the role offers room to contribute more broadly as priorities evolve, whether across other areas and grade-bands of ELA such as comprehension and writing.

As an Individual Contributor, the Learning Scientist will think flexibly and creatively about research applications within specific product constraints, roll up their sleeves for hands-on work, and clearly communicate ideas and findings to non-experts.

Responsibilities

• Model Development: Apply educational research to develop and refine models of early student learning in early literacy, supporting the design, implementation, and validation of those models, including investigating early-grade learning attributes and their functional relationships.
• Research & Validation: Operationalize quantitative and/or qualitative research methods to design and execute studies that validate products and make explicit the cognitive models of early student learning.
• Hands-on Analysis: Provide hands-on support that benefits from a learning-expert perspective, including learning-focused user research and data analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of specific product features and understand student learning outcomes.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with other learning scientists, engineers, UX researchers, product managers, and subject matter experts to develop and iteratively refine products that help early-grade teachers make instructionally relevant decisions.
• Documentation: Create clear, detailed documentation of your work, including white papers, internal memos, technical reports, and standard operating procedures.

Qualifications

• A PhD or EdD in literacy/reading education, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, learning sciences, or a related field.
• Experience as an early-grades classroom teacher a plus.
• Deep expertise in early literacy, grounded in the science of reading, including foundational skills and how reading difficulties such as dyslexia emerge, paired with broad working knowledge across ELA such as comprehension and writing.

Requirements

• Research & Analytical Skills: A strong background in qualitative or quantitative research methods applied to learning sciences studies.
• Quantitative track: Experience applying and interpreting quantitative methods, including classical statistical methods, regression, and latent variable models (e.g., longitudinal, multilevel, or item response data), with proficiency in tools such as R or Python.
• Qualitative track: Experience conducting, coding, and interpreting qualitative methods (e.g., cognitive interviews, grounded theory, design-based research), with proficiency in tools such as ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, or NVivo.
• Detailed familiarity with content learning standards and learning models/learning trajectories in early literacy.
• Familiarity with interpreting student performance data.
• Experience applying learning sciences to the design or revision of educational environments for diverse student populations.
• Proficiency with spreadsheet and productivity software (e.g., Microsoft 365), and a willingness to learn new tools and take an AI-first approach to the work.

Benefits

• Salary range: 95k – 105k.
• Application Deadline: The application window for this position is expected to close on August 2, 2026.
• We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. The posting may be available past this date but is not guaranteed.

Physical Requirements

• Might be in a stationary position for a considerable time (sitting and/or standing).
• Constantly operates a computer.
• Must be able to collaborate with colleagues via conference calls and online meetings.