The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is the state agency that advances public education and libraries in Wisconsin. Our mission is to advance equitable, transformative, and sustainable educational experiences that develop learners, schools, libraries, and communities in Wisconsin. Working at DPI offers you the opportunity to build on our long-standing commitment to public education so that students are learning the skills and knowledge necessary to become contributing members of our communities.

At DPI, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. Equity and inclusion are at the core of our organizational values, which include belonging, integrity, love, humility, and honor. These values guide how we build our teams, develop our leaders, and create a culture that empowers everyone to be their authentic selves. When employees are respected and valued for who they are and staff are held accountable for demonstrating that respect to others, we believe it drives greater engagement and collaboration, ignites creativity and innovation, and fosters connection between teams and those we serve. 

Our employees enjoy an exceptional employee assistance program that offers a variety of programs and tools to help promote wellness. We have a team-oriented atmosphere, focus on work-life balance, and offer flexible work schedules for most positions. Click this video to learn more about the benefits of working at DPI.

The Office of Strategic Initiatives is seeking applicants for a Program Evaluator position. This position supports innovative programs that support schools, kids, and families. Perks include remote work, creative problem solving, and collaboration opportunities. Please apply if this sounds interesting to you!

This position is an integral component of the Office of Strategic Initiatives, which involves designing program evaluations, building data collection processes and tools, collecting and analyzing data to inform decision-making, measuring progress towards departmental priorities, and providing related professional development and technical assistance. The responsibilities include: a) planning, oversight, and coordination of statewide out-of-school time (OST) evaluation projects; b) development and implementation of federal program evaluation data collection, processes, and analysis procedures; c) collaboration with state and local program staff to apply the results of evaluations to educational program decisions; and d) provision of professional development and technical assistance to internal and external staff regarding program evaluation and use of data in decision making. These responsibilities are accomplished by working as a collaborative member of the 21^st Century Community Learning Center work group and the Office of Strategic Initiatives.

For more information, please view the complete position description.

This position is in the Research Analyst-Senior classification. Depending on qualifications, the salary will be between $36.00 - $40.00 per hour (approximately $74,800 - $83,200 per year). For current and eligible former State employees, compensation will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan effective at time of hire. This position is in pay schedule 08, range 03. A one-year probationary period will be required.

This position offers excellent benefits. The State of Wisconsin is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Remote Work: This position allows for up to 95% remote work within the State of Wisconsin, with the expectation that the employee maintains secure, high-speed internet access. Remote work from neighboring states may be approved only in very rare and limited circumstances. Please note that remote work arrangements may be rescinded at any time based on business needs, and employees may occasionally be required to report to a Wisconsin work location on short notice or for meetings, presentations, etc.

Headquarters: The position is headquartered at 201 W. Washington Ave. in Madison, WI, and employees are required to report there on their first day of employment. In addition, the employee may need to report to their headquarter location as operational needs require. Reimbursement for traveling to or from the employee’s headquarters is not provided (e.g., mileage, meals, parking, lodging, etc.).

Pre-hire requirements: A criminal background check will be conducted prior to an offer of hire. A TB screen will be required prior to start.

Legal authorization: Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., without DPI sponsorship). The Department of Public Instruction does not sponsor visas, either at time of hire or at any later time.

Please address the following in your resume and/or letter of qualifications.

A minimally qualified applicant must have all the following:

• Education or experience with a statistical language (e.g., R, Python, Stata, SPSS, SQL, etc.) 

• Education or experience with an analytical framework (e.g., causal inference, experimental design, descriptive statistics, regression, etc.)

• Experience with multiple evaluation techniques (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, case studies, or similar)

• Experience working with education data

Please note that a college degree is not required for this position.

Well-qualified applicants will also meet some of the following:

• Education or experience with R (statistical language)

• Education or experience with a state or federal guideline related to pupil privacy and educational data research (e.g., Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act [FERPA], Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], WI Pupil Records Law [Wis. Stat. § 118.125], etc.)

• Experience working with Wisconsin K-12 education data (e.g., behavioral data, academic data, etc.)

• Experience utilizing an equitable data practice (e.g., mitigating bias in the data collection and analysis process, providing alternative practices for vulnerable student populations, etc.)

For this position, please submit an updated resume and letter of qualifications. View our Application Tips page on the DPI website for additional guidance.

Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the process. References will be requested from top candidates once interviews have taken place. 

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability.  If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.  Once you have applied, please send an email indicating your interest in being considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program to the HR staff listed in the​​ job posting.

The State of Wisconsin is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to applicants of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

Questions? Please contact the recruiter at:
Maria Butters
DPI Human Resources Specialist-Senior
Email: Maria.Butters@dpi.wi.gov

The deadline for this announcement is 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, April 10, 2026.