Managing Director, Research
Braven, United States
Job Description
Job Title: Managing Director, Research
Team: Product
Location: In-Person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC)
Employment Type: Full-time
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Start Date: ASAP
About Braven
We believe that the next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. We empower promising college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.
Learn more about Braven’s impact:
https://impactreport.bebraven.org/
https://jobsreport.bebraven.org/
About the Role
In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Managing Director, Research who will lead a set of applied research and evaluation projects that informs, guides, and influences practice and program improvements. As a member of the Product Team, you will oversee and conduct research that uses quantitative and mixed methods; build and sustain relationships with external researchers, partners, and funders; produce products and resources to support the organization in implementing evidence-based practices; and grow the organization’s national visibility and impact.
You work both independently and as a member of a team to plan and execute research and evaluation projects, including collecting, compiling, validating, and analyzing data; and designing and producing charts, graphs, briefs, presentations, and reports that describe and interpret findings and recommendations. You operate with a spirit of innovation, enthusiasm, flexibility, thoughtfulness, and a sense of humor
This role is on the Product team and reports directly to the Chief Product Officer.
What You’ll Do
Lead Braven’s Research Function (70%)
- Develop and refine Braven’s research agenda and logic model, defining work plans, directly managing the researchers and external evaluators that carry out that research agenda, and ensuring actionable, relevant, and digestible insights are derived from that research so that Braven’s model and brand is legitimized and strengthened.
- Oversee mixed-methods applied research and equitable evaluation projects; including question generation, study design, survey development and execution, qualitative data collection, data analysis, and sharing of findings to internal and external stakeholders.
- Lead project teams to conduct work of exceptional quality and model strong project management, relationship development, partner engagement, and culturally responsive and equitable ways of working
- Use descriptive, quasi-experimental, and experimental methods to conduct applied research and evaluation that provides actionable data and evidence
- Conduct quality assurance reviews at all phases of the applied research process, including reviewing and providing feedback on quantitative research methods, syntax, and output and ensuring data collection protocols, procedures, reports, and other products are of the highest quality
- Partner collaboratively on research projects with external researchers and evaluators, including those at Braven’s university partners.
Effectively Serve as the Bridge between Braven and the Academic World (10%)
- Rigorously engage directly with experts in the field and mine for research opportunities that will strengthen Braven’s brand, and further the understanding and belief in our work.
- Lead partnership efforts to generate new applied research and equitable evaluation projects through relationship building, proposal development, grant writing, and other forms of development
Help Position Braven to be Externally Recognized (10%)
- Build external relationships in order to position Braven to be externally recognized as a respected voice, capable of influencing and shaping the college to career space and positioning Braven as a key actor and partner in the work.
- Develop and manage strategic relationships with practitioners, researchers, and other key partners and funders in the field to build Braven’s brand and inform our research strategy
- Build and maintain a personal network of researchers, evaluators, thought leaders externally to sharpen our perspectives and to bring new insights and ideas into our organizational practices.
Engage in Robust Learning and Inquiry (10%)
- Engage in robust learning and inquiry in order to remain grounded and up-to-date on the latest research and science on all things related to college and career development as well as deeply understand