Deputy Director of Research

Research Collaborative (RC) seeks a Deputy Director of Research to play a key leadership role in overseeing our research agenda. Reporting to the Senior Director of Research, the Deputy Director will lead problem framing, measurement design, and research quality standards — ensuring the production of high-quality, actionable insights. This role is both strategic and hands-on: balancing staff leadership, research design, project management, and partner collaboration.

The person who will succeed in this role is a strategic thinker, analytical and curious researcher, and skillful and emotionally intelligent manager who wants to contribute meaningfully to the fight against authoritarianism and can thrive in a dynamic campaign environment where ever-changing realities require quick response and shifting prioritization. 

Organizational Background

Research Collaborative is a public utility for the progressive, pro-democracy movement. We deliver narrative strategy, opinion research, and messaging guidance to counter fascism and advance progress toward a full democracy, where freedom belongs to all of us — no exceptions. We equip movement partners with the tools they need to cut through the noise, activate the public, and reclaim our shared future.

Key Elements of Work

1. Problem framing and roadmapping learnings: Translate fuzzy questions into clear hypotheses, select appropriate methods and measurement strategies, and maintain a roadmap of our learnings. Identify gaps in public opinion and messaging research within the progressive movement to inform our research agenda.
2. Research writing and synthesis: Oversee research communication, including high-quality summaries, memos, toolkits, and briefings that translate complex findings into actionable, strategic insights to researchers, funders, and key movement partners.
3. Team management and mentorship: Manage and mentor full-time and part-time research staff, supporting diverse needs and working styles through empathy and equanimity. Foster an environment of inclusivity, accountability, collaboration, and professional growth. Set clear expectations and ensure the delivery of high-quality outputs across the team. Guide the team through challenges with equity and clarity, modeling the values of continuous learning and shared success.
4. Implementation, including research standards and quality control: Collaborate with the Senior Director to implement an ambitious research agenda and long-term strategy. Oversee the execution of key components of the research lifecycle on multiple concurrent projects, including instrument design, sample specification, and data analysis. Develop and improve processes to ensure quality control.

Requirements

• Effective leader and manager. Experience building the skills and judgement of staff, contributing to a positive team culture, and mentoring researchers. Proven ability to build trust, foster open dialogue, give and receive feedback constructively, and navigate points of tension with empathy and fairness.
• Extensive experience and strong analytical skills in public opinion research. Proven track record in designing and interpreting surveys and focus groups. Ability to critically analyze findings and turn them into crisp and actionable insights.

• Strategic thinker with deep knowledge of the US progressive movement. Comfortable navigating progressive coalition dynamics and messaging battles; ability to connect research insights to political strategy and communications guidance.
• Excellent communicator. Clear, persuasive writer and presenter across funders, progressive movement leaders, or state-based partners.
• Impact-oriented. Motivated by advancing pro-democracy work. Values collaboration, teamwork, and shared success. Comfortable with shared credit.
• Committed to equity. Consider and value the voices of communities that have been most directly impacted by racism and white supremacy in all the work you do. Be able to recognize personal shortcomings when it comes to equity and inclusion, and work proactively to minimize those gaps. Able to support staff with diverse working styles and access needs.
• Flexible. Maintains composure and steadiness under pressure, providing calm and supportive leadership in high-stakes situations. Able to regularly adapt in response to a shifting political environment in an organization that moves quickly. Eager to anticipate potential challenges and seek out new opportunities.

Research has shown that women and members of historically marginalized groups often only apply to jobs when they feel they meet 100% of the qualifications. Please resist that conditioning! We are committed to creating an equitable, inclusive, and diverse company, and we strongly desire applicants with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds. Even if you don’t see yourself fully reflected in every qualification listed, we still encourage you to reach out and apply!

Location

This is a remote position open to candidates anywhere in the United States and will involve occasional travel.

Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $125,000. We offer a highly competitive benefits package to support your health, well-being, and growth, including:

• Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family at no cost to you;
• Employer-paid disability and life insurance;
• 4 weeks paid vacation, 2 weeks sick leave, 9 federal holidays, and 4 floating holidays;
• Up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave, as well as short- and long-term disability coverage;
• A monthly employer-funded healthcare reimbursement account;
• A 401(k) with 5% employer contribution that vests on your first day on the job — no match required;
• An employer-provided computer and a monthly work-from-home stipend; and 
• An annual professional development budget of $1,500.

How to Apply

We’re looking for a self-starter who is comfortable working independently and in teams, highly responsive, and able to lead initiatives as well as take direction from others. If that’s you, please apply; you will be asked to submit your resume and responses to the prompts below (250-word limit per prompt). The application will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications submitted by October 31, 2025.

1. Why do you want to work at Research Collaborative? How does our mission to fight fascism align with your own values and experience? 
2. Describe a time when you had to distill an ambiguous brief into research questions, testable hypotheses, and a measurement strategy. 
3. How have you incorporated principles of equity and inclusion into your life, research, and/or work in the past?
4. Please submit a work sample (not a cover letter) that demonstrates your research communication skills — this can be a memo, article, or deliverable that shows how you translate complex findings into clear, persuasive insights. 

Equity Statement

Research Collaborative is committed to building a true democracy — one that is multiracial, equitable, and representative — and we know that begins within our own organization. We work to create a workplace rooted in justice, inclusion, and belonging, where staff are supported to cultivate their strengths, narrow their gaps, grow through feedback, and center the voices of communities most impacted by racism, white supremacy, and authoritarianism. We especially encourage applications from people who have been historically excluded from political and research spaces, including women, Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people.