Director, Research Discovery & Design

Director, Research & Strategic Advisory Services

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employeesby checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief :

Director, Research & Strategic Advisory Services

Focus Area : Dynamic Strategy

Directors on our Strategic Advisory Services team (within the Research Discovery & Design division) develop the ideas, products, and services that help higher education executives navigate the major strategic, management, and operational issues facing the industry today. Our researchers conduct in-depth interviews with campus executives at diverse institutions and perform data and root-cause analyses to identify market-leading strategies and best practices in our pursuit to make education smarter.

As a member of our team, you will play an important role in innovating and producing syndicated research and high-value advisory services for partner organizations, including on-site workshops, executive roundtable events, diagnostic tools, and strategy briefs. You will also be a valued expert to EAB partner organizations, advising them on strategy and best practice implementation.

We currently have two openings that sit within our Dynamic Strategy pillar , which focuses on the most complex and urgent challenges facing college and university presidents, boards of trustees, and chief strategy officers. The Dynamic Strategy team is responsible for EAB’s annual State of the Sector research, which scans the higher education landscape for the biggest issues and opportunities worthy of our partners’ attention, as well as our support of institutional strategic planning and change management efforts.

A successful candidate for this position will :

• Bring exceptional judgment and professionalism, with the ability to communicate complex ideas succinctly and confidently in executive conversations
• Be energized by intellectual challenge and motivated by results, showing initiative, adaptability, and follow-through in fast-moving settings
• Bring the mindset of a strategic advisor, not just a researcher, combining analytical rigor with a deep understanding of institutional strategy, governance and market dynamics
• Possess a business- and product-oriented mindset, contributing to EAB’s product strategy and identifying opportunities to strengthen our market position
• Be eager to shape EAB’s thought leadership, getting smart on a wide variety of topics quickly (e.g., demographic and enrollment trends, economic and labor force dynamics), developing distinct points of view on key issues (e.g., university governance, strategic differentiation), and contributing to strategic and intellectual debates with peers and senior leaders
• Have experience beyond academic research and publications to include consulting, client-responsive projects, or advisory work that translates insights into strategy and action

This role can be based in Washington D.C. and is also open to remote candidates in the continental U.S. The position may require occasional travel (up to approximately 10%) for presenting research findings to our partners as well as facilitating strategy sessions.

Primary Responsibilities :

Directors lead strategic research projects from conception to completion, ranging from two to four months for smaller projects to approximately nine months for the largest, most complex projects. Directors provide intellectual leadership and analytical direction throughout all stages of the process, working through extensive primary and secondary research, hypothesis generation and testing, rigorous analysis of findings, design and execution of implementation resources, and the final presentation of ideas. Direct and / or indirect staff management is also a component of the position.

Basic Qualifications :

Ideal Qualifications :

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation :

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $100,000 – $125,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Benefits :

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.

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