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Jobs for the Future (JFF) · 4 days ago

Director, Research & Insights Strategy

Greater Boston

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$120K/yr - $150K/yr

12+ years exp

Jobs for the Future (JFF) is dedicated to transforming the U.S. education and workforce systems for economic advancement. The Director of Research & Insights will lead the development of impact measurement systems and data infrastructure, manage a team of researchers, and contribute to strategic initiatives that leverage data to drive organizational impact.

Education Management

No H1B

Responsibilities

Lead impactful efforts by supporting JFF’s Job Quality Measurement and North Star Efforts and oversee program impact measurement (PMI)

Provide technical guidance on survey design, analysis, and interpretation to our external research partners

Analyze a large, complex dataset on job quality to answer enterprise inquiries and elevate intriguing findings to support strategic decision making

Define and implement a process for internal data use, including repository integration, access protocols, and sensemaking across business units (BUs)

Facilitate Business Unit (BU)-specific work sessions and targeted discussions to help leaders apply AJQS data within their portfolios

Align job quality measurement with JFF’s North Star impact drivers, ensuring internal alignment and contribution to our impact platform

Lead data collection, analysis, and reporting for JFF’s Program Impact Measurement (PIM) system, ensuring consistency, rigor, and relevance across projects

Use PIM data to produce actionable insights that inform organizational strategy, investment priorities, and storytelling

Strengthen data quality and privacy standards, and ensure integration of PIM findings into JFF’s learning infrastructure

Design and implement a centralized, AI-powered research repository (e.g., Glean) that consolidates insights from PIM, AJQS, market intelligence efforts, and programmatic work

Lead prototype development of the repository, ensuring accessibility and usability for JFF staff

Develop governance, metadata standards, and training processes to ensure long-term adoption and data stewardship

Partner with the Associate Vice President (AVP) to develop proposals, concept notes, and funder materials, translating complex research and measurement work into compelling narratives

Lead or co-lead sections of proposals that require research design, evaluation plans, or measurement frameworks

Support funder cultivation by contributing data-informed insights, storytelling, and briefings

Oversee or advise on select research activities, ensuring methodological quality and alignment with JFF’s priorities

Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to co-design studies

Synthesize and share findings with internal and external audiences to drive learning and influence the field

Manage a team of researchers and analysts, setting clear goals, coaching for growth, and ensuring accountability to quality, fairness, and rigor

Cultivate an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing culture, where all perspectives and lived experiences strengthen research design and insights

Provide professional development opportunities and mentorship aligned to individual and organizational goals

Foster cross-functional collaboration between R&I and other JFF units, promoting shared learning and joint problem-solving

Develop and coach others through feedback, to ensure effective and consistent delivery of JFF’s programs and services, while expanding the capacity and expertise of the team

Qualification

Impact measurement frameworksData strategyQuantitative researchQualitative researchData governance practicesLabor market intelligenceData visualization toolsProposal developmentTeam managementCommunication skillsCollaborationGrowth mindset

Required

You are an experienced researcher and systems thinker with significant years of experience in applied research, evaluation, or data strategy within education, workforce, or social impact settings

You bring deep understanding of impact measurement frameworks, performance indicators, and data governance practices

You possess extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, with demonstrated ability to design and interpret surveys, analyze large datasets, and synthesize qualitative data (e.g., interviews, focus groups, open-ended feedback) into actionable insights

You are highly skilled in conducting labor market intelligence (LMI) analyses and possess extensive experience with data collection, analytics, and visualization using tools such as Baserow, Domo, Alchemer, SPSS, etc

You are adept at integrating mixed-methods findings and working with external research partners to tell cohesive stories about program impact and organizational learning

You have demonstrated success leading enterprise-level data infrastructure or research systems that drive strategy and performance improvement

You are an exceptional communicator who can translate complex data into compelling narratives for technical and non-technical audiences alike

You have proven experience managing and mentoring high-performing teams and fostering inclusive, collaborative, and learning-oriented environments

You are a strategic thinker with the ability to identify competency and performance gaps across teams and identify and implement professional development opportunities to build the capacities of your direct or indirect reports

You possess the ability to engage and influence senior and executive leaders and have guided them to drive change in their organizations

You have strong writing and proposal development skills, with experience contributing to concept papers, RFPs, and funder deliverables

You bring a commitment to JFF's mission of economic advancement and enthusiasm for leveraging data and insights to drive measurable impact

You operate with a growth mindset and high standards; You're agile and creative with a disciplined yet flexible approach to execution

You are deeply aligned with JFF's mission, vision, and values, and committed to advancing JFF's performance and people management principles in all aspects of your work