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Understood.org · 4 days ago

Senior Research Manager

New York, NY

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid, Senior Level

$115K/yr - $130K/yr

3+ years exp

Understood is a nonprofit focused on shaping the world for difference, helping individuals who learn and think differently. The Senior Research Manager will lead secondary research projects and translate complex market intelligence into actionable recommendations for executive decision-makers.

CommunitiesEducationInternet

Comp. & Benefits

No H1B

Responsibilities

Lead secondary research projects

Independently define research questions, choose methods, and manage timelines

Conduct secondary research across competitive landscapes, industry trends, and academic literature (roughly 70% market/competitive, 30% evidence review)

Synthesize findings into clear insights and recommendations for internal partners, including senior leadership

Analyze competitors, adjacent organizations, and broader industry trends

Identify emerging opportunities, threats, gaps, and shifts across education, tech, health, and mental health

Provide informal guidance to junior team members on research plans, analysis, and synthesis

Work closely with Product, Content, Partnerships, ESD and other teams to ensure research informs key decisions and strategic planning

Occasionally develop thought leadership pieces, authoring published briefs and external reports, positioning Understood as a key voice in the market

Analyze academic studies and grey literature to identify evidence-based practices that inform internal and external strategy

Occasionally write external briefs or reports that help position Understood as a credible voice in our field

Qualification

Secondary researchMarket intelligenceBusiness acumenCritical thinkingAI fluencyAdvanced degreeCollaborationPresentation skills

Required

3–5 years of applied research, strategy, or market intelligence experience in a dynamic professional setting

Demonstrated career experience conducting secondary desk-research and analysis, preferably within a think tank, research institution (e.g., Pew Research, Cochrane), or a dedicated strategy/research function

Strong working knowledge of the for-profit landscape across industries relevant to Understood (education, tech, health, and mental health)

Proven ability to frame ambiguous questions into structured research plans and distill many sources of information into powerful, high-impact insights

Proven ability to build consensus and drive projects forward with colleagues across the organization

Committed to embodying and being a steward of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

Preferred

Comfort and demonstrable experience utilizing AI tools (e.g., LLMs) to streamline research, build efficiency, and automate data, while maintaining a critical awareness of their limitations and applying established methods for accuracy checking

A Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Public Health, Library Science, Data Science, Strategy)

Strong visual presentation design skills to effectively communicate complex data and insights

You have a 'think-on-the-spot' mentality and are open to adapting and improving research processes to meet evolving needs

Experience developing ways to build repositories that sort and categorize knowledge