Associate Director, Research and Strategic Advisory Services (Administrative Effectiveness)

About EAB

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 employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.  

The Role in Brief

Associate Director, Research and Strategic Advisory Services

Focus Area: Administrative Effectiveness

Associate Directors on our Strategic Advisory Services team (within the Research Discovery & Design division) help develop research agendas and design research projects and services that address the major strategic, management, and operational issues facing education 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 services for partner organizations, including on-site workshops, web-conferences and publications. You will also be a valued expert to EAB partner organizations, advising them on strategy and best practice implementation.

This particular role will be positioned within our Administrative Effectiveness higher education pillar. The Associate Director in administrative effectiveness primarily works on research topics related to cost management, revenue generation, and efficiency and effectiveness. Recent research topics in this terrain have included financial planning, university space optimization, organizational transformation, and workforce development.

A successful candidate for this position will:

• Bring strong professional judgment and clear communication skills, with the ability to translate complex findings into accessible insights for campus leaders
• Thrive in collaborative, fast-moving environments - taking initiative, following through on details, and adjusting quickly as priorities evolve
• Combine analytical rigor with intellectual curiosity and agility, getting up to speed on key issues quickly and taking ownership over sub-terrains
• Be willing to draw on a range of sources and deploy various methods to generate actionable advice for campus leaders that is both strategic and tactical in nature
• 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 is based in Washington D.C. and is also open to candidates in Richmond, VA or open to remote employment 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:

• Design and 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.
• Provide intellectual leadership and analytical direction throughout all stages of the research 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
• Synthesize complex ideas into actionable insights for our members
• Use persuasive writing, storytelling, and graphics to communicate ideas and information
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Conduct market-sizing, testing calls and product design analysis for new research and product enhancements
• Collaborate with individual project leads, subject matter experts, and project teams to ensure that new deliverables are designed for scalable execution and interactive partner engagement
• Manage and coach junior-level research staff by developing critical skills, providing actionable feedback, and managing workloads
• Deliver initial services and presentations to executive-level clients and leadership teams

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, with an excellent academic record and 5+ years of post-graduate, professional experience; or 4+ years of post-graduate, professional experience and an advanced degree; or bachelor's degree and 4+ years of post-graduate, professional experience, including 2+ years of experience in EAB Research
• Willingness to travel up to 10%
• Experience with at least two of the following:
• Management or strategy consulting
• University/education strategic planning
• Conducting long-term research (at least 3 months in duration)
• Conducting primary and secondary research
• Higher education experience

Ideal Qualifications:                       

• Experience with administrative effectiveness functions, such as finance, IT, Facilities, or operations
• Advanced degree or equivalent experience demonstrating strategic, analytical, and business problem-solving capability (MA, MPP, PhD, JD, or similar preferred)
• Majors and/or advanced degrees in economics, political science, data analytics, statistics or other quantitative fields preferred
• Experience working in a team environment, as well as independently and autonomously in ambiguous and fast-changing contexts
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with senior executives in both oral and written formats
• Experience with solution-focused problem solving and thinking through problems creatively
• Experience working with clients in a consultative role
• Experience experimenting and piloting AI solutions for both internal and external use
• Demonstrated experience in managing projects and meeting deadlines
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspiration.

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 $70,500 - $95,000 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:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation 
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/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.