Director of Research

For two decades, the Building Movement Project (BMP) (buildingmovement.org) has cultivated the potential for nonprofit organizations to effectively partner with movements for progressive social change. We learn by listening to groups and leaders about what it takes for organizations to align their social justice principles with their operating practices. Our research and practical resources help organizations innovate to meet the needs of the communities they serve and face the challenges of the external environment.  

BMP concentrates on the following three main areas to accomplish our goals and advance social change: 

• Leadership: Analyzing how organizations can do their best work, encourage diverse leaders at every level, and promote the most effective and inclusive practices; 

• Organizational Change: Developing the capacity of organizations to both engage constituents in addressing systems barriers that impact their lives, and make nonprofit workplaces more equitable and inclusive; 

• Movement Building: Acknowledging and building on the distinct role of organizations and networks in advancing movements for social change. 

The Building Movement Project is fiscally sponsored by TSNE (tsne.org). 

Responsibilities  

Role Overview  

We are seeking a full-time Director of Research to join our staff team. This is an exciting role for an experienced and entrepreneurial researcher to advance the Building Movement Project’s portfolio. The Director of Research will build on and expand existing bodies of work, particularly our Race to Lead survey and reports, and in collaboration with the senior leadership team, identify new areas of research. The Director of Research will work closely with BMP’s Executive Director, and other senior leaders as well as supervise the Research Assistant. 

Responsibilities of the Director of Research will include: 

• Collaboratively develop and manage all Building Movement Project quantitative and qualitative research. Current research projects include the Race to Lead initiative, the Building Blocks for Change race equity assessment, service and social change (Security to Wellbeing Framework), SolidarityIS movement infrastructure, and interviews with leaders of movement organizations.
• Create a forward-looking research agenda with BMP’s senior leadership team that reflects trends, patterns, and curiosities in the nonprofit sector and movement spaces. 

• Assist BMP’s senior staff with research needs, ranging from documenting outcomes to influencing the field. 

• Oversee the collection, analysis, visualization, and reporting of data, producing Building Movement Project reports, memos and other research reports for the nonprofit sector and field. 

• Build relationships with survey distribution partners across the country. 

• Identify new research opportunities by mining BMP’s existing data and/or generating primary data via surveys, interviews, focus groups and other data collection strategies. 

• Build and manage a highly productive, innovative, and collaborative Research Team including the Research Assistant and interns. 

• Work collaboratively with Building Movement Project staff, team members, consultants, and fiscal sponsor. 

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with other research / movement organizations and stakeholders to develop partnerships, share learning, and identify research needs and gaps. 

• Regularly present research in presentations, panels, print and social media, and other venues. 
• Work closely with communications team members to develop strategies that will make research and analysis more accessible to BMP’s varied audiences.
• Support synthesizing and packaging research for team members who are making presentations about BMP’s work at external events/briefings.

• Participate in fundraising activities, such as meeting with funders and contributing to grant proposals and reports. 

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• Exceptional research skills with a high level of comfort with all aspects of the research process, from identifying new research ideas and developing data collection strategies, to reviewing and analyzing data. Experience with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research designs. Experience with statistical software and programming languages; BMP currently utilizes Stata and Python. 
   

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and data storytelling skills, including outstanding written and verbal communication, experience with professional writing to communicate with diverse internal and external audiences and demonstrated ability to produce highly accessible, high quality and relevant research reports that are accessible to a wide audience. 

• Committed to impact on the ground, with the ability to cultivate strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, particularly grassroots nonprofits, movement building organizations, as well as with colleagues, funders and the media.
   

• Strong project management and organizational skills, with a high level of attention to detail, an ability to manage multiple priorities at once, and a proven track record of meeting project deadlines while balancing competing priorities across a project team. 

• Comfort leading and developing a small highly collaborative, productive and innovative staff team. A track record of implementing systems and practices that support and develop staff, cohere teams, advance equity and fulfill organizational goals.

• Advanced equity analysis and practice with a clear analysis of how racism and other forms of oppression impact relationships, systems and culture, and a track record of working and collaborating effectively in a multiracial, intergenerational workplace and sector.  

The most successful candidates will also demonstrate the following skills and experience: 

• Familiarity with and understanding of the nonprofit sector. 

• Direct experience with research related to    trends, patterns, issues and questions that concern organizations and their staff. 

• Experience with and skills around social network analysis, data science algorithms, etc. 

• Familiarity with generating funding to expand research capacity including interacting with potential funders and reporting to current ones. 
• Understanding of social movements and how to engage leaders and organizations in research that impacts and is in dialogue with their work.

Travel: This position may require periodic travel for conferences, trainings, and to work with BMP team members and other on-the-ground partners.  

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed remotely from anywhere in the United States.

Compensation: The starting salary for this position is $130,000 - $140,000 and is commensurate with experience.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): twelve paid holidays, three weeks of vacation, one week of personal holiday, and ability to accrue up to 487.5 hours of health leave time for benefited staff.
• 80% Employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Guardian Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care.
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Employer-paid Pension and Employee-paid 403b plan through TIAA.
• ...and more!

TSNE/BMP strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/BMP prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/BMP celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNEBMP's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.