Senior Director of Research
HERON
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Hybrid
Location: Birmingham • Alabama • United States
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Salary
💰 $184,000 - $220,000 per year
Job Level
About the role
- Lead the development and execution of Heron's comprehensive research agenda across six program areas.
- Serve as a key thought partner to executive leadership on research strategy, community selection, and data-driven decision-making.
- Build Heron's reputation as a credible, innovative source of research and data on rural community health, persistent poverty, and community capitals.
- Build and lead a high-performing research team, including hiring and managing a data analyst and additional research staff.
- Collaborate closely with Community Partnerships Network, Outreach, and Investment teams to ensure research informs all aspects of Heron's work.
- Launch and continuously refine the Heron Community Data Library—an expert-advised set of community vitality indicators linked to human, natural, civic, and economic capital for every U.S. county.
- Partner with research institutions and experts to ensure data quality, accessibility, and usability.
- Create user-friendly tools and guides that enable community partners and other communities to access, interpret, and apply community capitals data.
- Maintain a comprehensive catalog of communities facing persistent poverty in the U.S.
- Establish rigorous, equity-centered parameters for identifying candidate communities for Heron partnerships.
- Track and report on the health of these communities over time using expert-supported methodologies.
- Collaborate with staff to identify and recommend priority communities for development.
- Lead the creation of comprehensive community health profiles for each Heron partner community in collaboration with community members, regional experts, and Heron staff.
Requirements
- Minimum 10 years of experience in applied research, community development research, or related fields, including leadership and team management.
- Deep alignment with Heron's mission and principles, including a commitment to community agency, equity, and systems change.
- Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis, and indicator development.
- Experience developing and managing data systems, libraries, or knowledge platforms.
- Strong understanding of community development, rural economies, persistent poverty, and place-based strategies.
- Proven ability to translate complex research and data into accessible insights for diverse audiences including community leaders, funders, and policymakers.
- Experience conducting participatory or community-engaged research that centers local voice and knowledge.
- Familiarity with impact measurement, asset-based community development, or similar holistic approaches to community health.
- Previous familiarity with community capitals frameworks is desirable.
- Track record of building productive partnerships with academic institutions, research organizations, and community-based organizations.
- Exceptional project management skills with ability to oversee multiple interconnected research initiatives.
- Strong writing and communication skills across formats and audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across internal departments and with external stakeholders.
- Comfort navigating ambiguity and building new research infrastructure in an evolving organization.
Benefits
- Heron offers an attractive benefits package
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
quantitative research methodsqualitative research methodsdata analysisindicator developmentdata systems managementcommunity health profilingimpact measurementcommunity capitals frameworksparticipatory researchproject management
Soft Skills
leadershipteam managementcommunicationcollaborationstrategic thinkingadaptabilityproblem-solvingcommunity engagementinsight translationrelationship building