Associate Director of Research, Computational Policy Lab

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Professor Sharad Goel’s Computational Policy Lab at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School is seeking an Associate Director of Research to help shape and advance a portfolio of computational and technological research addressing pressing issues in education, public benefits, AI governance, and other areas of public policy. The Associate Director of Research works closely with Professor Goel to lead the lab’s research strategy, funding, and operations: identifying and incubating new multi-stakeholder research initiatives, translating faculty priorities into fundable projects, and driving them from concept through implementation. Beyond portfolio leadership, the Associate Director contributes directly to the intellectual work of the lab — advising on study design and mixed-methods approaches, safeguarding methodological rigor, and supporting the production of academic and policy-relevant outputs. The Associate Director of Research supervises lab staff, oversees research fellows, manages the lab’s external partnerships with government agencies and other collaborators, and represents the lab in relevant academic, research, and policy settings. This position is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and requires working on our campus 3 days/week.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in research and program management, or a related field; Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Applications must include a resume and cover letter or they will be considered incomplete.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred, in public policy, computer science, statistics, economics, or a related field.
• Experience with empirical or mixed-methods research is strongly preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated experience advising on research design, mixed methods, and/or contributing to academic or policy research outputs.
• Demonstrated experience with financial management, grant proposal development, and funder relationship management.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and critical thinking skills; ability to build trust with a wide range of academic and nonacademic stakeholders, including government partners.
• Ability to translate complex, technical research into clear, engaging materials for varied audiences.
• Effective leadership and supervisory skills, with experience managing research staff and fellows.
• Familiarity with statistical/computational tools (e.g., R, Python, Stata) and mixed-methods research design.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial research environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across the lab’s research portfolio, where computational approaches are used to advance public policy.
• Shape and align research initiatives with the lab’s institutional goals.
• Identify and incubate new multi-stakeholder research and policy-engagement opportunities, ensuring coherence across projects and delivery of rigorous, policy-relevant outputs.
• Advise researchers on experimental design, mixed-methods approaches (including RCT design), data collection, and analysis; help ensure rigor and feasibility across the portfolio.
• Contribute to and co-author academic manuscripts, policy briefs, and other publications.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to Professor Goel and lab members on the intellectual direction of the lab’s research.
• Build and steward the lab’s partnerships with government agencies, funders, and other research and policy stakeholders.
• Represent the lab at relevant meetings, conferences, and convenings; author or co-author materials for external and internal stakeholders.
• Lead strategy for research dissemination and policy engagement, translating findings for varied audiences.
• Secure new funding opportunities aligned with the lab’s mission; develop proposal narratives, budgets, and other grant materials, and coordinate with funders to meet reporting requirements and milestones.
• Lead the development of cases for support, translating faculty priorities into fundable, high-impact initiatives.
• Manage portfolio finances in collaboration with relevant Harvard finance offices, including budget revisions and periodic financial analysis to inform fundraising and staffing strategy.
• Design and implement systems for research management — including secure data governance, ethical use of human subjects (IRB), responsible use of AI, and coding/documentation protocols — and help ensure compliance across the portfolio.
• Manage submission, amendment, and renewal of IRB protocols and data use/data safety agreements; serve as liaison to relevant administrative offices.
• Recruit, onboard, supervise, and mentor lab staff and research fellows; train student researchers on best practices and lab protocols.
• Coordinate IT resources, research computing, and staffing (including summer interns) needed to support the lab’s work.
• Oversee the lab’s operational and administrative needs—including compliance, vendor contracts, space, IT resources, research computing, and staffing—in coordination with the Shorenstein Center’s administrative team and relevant Harvard offices.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level