Associate Director, Research Advisory Services (Advancement Strategy)

EAB•Washington, DC

1d•$70,500 - $95,000•Hybrid

About The Position

EAB is the leading global provider of research and advice to higher education and K-12 institutions. Our research programs help executives at client organizations educate stakeholders, make research-informed decisions, and speed implementation of industry best practices. EAB Research Advisory Services (RAS) is a division within our research business, providing consultative support and expert advice to our education clients. RAS staff work directly with boards, presidents, and other senior academic and business leaders to help them make meaningful and strategic progress toward their most pressing financial and mission-consequential issues. Through strong communication and storytelling, RAS provides high-impact, outcome-focused presentations, workshops, and unscripted conversations to help partners understand and implement EAB’s advice. We deliver our advice to clients through peer conferences, expert phone consultations, virtual meetings, and onsite at client institutions. In addition to working with current clients, our advisors also support sales efforts in new client development. This position will spend about 80% of time in the market, working with partners both in-person and virtually. The position requires 40-50% travel. This hire may be based in Washington, D.C.; Richmond, VA; or is open to remote employment within the continental United States. This position is also posted at the Director level; candidates are being considered across both levels for the current opening. This opportunity is listed as “Associate Director, Research Advisory Services (Advancement Strategy)” for posting purposes; the official and internal title of this hire is expected to be “Associate Director, Research Advisory Services” to align with business norms. Research Advisory Services team members bring specific subject matter expertise as well as an understanding of the broader higher education landscape to extend meaningful support to EAB’s partners and prospective partners both within and across terrains.

Requirements

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 advanced degree
Experience working with client executives, either at a college, university, district, or school or as a consultant or advisor
Superior verbal, written, facilitation, and presentation skills
Ability to create a compelling narrative through data visualization, graphics, and slides
Excellent relationship building and collaboration skills; ability to build relationships with and engage and challenge senior-level executives

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree
In-depth understanding of education industry and the specific role that senior institutional leadership has in setting strategy and decision making
Demonstrated ability to distill market and terrain insights, drawing on client interactions
Experience producing written content and deliverables for an executive-level audience (e.g., blogs, social media feeds, reports, briefings)
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

Responsibilities

Build and maintain issue expertise across research terrains, with a special focus on those most important to members across the university executive cabinet at educational institutions and the teams they lead across the university each day: including the delivery of dynamic strategy to guide transformation; advancement and fundraising strategy; campaign readiness and execution; and donor and alumni engagement. Store & curate EAB’s perspective across the breadth of research terrains to give partners the most direct access to EAB’s advice.
Leverage EAB’s insights, best practices, tools, and data to help partners make decisions and implement best practices and develop a deep understanding of assigned terrain, market trends, and evolving client needs.
Work directly with partners to diagnose their problems, challenge their assumptions, guide decisions, and suggest solutions. Deliver EAB’s point of view and advice through phone consultations, virtual meetings, conferences, and on campus presentations to: Make EAB insights and data accessible and impactful for our partners, bringing clarity and context to their understanding of their challenges; Present partners with new ideas and potential solutions to those challenges and advocate for adoption; Act as an expert outside voice, building consensus and educating committees and staff.
Combine functional knowledge, with an understanding of higher ed’s unique organizational dynamics, enabling partners to set strategy, lead their institutions, and manage their operations more effectively by: Diagnosing and giving voice to dynamics that are often felt, but not addressed; Supporting leaders as they align effort and teams around institutional priorities; Pathing partners through ranges of viable solutions and their pros and cons; Recommending paths for improvement and serving as their guides and accountability Partners as they progress; Connecting partner institutions and creating learning experiences.
Collaborate with the research customer success team to execute on a scalable and impactful partner delivery model and deliver high-impact client interactions. Support sales in new partner development.
Leverage terrain expertise to generate original insight and content in assigned areas (e.g., blog posts, social media posts, briefings, presentations, etc.). Actively participate in ongoing research processes and share market insights with research colleagues to inform future EAB insights and deliverables.

Benefits

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