Director of Audience & Research

Radio Free Asia•Washington DC, WA

5d•$118,200 - $160,150•Hybrid

About The Position

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with editorial and operational bureaus in Taipei, Bangkok, and Seoul. RFA produces news and information in nine languages and dialects for people living in countries where a free press does not exist. The Director of Audience & Research is an editorial position responsible for building RFA’s research and evaluation function and providing editors with evidence to plan coverage and reach audiences in each market. The Director leads audience research and evaluation, oversees the Audience Engagement Editor and research staff, and works with language desks to serve existing audiences and build new ones. Research must produce credible findings while protecting participants who may face risks in environments marked by censorship and surveillance. The Director sets audience and research priorities with editorial leaders; builds and manages continuous, independent evaluations of language desks, newsgathering teams, and programs; and translates findings into practical recommendations for editors. The position owns core performance indicators and audience dashboards, ensures the accuracy of data released externally, and provides verified information for reporting to USAGM and Congress. The Director also safeguards sources and research participants through informed consent, data security, and methods suited to high-risk environments. The position is based in Washington, DC, on a hybrid schedule of three days in the office and two days remote. Some flexibility in work hours is required to accommodate international time zones. It is full-time and exempt. The salary range is $118,200–$160,150, commensurate with experience and skills. Applicants must already have work authorization; the company does not sponsor work authorization for this position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, social science, political science, international relations, statistics, data science, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience in audience research, media research, audience development, or program evaluation.
At least 3 years managing staff or research teams.
Knowledge of the media landscape in at least one RFA market: China, North Korea, Southeast Asia, Tibet, or the Uyghur region.
Strong professional experience researching audiences in authoritarian, conflict, or restricted media environments.
Proven experience with quantitative methods, including survey design, sampling, and statistical analysis, and qualitative methods, including interviews and focus groups.
Experience designing and running program evaluations, including work with outside evaluators.
Extensive experience working with newsroom editors and using research to inform editorial decisions and make recommendations that produce real impacts.
Experience managing research vendors, contracts, and budgets.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including producing impact reports and assessments for internal and external audiences.
Ability to work across editorial, technical, communications, and executive teams and navigate competing priorities.
Existing work authorization; the company does not sponsor work authorization for this position.
Ability to accommodate some work-hour flexibility for international time zones.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in social science, data science, communications, statistics, or a related field.
Professional experience with digital analytics tools and creation and management of audience dashboards.
Experience at an international news organization, a USAGM network, or other public-interest media.
Understanding of how VPNs, circumvention tools, and blocking distort audience data, and how to adjust for them.
Experience with adapted research methods when fieldwork is impossible, including diaspora and traveler surveys, remote or encrypted interviews, proxy indicators, and digital trace data.
Working knowledge of one or more RFA languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Burmese, Khmer, Vietnamese, Lao, or Korean.
Knowledge of more than one RFA market.
Experience training journalists or editors to use audience data.
Familiarity with federal grant reporting and performance frameworks.

Responsibilities

Lead the audience team, including the Audience Engagement Editor, and set priorities for audience development and distribution across language desks.
Set audience goals with each desk Editor in Charge, including goals for reaching new audiences in each market.
Set annual research priorities with the Executive Editor and desk Editors in Charge; the Executive Editor resolves disagreements over priorities.
Work with Innovation, TechOps, and language desks on platforms, analytics tools, and circumvention channels.
Build and run a continuous evaluation framework for language desks and newsgathering teams, setting criteria with the Executive Editor and sharing them with the President before evaluations begin.
Convene and manage the Evaluation Panel, which reviews candidates, selects outside evaluators based on relevant expertise, and checks for conflicts of interest.
Evaluate desks and teams at regular intervals, as well as new programs, formats, and rebuilt language desks; recommend specific improvements and goals.
Measure outcomes including reach, engagement, pickup by other outlets, and citations in policy and official documents; document cases where RFA reporting shaped public debate, accountability, or policy.
Send evaluation reports to the President and Executive Editor simultaneously; track how desks act on findings and report progress quarterly to both leaders.
Design and conduct qualitative and quantitative audience research in closed and restricted media environments, planning each study with the relevant desk Editor in Charge.
Map media habits, platform use, and information needs by country and language service, and identify groups RFA is not yet reaching.
Use adapted research methods when standard fieldwork is impossible or unsafe, and state each method’s limitations clearly.
Produce media environment and censorship assessments for RFA target countries.
Manage research vendors and partners, including USAGM-commissioned studies.
Own RFA’s core performance indicators and dashboards, combining digital analytics, social media data, and distribution data into a consistent view of reach.
Account for VPN use, circumvention tools, and blocking when interpreting audience data.
Turn research and evaluation findings into actionable recommendations on audiences, topics, formats, and platforms; report candidly when coverage is not reaching its intended audience.
Brief desk editors regularly, train staff to read and use audience data, and advise editorial leadership on adjustments as conditions change in target countries.
Inform recommendations for training news units, teams, and desks in consultation with editorial leadership.
Lead production of monthly impact reports for internal and external circulation, with input from Editorial leadership and Communications/Public Affairs.
Sign off on all audience and performance data released outside RFA; collect, verify, and reconcile data for external reports and requests, and deliver it on time.
In close consultation with the Communication Department, provide verified data for reports to USAGM and Congress and for RFA public reporting.
Respond to research and data requests from USAGM, auditors, and other stakeholders in coordination with External Affairs and RFA leadership.
Represent RFA in USAGM discussions on research methods, performance indicators, and research standards.
Protect sources and research participants through informed consent, data security, and methods suited to high-risk environments.