Director of Collaboration and Learning

Arizona State University•Phoenix, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Knight Center for the Future of News at Arizona State University works to envision and accelerate a stronger future for the news industry. The Center operates as a public-interest research and development hub, combining applied research, experimentation, product development, training and knowledge-sharing. The Knight Center’s work spans three interconnected areas: Journalism x Civics, Business Growth and AI Studio. The Director of Collaboration and Learning ensures that the Center’s work is grounded in strong research and that insights connect across projects rather than remain siloed. This role shapes research frameworks, supports evaluation, and translates findings into practical guidance that can inform experimentation, product development and field adoption. Working across all three labs, this position partners with faculty, researchers, fellows and graduate assistants to develop applied research that is rigorous, relevant and usable. This is a senior staff role for someone adaptable, intellectually curious and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and seven (7) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
Experience leading applied research or evaluation initiatives
Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insight and development-ready projects

Nice To Haves

Experience with impact measurement or evaluation design
Familiarity working in or alongside news and technology organizations
Experience collaborating within academic environments and with research teams
Deep understanding of the business of journalism and artificial intelligence
Relevant experience in research, journalism, media strategy or related fields
A strong portfolio of previous work in news, communications or technology research

Responsibilities

Develop research frameworks and evaluation approaches across initiatives
Partner with Cronkite and ASU faculty, affiliated researchers and fellows on applied research design
Synthesize insights across labs and translate findings into usable reports, briefs or frameworks
Integrate graduate assistants and students into research efforts in meaningful ways
Support learning and refinement as projects move through the Research, Test, Apply, Share and Train (RTAST) cycle
Contribute to convenings, publications and other public-facing outputs