Director of Survey Research

Tavern Research•Chicago, IL

7d•$185,000 - $219,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a senior leadership position. As Director of Survey Research, you'll own Tavern's public opinion research function end-to-end: setting the methodological standard, leading the team, advising on strategy, and serving as the credible public face of our research work. You'll work closely with the CEO and be the go-to voice when a client needs a deep briefing or a reporter needs a credible source. We value in-person work and expect employees based in Chicago to work regularly from our South Loop office. We also welcome remote candidates, ideally based in Washington, DC. If you have strong team members you'd like to bring along, we'd love to talk to them too.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in political polling or public opinion research
Deep expertise in survey methodology, statistical inference, sampling, and experimental design
Track record in Democratic campaigns and advocacy at a senior level (presidential, Senate, or gubernatorial experience a plus)
Demonstrated success managing and developing research teams
Excellent communicator with strong media instincts, comfortable briefing everyone from candidates to reporters to boards, and serving as a public-facing voice through press, panels, and published work.
Familiarity with AI-assisted research tools, or genuine curiosity about building new methodologies

Nice To Haves

You have a trusted team member who’s ready to join alongside you.

Responsibilities

Own Tavern’s polling, opinion research, and strategic insights functions
Design and oversee large-scale survey research, message testing, audience segmentation, and longitudinal tracking studies
Establish and enforce methodological standards for rigor, reliability, and statistical validity across the organization
Serve as the final quality control layer for all research deliverables, catching what others miss while mentoring researchers and partnering with engineers to build LLM systems that improve research accuracy over time.
Develop and champion AI-assisted methodologies for sentiment analysis, behavioral forecasting, and opinion modeling
Translate complex datasets into clear, actionable strategic recommendations for leadership and clients
Serve as a senior thought partner to the CEO and leadership team on public perception, communications strategy, and stakeholder sentiment
Identify emerging trends, narrative shifts, and risks before they surface publicly
Advise clients on policy, messaging, and the political landscape in real time
Inform Tavern's product roadmap through research-backed insight
Build, manage, and mentor a high-performing research team
Establish research operations, vendor relationships, and governance processes
Drive cross-functional collaboration across product, communications, and client teams
Handle in-depth polling briefings with clients and campaigns when needed; you're a key backstop for client-facing depth
Serve as Tavern's primary public voice on polling, methodology, and political opinion research
Brief media, engage with campaigns, academic institutions, and think tanks with fluency and credibility
Know what a reporter will find interesting and how to deliver it well