Director, Research Innovation & Enablement

Cengage Group

About The Position

We believe in the power and joy of learning At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education. Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life. Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/. At Cengage, we are building the future of learning using data, insights, and technology to make education more accessible and effective. This position plays a pivotal role in scaling how Cengage connects with customers, conducts foundational research, and accelerates insight generation through AI enabled methods and bringing to bear emerging technology. We are seeking a Director of Research Innovation & Enablement to lead the integration of advanced AI capabilities into our research ecosystem. This role also involves building and empowering a high-performing community of researchers. This role will define and operationalize an AI-enabled research strategy that augments methodological rigor, enhances the pace of insight generation, and scales institutional knowledge across the organization. The Director will architect intelligent workflows across qualitative and quantitative research, embed generative and predictive models into synthesis processes, and establish governance frameworks to ensure validity, visibility, and responsible AI use. In parallel, they will lead and develop research strategists and research enablement. They will provide tools powered by artificial intelligence and repeatable frameworks. They will also offer advanced analytical capabilities that increase research efficiency without compromising rigor. This role requires deep expertise in research methods, fluency in modern AI systems, and the ability to translate emerging technology into practical, high-impact applications. This position is crafted for a leader who can balance people management, research operations, and community strategy while leaning on and developing innovative research practices and tools.

Requirements

More than five years of tried experience in research operations, UX research, community management, market research, or related fields
More than two years of experience in using and developing AI-enabled research tools, workflows, machine learning & data science, synthetic populations, and appropriate methodologies
Two years or more of experience directing people, ideally leading research or community teams
A passion for innovating research methods, project management, and insight delivery using technology and automation
Strong project management and prioritization proficiency, along with the competence to balance multiple complex initiatives
Ability to synthesize insights from diverse sources and communicate them clearly to non‑research collaborators
Experience coordinating with external vendors and handling vendor‑run research projects
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, demonstrated proficiency in influencing without authority

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting product teams during discovery, prototyping, or agile sprint cycles
Background in education, education technology, or workforce development markets
Experience with community platforms, research recruitment tools, or insight repositories
Understanding of applied AI research, prompt engineering, or automated research workflows
Experience building or scaling research operations functions
Ability to design and facilitate community activities, discussions, or feedback sessions

Responsibilities

Define and execute the strategy for embedding AI and automation across qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research workflows.
Architect AI-augmented research systems that accelerate synthesis, automate signal detection, and scale institutional knowledge.
Identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities for automation, augmentation, and predictive intelligence within the research lifecycle.
Develop or work with AI team to develop AI-enabled research assistants to support instrument design, synthesis, and strategic insight generation.
Manage and champion a team of researchers, focused on strategic approaches and enablement, and encouraging advanced methodological expertise and AI proficiency.
Equip the team with AI-enabled tools, standardized playbooks, and consistent methodologies that materially improve research velocity and depth.
Redesign research operating models to integrate AI augmentation while preserving critical thinking and human judgment.
Establish training programs and hands-on experimentation initiatives to build confidence and sophistication in AI-assisted research practices.
Support the adoption of groundbreaking research methods across teams by coordinating training, documentation, and best‑practice sharing
Track and communicate the impact of AI‑enabled research, including efficiency gains and insight acceleration
Define and supervise benchmarks for community health, research throughput, AI‑enabled efficiency gains, and collaborator satisfaction
Ensure all research activities enforce ethical standards, privacy requirements, and participant consent practices