Research Analyst, Rural Program Strategy

Excolo Pte. Ltd.•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

The Research Analyst reports to the Director of Business Intelligence and complements BI functions by helping define what questions matter and what the evidence suggests, particularly in contexts where structured data alone is insufficient. The role is designed for impact through sound judgment, synthesis, and analytical clarity. The Research Analyst is responsible for synthesizing information from diverse, often imperfect sources to generate clear, decision-ready insights. This role sits at the intersection of research, analysis, and strategy, and is intended to address questions where clean datasets may not exist or may only partially answer the problem.

Requirements

Strong experience in applied research, policy analysis, program evaluation, or strategic analysis.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize information from multiple, inconsistent sources.
Comfort working with incomplete, messy, or imperfect data.
Experience using analytic tools (e.g., Tableau, Excel, ArcGIS) to support research.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially for non-technical audiences.
Excellent judgment and critical thinking skills.
Ability to work independently and manage ambiguous problem spaces.

Nice To Haves

Experience in economics, public policy, social science, planning, or a related field.
Familiarity with Salesforce or other CRM / administrative systems as data sources.
Basic statistical or quantitative analysis skills.
Experience working in mission-driven, nonprofit, public sector, or policy-adjacent environments.

Responsibilities

Research & Synthesis Frame ambiguous strategic, programmatic, or policy questions into researchable problems.
Conduct desk research across external sources including: Academic and policy literature, Government and administrative reports, Evaluations, white papers, and field studies.
Assess the quality, relevance, and limitations of evidence.
Reconcile conflicting findings and clearly articulate uncertainty.
Produce structured syntheses that explain “what we know, what we don’t know, and why it matters.”
Applied Analysis & Insight Development Analyze external and internal data sources where available, using appropriate analytical methods.
Use tools such as Tableau and ArcGIS to explore patterns, trends, and spatial relationships.
Leverage Salesforce and other operational systems as evidence sources.
Develop frameworks, typologies, indicators, or comparative analyses when data is incomplete.
Translate findings into clear narratives, briefs, memos, and presentations for non-technical audiences.
Collaboration & Strategic Support Partner with all foundation teams to shape analytic questions.
Identify gaps where additional data collection or analysis would strengthen understanding.
Inform future measurement, learning agendas, and evaluation priorities.
Support leadership decision-making with clear, defensible insight.