Director of Research

Founded in 1989, the Asian American Federation (AAF) is one of the strongest leadership voices advocating for better policies, services, and funding that lead to more justice and opportunity for 1.5 million Asian Americans in New York City. We do this in partnership with 70 community-based organizations.

Asians are the fastest-growing community in our city and state, and we advocate to ensure that our community is visible, our voices are heard, and our stories are told. Shaped by our research, we focus on community safety, mental health, economic empowerment, immigrant integration, and civic engagement to help connect Asian New Yorkers with the resources they need.

Overview:

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Research and Policy, the Director of Research is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight for all research activities within the organization by driving the research agenda and research projects and translating findings into actionable insights that further the organization’s mission. The Director of Research will manage all of AAF’s research projects and products. Our current research agenda includes civic and economic empowerment, immigration, anti-violence, mental health, nonprofit support, and senior services. 

Responsibilities:

Research Leadership

• Develop and lead the organization’s research strategy, aligning research efforts with the mission, vision, and long-term goals that support AAF’s advocacy and program work; while collaborating with the leadership team to ensure research initiatives support overall organizational strategy and influence decision-making.
• Identify and prioritize research opportunities that contribute to the organization’s advocacy, programmatic, and policy objectives.
• Ensure that all research is methodologically sound, ethically conducted, and completed on time and within budget.
• Stay abreast of the latest research methodologies, trends, and technologies to ensure the organization’s research remains cutting-edge. 
• Monitor and stay updated on various sources of data about the Asian American community.

Project Management

• Oversee the design and execution of research projects, including needs assessments, program evaluations, and impact studies, and manage the full life cycle of research projects.
• Lead AAF’s Census Information & Data Center.
• Provide oversight and guidance on data analysis, ensuring that findings are accurate, meaningful, and actionable.
• Lead the synthesis of existing quantitative and qualitative data to generate insights that inform program development, advocacy efforts, and public policy initiatives, creating new research tools as necessary, and drafting reports, briefs, and research products.

Strategic Communication

• Translate complex research findings into accessible reports, policy briefs, and presentations that drive advocacy, fundraising, and public awareness.
• Partner closely with the Communications team to develop and implement strategic communications related to research products.
• Represent the organization at conferences, workshops, to media, and policy forums, presenting research findings to raise the organization’s profile and influence policy discussions.
• Engage with governmental statistical agencies to ensure that Asian Americans are visible in their data.
• Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including donors, funders, academic institutions, research organizations, and policymakers, to enhance the impact of the organization’s research and to promote AAF’s research work.

Team Management and Capacity Building

• Supervise the work of the Research team staff and build the capacity of the research team through ongoing training and development in the latest research methods and tools.
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities, including grants and partnerships, to support the organization’s research initiatives.

Requirements

• 7-10 years of experience working with data and writing research reports on communities.
• 3-5 years of supervisory experience with a team.
• Demonstrated experience in working in a busy office and collaboratively with all program teams.
• Graduate degree in statistics, demography, public policy, or related field strongly preferred.
• Experience with research design and project management.
• Experience with qualitative research methods, such as focus groups and expert roundtables, preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to convey statistical ideas to general audiences.
• Demonstrated skills in accessing and analyzing large statistical datasets and presenting data in an easy-to-understand format.
• Expertise in statistical software, such as R or Stata, and GIS software.
• Experience with public speaking is required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail, including high-level proofreading and editing abilities.
• Exceptional organizational skills, with demonstrated ability to manage concurrent multiple assignments, meet tight deadlines, and prioritize accordingly.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across disciplines.
• Demonstrated commitment to Asian American communities and AAF’s mission.

Compensation & Benefits

This position is based in New York City, with a hybrid work environment. Salary for this position is between $100,000 to $103,000, commensurate with experience. A comprehensive benefits package includes 100% employee health care, dental and vision coverage, disability insurance, commuter benefits, as well as a 403(b) plan and generous paid time off.

To Apply

Shelby Woods and Trisha Sutrisno of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials by filling out the Talent Profile here. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

The Asian American Federation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.