Director of Research
BallotReady is searching for a Director to lead our Research Department in collecting and structuring democracy’s data, down to the local level—and, as a result, mobilize voters and constituents to take action at every level of government.
The Director of Research, who can be based anywhere in the U.S. and will report to BallotReady’s Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for the following:
- Overseeing collection and maintenance of civic data (all the way down to the township and school board level) from boards of election, candidate and government websites, statutes, media, and/or endorsing organizations
- Leading a team of full-time and contract researchers through strong relationship-building and people development, especially but not exclusively across lines of difference (i.e., with people who do not share your identities)
- Managing projects to meet deadlines for data collection deliverables through capacity planning, resource allocation, and readjusting if/when necessary
- Increasing the efficiency and accuracy of internal systems and structures for data collection
To succeed in this job, you must excel at:
People Management: You believe people can always continue to improve, and develop your direct reports with that mindset. You’ve managed a team with multiple layers to achieve goals. You know how to create a team culture that empowers every person to propose improvements to how you work together. You’re excited by the opportunity to lead a large team, especially in an ambiguous startup environment, because you can establish a strong vision, systems, and structures.
Project Management: From start to finish, you’re excellent at planning and executing projects that involve multiple stakeholders, priorities, and timelines. You know how to track and act on internal data, especially but not exclusively to minimize cost and/or increase efficiency. You’re comfortable collaborating across various partner teams in an organization (in our context: sales, engineering, product, and customer success).
Systems & Operations: You can manage and support others to collect complex, granular, and/or unusual data. You’re able to create effective structures and organization for complicated datasets. You can establish, assess, and improve on systems-level processes for collecting, organizing, and using data.