Research Manager, Tax and Social Policy, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts

Overview

Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts invites applications for a Research Manager position. This part‑time fixed term position is for approximately one year based on grant funding, with possibility of extension.

The position reports to a professor or principal investigator who is Academic Director of the research program and directs the day‑to‑day work of research assistants, graduate and undergraduate student researchers, and postdoctoral and contract researchers assigned to projects and research themes. It operates within a research-intensive, applied public‑finance program in the Department of Economics that runs multiple concurrent quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‑methods research projects in social, economic, and fiscal policy, including research involving human participants and community partners, for academic, government, and external‑partner audiences.

Work is fast‑paced and deadline‑driven, with peak periods tied to grant cycles, government and funder reporting deadlines, conference and publication timelines. It requires managing competing priorities across projects and coordinating distributed research teams. The position manages operational and research budgets and makes resourcing decisions within budgetary constraints. It also builds and manages the community, government, and partner relationships associated with funded research and leads the development of new grant and contract funding.

Occasional travel for conferences, partner meetings, and dissemination may be required.

The Research Manager provides senior research leadership and technical expertise for a portfolio of applied social, economic, and fiscal policy research projects. The position is accountable for the design, management, and delivery of research across the full research life cycle; manages research budgets and resources; and leads, supervises, and mentors research staff and trainees. Recognized as a technical expert and scientific contributor, the position co‑develops the research agenda and themes, authors and co‑authors peer‑reviewed publications, technical reports, and policy products, and mobilizes findings to government, academic, and public audiences.

The position designs, conducts, and oversees both quantitative and qualitative (mixed‑methods) research, exercises substantial independent judgment, applies and adapts advanced research methods, and represents the research program to internal and external stakeholders.

Leadership (approximately 30%)

• Responsible for hiring, work assignment, onboarding, performance management, and day‑to‑day direction of the research team, including research assistants, graduate and undergraduate researchers, and contract and postdoctoral researchers.
• Provides independent assessment of the performance of research staff, trainees, and external resources such as consultants and contractors assigned to projects.
• Mentors and develops junior members of the research team, supporting their research, professional growth, and publication output.
• Develops and manages operational and research budgets and grant and contract funds; recommends the engagement of consultants and external resources based on function and cost within budgetary constraints.
• Builds, manages, and stewards community, government, non‑profit, and funder partnerships across the research program, serving as a primary relationship contact and maintaining the commitments and reporting obligations associated with existing grants and contracts.
• Oversees the data collection and analysis carried out by research staff and trainees across both the quantitative and qualitative components of projects, ensuring methodological quality and consistency.
• Contributes to setting and developing the research agenda and themes, and to multi‑year strategic plans that anticipate policy changes and link research activities from year to year.
• Coordinates distributed research teams across projects and themes, including monitoring progress, timelines, and key deadlines.
• Promotes equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within the research program, including in recruitment and supervision of trainees and in the…