Associate Director, Research Growth Strategy

Make a difference in a sector that matters to us all

EAB is a special place to work. You'll find motivated employees, growth opportunities, and a deep commitment to our partners. We pride ourselves on hiring the best people—not just for the job, but for the firm and the future of education.

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data‑driven insights and best‑in‑class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

The Research Growth Strategy (RGS) team is responsible for supporting strong contract value expansion of existing products and identifying and launching new products and services. The Associate Director in this role would focus on products and services and commercial enablement for EAB’s domestic higher ed institutions. This role may manage an analyst.

This role may be based in Washington D.C. or open to remote employment within the continental United States. This position may require occasional travel (10‑15%) to office and team in‑days as well as to partner college and university campuses for marketing listening experiences.

Co‑lead Research product strategy and innovation efforts, by:

• Working with RGS domestic higher ed colleagues to create new products and signature services that are market‑responsive
• Testing potential new products and services with prospects and partners
• Supporting the go‑to‑market process for new products and services
• Liaising with internal Research teams to gain content knowledge
• Supporting training for and communication to product teams to encourage innovation at the initial product development stage
• Manage and coach junior‑level researcher staff by developing critical skills, providing actionable feedback, and managing workloads

through:

• Creating decks and supporting deliverables for new products and services
• Creating or supporting creation of 1‑pagers and slides used by Partner Development, Account Management, and Partner Success to talk about Research offerings in a clear and compelling way
• Other one‑off collateral support for Partner Development or other colleagues
• An ability to navigate a highly matrixed organization
• An interest and ability to innovate and test new products (based on evidence and knowledge of partner priorities)
• An ability to move quickly but also set guardrails on processes
• A talent for creating visually‑engaging partner‑facing decks and collateral that are informative, clear, and persuasive
• An excellent writer who can write with clear, compelling language
• A project management extraordinaire; able to make and lead project plans, manage upward and downward on a team, and iterate on and improve a project as it develops
• An independently‑driven leader who is also eager to work with and learn from a passionate team
• An open‑minded individual with an innovative mindset

• Bachelor’s degree, with an excellent academic record and 5+ years of post‑graduate, professional experience; or 4+ years of post‑graduate, professional experience and an advanced degree; or bachelor’s degree and 4+ years of post‑graduate, professional experience, including 2+ years of experience in EAB Research
• Proven analytic skills and ability to translate market findings into commercial strategy and product innovations
• Proven ability to create visually compelling and well‑written external deliverables, especially with a…