Research Director, Democratic Erosion Consortium (18444)

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Summary/Objective

To address the growing crisis of democratic erosion worldwide, the Democratic Erosion Consortium (DEC) was created to develop partnerships among a diverse set of stakeholders—academics, students, funders, policymakers, and practitioners— through which data, theories, research questions, and practices can be discussed, evaluated, and improved with the goal of deepening understanding of democratic erosion and evidence-based strategies for mitigating it. The DEC recently received a large grant that is enabling it to dramatically scale up its activities over the next three years: it now seeks a Research Director to play a foundational role in shaping the organization during this growth phase. The Research Director will play a central role in the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and sustainability of all activities of the DEC.

The DEC’s activities fall under four main pillars:

(1) improve education on democratic erosion for academics, policymakers, and practitioners;

(2) document democratic erosion trends and dynamics by building a unique dataset;

(3) marshal existing research through policy briefs and workshops to inform more evidence-based interventions; and

(4) foster learning, discussion, and academic-practitioner partnerships.

The Research Director will play a key role in each of these four objectives. The Research Director will report to the DEC’s three Co-Directors – Robert Blair (Brown University), Jessica Gottlieb (University of Houston) and Laura Paler (American University).

Essential Functions

Strategic Planning: The Research Director will participate actively in strategic planning for the DEC. This includes, but is not limited to, liaising with both academic and practitioner members of the consortium, developing a monitoring and reporting system for the consortium’s activities, planning public events to build networks and raise DEC’s profile; and assisting the Co-Directors with additional fundraising activities.

Research Collaboration: The Research Director is anticipated to be a co-author and collaborator on several original research projects generated through the consortium and DEC will work with the Research Director to determine their research interests and preferred outputs.

Supervising Staff: This position will supervise the Administrative Specialist and other staff responsible for collecting project data and coordinating the pedagogical component of the consortium.

Overseeing the Collection and Analysis of Data: The Research Director will play a key role in developing and overseeing DEC’s main research outputs, including a unique democratic erosion dataset. This includes work on the documentation of democratic erosion trends and dynamics in line with the DEC’s work towards building a unique dataset on such trends.

Developing Research and Evidence Briefs: The Research Director will work to marshal existing research through developing evidence and policy briefs and workshops to inform more evidence-based interventions. This will include developing the methodology for writing these briefs and co-authoring them in collaboration with DEC-affiliated faculty.

Supervisory Responsibility

• May supervise two or more staff members including the Administrative Specialist (position number tbc).

Work Environment

• Some travel for an annual conference and other events in Washington, DC will be required.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Full Time.

• Project Leader/Advisor A.

• Exempt.

• One-year position renewable for up to three years.

• Possible remote/hybrid position.

Salary Range

• $75,000.00 – $80,000.00/year; to commensurate with experience.

Required Education and Experience

• PhD or equivalent.
• The Research Director must have completed (or be nearing completion of) a PhD in a related field such as political science, economics, or public policy.
• This position is appropriate for a recent graduate from a doctoral program.

Preferred Education and Experience

• The successful candidate will be a social scientist with experience collecting data, leading teams, presenting to academic audiences, and/or working with policymakers and practitioners in governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite. Click here to learn about American University’s unique benefit options .

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