Arena Careers

Job Title: Director of Research

Employee Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Reports To: Vice President, Policy & Advocacy

Department: Policy & Advocacy

Entity: NDWA

Hours per Week: Full time

Salary & Job Family: Director 96,913 - 101,340 (commensurate with experience)

Work Location: Remote

BACKGROUND:

The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the leading national voice for dignity, respect, and recognition for domestic workers in the United States. NDWA was founded in 2007 by organizers and worker leaders in six cities representing nannies, house cleaners, and care workers, and now represents an alliance of more than 76 organizations across 22 states and 395,000 domestic workers nationally.

We envision a society where domestic work is valued as essential to our collective well-being, domestic workers are leaders in shaping the care sector, and domestic work jobs are good, economically secure jobs.

For over 15 years, we’ve worked to advance our mission by making domestic work visible. We’ve worked to pass policies that enable rights and higher wages for domestic workers across the country, changed public awareness and opinion about the dignity and value of care work, and built the capacity and leadership of domestic workers to organize and advocate for their rights.

We see the next era of our organization as an opportunity to move domestic work from newfound visibility towards transformation, and we’re ready to elevate care workers to the essential workers of the 21st-century economy.

We’re a multi-racial, multi-lingual organization building a powerful movement rooted in the human rights, dignity, and equality of domestic workers, care workers, immigrant women, and women of color.

POSITION SUMMARY:

As Director of Research at NDWA, you will lead the development and implementation of the organization’s research agenda, aligning with NDWA’s strategic goals and theory of change. This role is pivotal in strengthening NDWA's research capacity while ensuring our research directly informs advocacy, organizing, and policy development. You will lead rigorous research initiatives that use data collected via NDWA channels and by external sources to build a deeper understanding of domestic workers' experiences and evaluate the impact of policies and interventions intended to improve their lives. Working within the Policy & Advocacy department, you will also mentor and build a Research Team dedicated to understanding the experiences and amplifying the voices of domestic workers through rigorous research and insightful analysis.

PRIMARY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the development and implementation of NDWA’s research agenda and strategy that aligns with NDWA’s strategic plan, goals, and theory of change

• Oversee the conduct of periodic online surveys for domestic workers via the organization’s digital media products (including La Alianza), as well as the analysis, interpretation, and communication of data from these surveys.

• Lead and design research projects as Principal Investigator, with a focus on policy impact evaluation and primary research on domestic worker conditions

• Apply advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze large datasets, including survey data, administrative data, and primary data collection

• Produce rigorous, engaging research deliverables (e.g., reports, briefs, presentations, and other materials) that can easily inform multiple audiences, including domestic workers, philanthropic partners, academic and program partners, press, and other external partners

• Lead the development and implementation of research standards and methodological best practices across the team, including establishing protocols for ethical research, data collection, and quality control that align with rigorous social science methods

• Design and implement worker-centered research approaches, including participatory methods and feedback loops with domestic workers, to ensure research methods and findings reflect worker experiences while building research capacity across the team

• Advise internal teams on strategies and methods to understand the characteristics and conditions of domestic workers.

• Build and maintain research partnerships with academic institutions, policy research organizations, and other external collaborators

• Supervise a team of researchers

• Manage team budget, structure, processes and resource allocation

• Lead the development of research grant proposals and manage research project budgets, working in collaboration with development team and external partners

• Work closely with organization leaders to ensure research informs NDWA's work

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Experience & Expertise:

• PhD in economics, sociology, public policy, or related social science field strongly preferred

• Minimum 5 years of experience conducting policy-relevant research using mixed methods approaches

• Demonstrated expertise in quasi-experimental methods and analysis of large datasets

• Proven track record leading complex research projects as Principal Investigator

• Experience developing and implementing research standards and protocols in community-based settings

• Strong quantitative skills with proficiency in statistical software (e.g., Stata, R)

Leadership, Management, and Collaboration:

• Experience managing and mentoring junior researchers. Should demonstrate strong leadership skills, with an emphasis on mentorship, capacity building, and promoting a culture of data literacy and contextual analysis within the organization.

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication abilities, capable of working collaboratively across teams and with external partners. Must be skilled at building relationships, facilitating learning, and mobilizing diverse stakeholders around shared goals and strategies.

• Proven ability to build and maintain research partnerships across academic and community organizations

• Track record of translating complex research for diverse audiences through publications, reports, and presentations

• Strong project management skills with ability to manage multiple concurrent projects

Values & Understanding:

• Deep understanding of domestic worker issues and commitment to worker-centered research approaches

• Alignment with NDWA's vision and commitment to economic, racial, and gender justice

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse staff in a fast-paced, remote environment

Additional:

• Spanish proficiency is a plus

• Ability to travel as needed

How to Apply: Please apply directly to the job posting and send Resume and Cover letter. Applications will only be accepted electronically, and solicitations to individual staff are unlikely to be responded to.

NDWA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

NDWA is a union employer; this position is a bargaining unit position.

NDWA participates in the E-Verify program and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.