Research Manager

Research Collaborative (RC) seeks a Research Manager to help drive the execution of our research agenda. Reporting to the Deputy Director of Research, the Research Manager will own day-to-day project management across multiple concurrent research projects, lead initial drafting of research instruments and outputs, and help translate strategic and methodological direction into strong, high-quality deliverables. This role is both managerial and hands-on, balancing project planning, research writing, analysis, and staff support.

This is a rare opportunity to contribute meaningfully to efforts to counter fascism in the United States by producing research that informs how pro-democracy organizations communicate, mobilize, and make strategic decisions. The person who will succeed in this role is a highly organized, analytically rigorous operator who can move work from ambiguity to execution quickly and independently. They are a clear, disciplined writer and editor who produces high-quality work under pressure. They are proactive, collaborative,  detail-oriented, and can manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment where the stakes are high and often time-sensitive. 

Organizational Background

Research Collaborative is a public utility for the progressive, pro-democracy movement. We deliver narrative strategy, opinion research, and messaging guidance to counter fascism and advance progress toward a full democracy, where freedom belongs to all of us — no exceptions. We equip movement partners with the tools they need to cut through the noise, activate the public, and reclaim our shared future.

Our work sits at the intersection of research, narrative, and real-world political conditions. We translate public opinion insights into clear, actionable guidance for organizations navigating a rapidly shifting environment.

Key Elements of Work

1. Project management and workflow leadership: Proactively own day-to-day planning and coordination across research projects. Build timelines, track deliverables, anticipate roadblocks, coordinate with partners as needed, and help keep projects moving from scoping through final output. Manage multiple concurrent workstreams while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines. Own the integrity of project details, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and inputs are accurate, up to date, and clearly communicated across stakeholders. Proactively drive projects forward, following up on dependencies and resolving blockers without waiting for direction, while helping to reinforce strong internal systems and research operations across the team.
2. Research instrument drafting and development: Lead first-round drafting and editing of surveys, focus group guides, experiments, and other research tools based on strategic and methodological direction from senior staff. Clarify and refine direction from senior staff when inputs are incomplete, ambiguous, or evolving, and ensure research design remains aligned with strategic goals. Make recommendations on question wording, measurement approach, and research best practices, and conduct rigorous first-round edits of pollster and partner drafts. Be accountable for producing clear and strategically aligned instruments.
3. Research analysis, writing, and synthesis: Analyze findings from surveys, focus groups, and experiments to identify key takeaways, risks, opportunities, and new questions for future research. Draft and edit memos, briefings, and other written products that synthesize research into clear, persuasive, and actionable insights for internal and external audiences. Translate complex findings into concise outputs (e.g., 2-3 page memos, briefings, or guidance documents) that can be used immediately by partners. Review and edit work from internal and external contributors, identifying gaps or inconsistencies and ensuring all outputs meet RC’s standards for clarity, rigor, and usefulness.
4. Staff support and management: Manage, coach, and assign work to part-time research staff, currently including a Research Assistant. Provide day-to-day support to the Research Associate and help reinforce accountability, quality standards, and a collaborative team culture.

• Excellent project manager. Able to manage multiple concurrent projects, build and maintain timelines, help coordinate work internally and across stakeholders, anticipate blockers, and keep work moving. Anticipates potential challenges and risks, addresses issues before they escalate, and identifies opportunities to improve how work is scoped, sequenced, and executed.
• Strong public opinion research experience. Has meaningful experience supporting or managing quantitative and/or qualitative research projects, including independently drafting survey instruments and/or focus group guides, analysis of findings, and drafting research deliverables.
• Excellent writer and communicator. Able to translate complex research findings into clear, concise, and persuasive memos, briefings, and summaries for different audiences. Strong drafter and editor with good judgment about tone, structure, and clarity.
• Analytically rigorous. Brings sound judgment to question wording, instrument design, data interpretation, and synthesis. Able to identify gaps, pressure-test assumptions, and generate strategic takeaways grounded in evidence.
• Supportive collaborator. Able to provide direction, feedback, and support to more junior staff with clarity and accountability. Values teamwork, shared success, and strong communication across roles.
• Impact-oriented. Motivated by advancing pro-democracy work. Understands how research connects to real-world narrative and political outcomes. Comfortable with shared credit.
• Committed to equity. Consider and value the voices of communities that have been most directly impacted by racism and white supremacy in all the work you do. Be able to recognize personal shortcomings when it comes to equity and inclusion, and work proactively to minimize those gaps. Able to support staff with diverse working styles and access needs.
• Flexible. Maintains composure and steadiness under pressure, providing calm and supportive leadership in high-stakes situations. Able to regularly adapt in response to a shifting political environment in an organization that moves quickly. Able to prioritize effectively when demands exceed capacity and make tradeoffs without losing momentum. 

Research has shown that women and members of historically marginalized groups often only apply to jobs when they feel they meet 100% of the qualifications. Please resist that conditioning! We are committed to creating an equitable, inclusive, and diverse company, and we strongly desire applicants with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds. Even if you don’t see yourself fully reflected in every qualification listed, we still encourage you to reach out and apply!

Location

This is a remote position open to candidates anywhere in the United States and will involve occasional travel.

This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $100,000 for a Research Manager. We offer a highly competitive benefits package to support your health, well-being, and growth, including:

• Platinum-level medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family at no cost to you;
• Employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance (with a $50,000 life benefit);
• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave after 12 months of employment;
• Flexible paid time off with no annual cap, in addition to 8 paid holidays and 4 weeks of team downtime;
• An automatic 5% employer contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan, regardless of employee contribution;
• Participation in our Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), which provides up to $250/month for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses, including mental health care;
• A $350/month work-from-home reimbursement, plus a one-time $500 workspace setup stipend and an RC-issued MacBook; and
• Up to $2,000 annually for approved professional development expenses.

How to Apply

We’re looking for a self-starter who is comfortable working independently and in teams, highly responsive, and able to lead initiatives as well as take direction from others. If that’s you, please apply; you will be asked to submit your resume and responses to the prompts below (250-word limit per prompt). 

We will review candidates on a rolling basis and will close the application process on May 12, 2026. You’re encouraged to apply as early as you can, given the high volume of candidates for our previous open positions. 

1. Why do you want to work at Research Collaborative? How does our mission to fight fascism align with your own values and experience? 
2. Describe a time when you had to manage a complex research project. What processes did you implement? How did you overcome logistical roadblocks? 
3. How have you incorporated principles of equity and inclusion into your work, volunteer time, studies, and/or research in the past?
4. Please submit a work sample (not a cover letter) that demonstrates your research communication skills. This can be a memo, an article, or another deliverable that demonstrates how you translate complex findings into clear, persuasive insights. 

Equity Statement

Research Collaborative is committed to building a true democracy — one that is multiracial, equitable, and representative — and we know that begins within our own organization. We work to create a workplace rooted in justice, inclusion, and belonging; where staff are supported to cultivate their strengths, narrow their gaps, and grow through feedback; and center the voices of communities most impacted by racism, White supremacy, and authoritarianism. We especially encourage applications from people who have been historically excluded from political and research spaces, including women, Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people.