POSITION: Lead Researcher

Director of Research

N/A

35-hour work week, Monday through Friday

Flexible. In-person attendance is expected during our annual, weeklong all-staff summit. Additionally, participation for in-person meetings is expected at least once per year for most employees, and at least once per quarter for senior leaders.

$65,000 - $90,000 (this range is for the NYC area and will be adjusted for other localities; additionally, factors like skills and experience will be considered).

Health insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement contribution with additional option for a match, paid life insurance and AD&D, paid leave time (PTO, bereavement, volunteer, holiday, parental), short-term and long-term disability, pre-tax transit, flexible spending accounts, supplemental insurance, summer hours, and PSLF Program eligible employer.

The Research team leverages Candid's comprehensive data about nonprofits and grantmaking to shed light on the state of the social sector. As a member of a collaborative team, the Lead Researcher works on Candid's research agenda, building knowledge about the sector's scope, equity, economics, and impact. The Lead Researcher conducts and contributes to all aspects of research projects, including creating research hypotheses and proposals, cleaning data, conducting analyses, writing results, and disseminating findings.

• Work with a team to formulate and answer research questions about the social sector using Candid's data.
• Identify and employ strategies to retrieve, analyze, and summarize quantitative data about nonprofit organizations and grantmaking.
• Use research results to write reports, fact sheets, blogs, and other knowledge resources to share learnings about the sector.
• Interpret and explain complex data in a way that is accessible to a broad and varied audience.
• Develop and administer surveys and analyze the data.
• Conduct literature reviews.
• Collect, clean, and code qualitative and quantitative data.
• Respond to internal and external research requests.
• Work with the Communications and Brand Awareness team to develop content related to research projects, including social media and press releases.
• Occasionally, present research findings to internal or external audiences via webinars and at conferences.

Required Skills

• B.A./B.S. in a related field (e.g., economics, statistics, data science, public policy, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership) with minimum three years professional research experience. Advanced degree a plus. Equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Preference for working in a strongly collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment.
• Knowledge of research methods and principles of statistics.
• Experience with advanced statistical modeling and/or data science techniques (e.g., network analysis, latent class analysis, random forest).
• Demonstrated ability to conduct statistical analysis using Python or R.
• Aptitude and willingness to learn new applications as opportunity and need develops.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain research methods and results to a mainstream audience.
• Knowledge of Office 365 applications; proficiency in Excel.
• Exceptional attention to detail, strong problem-solving ability and logical reasoning skills, and the ability to detect anomalies in data.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with ability to juggle multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Willingness to perform other duties and special projects as needed/requested.
• Sensitivity and respect for racial, gender, sexual orientation, and cultural differences.
• Champions and represents Candid's core values: We are driven, direct, accessible, curious, and inclusive.

Preferred Skills

• Research-focused graduate degree in related field.
• Experience working with large data sets.
• Ability to work in SQL Server Management Studio to write SQL queries drawing from large relational databases.
• Experience with data visualization (e.g., Tableau).
• Experience publishing research (in either academic or applied outlets).
• Familiarity with research and data on nonprofits and philanthropy.
• Experience working with nonprofits and/or mission-driven work.

Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, we connect people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Our data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world.

Candid's vision is an ambitious one. But we know that when we make investments in our talent, it translates to more access and better knowledge for those working for social good around the world.

On February 1, 2019, Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.