[Hiring] Director of Research @Georgetown University

Role Description

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University is dedicated to improving how people experience government by strengthening the design and delivery of public services. The Beeck Center is seeking a Director of Research to lead, scale, and mature the Center’s expanding research offering.

• Refine the strategic direction, operational systems, and methodologies for high-quality, practical, and ethical applied research.
• Focus on critical topics related to digital transformation of government service delivery, including:
  • Human-centered design
  • Product management
  • Data governance
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Public benefits
  • Institutional capacity building
• Translate field-level practitioner insights into scalable research initiatives.
• Establish robust quality control standards, including participant protections and data management standards.
• Serve as a primary spokesperson for the Center's research portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 8 or more years of relevant professional experience OR equivalent experience.
• Proven track record designing and directing applied research initiatives within policy, public administration, data science, civic technology, or related social impact fields.
• Deep knowledge of research design principles, qualitative/quantitative methodologies, ethical and equitable research practices, human-subject protection, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulations.
• Proven ability to build operational infrastructure from the ground up and manage multi-stakeholder portfolios.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate technical or academic concepts into clear, actionable prose.
• Experience supervising professional staff and contractors, creating effective environments for collaboration and review.
• Strong commitment to centering equity, serving the public interest, and building public trust in government.
• Proficiency utilizing collaborative project management software and modern digital publishing or analytics platforms (e.g., Asana, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace).

Requirements

• Graduate degree in public policy, public administration, human-centered design, or a related technology and society discipline (preferred).
• Experience working with or within federal, state, or local government agencies.
• Extensive public speaking, publishing, advocacy, and/or academic citation track record within the public interest technology ecosystem.
• Experience applying accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and universal design principles to digital publications.
• Experience supervising and developing a team.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and competitive benefit package including:
  • Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance
  • Retirement savings
  • Tuition assistance
  • Work-life balance benefits
  • Employee discounts
  • An array of voluntary insurance options