Director, Research & Insights Strategy

Jobs For the Future

Jobs for the Future is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to diversity in its workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status. Jobs for the Future requests priority referrals of Protected Veterans for this job opening, and all other externally posted company employment opportunities.

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers toward a shared North Star:
By 2033, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 250 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what's possible.

Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works for everyone.

Inclusion, belonging, and well-being are core to JFF's North Star and mission, and we seek to invest in and learn from those who represent the communities we serve as it is important to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and career advancement opportunities for all.

JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest level of education attained is less than a 4‑year degree;
People of Color; and people with records to apply to our open roles.

Research and Insights (R&I) brings together impact measurement, market insights, and research under one roof, creating an integrated and strategic approach to how we generate, interpret, and apply evidence. The team functions as a strategic engine to power JFF's reach, effectiveness, and influence. Specifically, R&I seeks to:

• Strengthen programmatic rigor through project-based evaluation and practice-informed evidence
• Advance our North Star Impact Framework and impact ROI frameworks
• Translate data and trends into actionable insights that shape strategy and amplify our influence
• Lead the national conversation on quality jobs through evidence and thought leadership

JFF is seeking a Director, Research & Insights to lead and strengthen our enterprise‑wide impact measurement systems and data infrastructure. This role is ideal for a researcher who thrives at the intersection of research rigor, data strategy, and organizational learning. The Director will support and lead major initiatives including the American Job Quality Survey (AJQS) and North Star measurement, Program Impact Measurement (PIM), and the development of an AI‑powered research repository that centralizes data and insights across JFF.

The Director will also manage a team of researchers, support research activities on select funded projects, and contribute to fundraising and proposal development to expand JFF's research portfolio.

As a strategic partner to the Associate Vice President and senior leadership, the Director will help shape the future of JFF's research portfolio. This includes evaluating tools and methodologies, pinpointing strengths and opportunities, and designing strategies that anticipate long‑term goals. We're building on a strong foundation of work with rich data assets like AJQS and PIM, and now we're ready to take things to the next level.

You'll…