Hybrid Senior Director of Research

at HERON

• Job title: Senior Director of Research
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior
• Salary: $184,000 - $220,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Birmingham, United States

About the role

• Senior Director of Research at Heron, overseeing community research to support rural communities. Developing data infrastructure and analytical frameworks to empower distressed areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Heron's comprehensive research agenda across six program areas.
• Serve as a key thought partner to executive leadership on research strategy, community selection, and data-driven decision-making.
• Build Heron's reputation as a credible, innovative source of research and data on rural community health, persistent poverty, and community capitals.
• Build and lead a high-performing research team, including hiring and managing a data analyst and additional research staff.
• Collaborate closely with Community Partnerships Network, Outreach, and Investment teams to ensure research informs all aspects of Heron's work.
• Launch and continuously refine the Heron Community Data Library—an expert-advised set of community vitality indicators linked to human, natural, civic, and economic capital for every U.S. county.
• Partner with research institutions and experts to ensure data quality, accessibility, and usability.
• Create user-friendly tools and guides that enable community partners and other communities to access, interpret, and apply community capitals data.
• Maintain a comprehensive catalog of communities facing persistent poverty in the U.S.
• Establish rigorous, equity-centered parameters for identifying candidate communities for Heron partnerships.
• Track and report on the health of these communities over time using expert-supported methodologies.
• Collaborate with staff to identify and recommend priority communities for development.
• Lead the creation of comprehensive community health profiles for each Heron partner community in collaboration with community members, regional experts, and Heron staff.

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in applied research, community development research, or related fields, including leadership and team management.
• Deep alignment with Heron's mission and principles, including a commitment to community agency, equity, and systems change.
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis, and indicator development.
• Experience developing and managing data systems, libraries, or knowledge platforms.
• Strong understanding of community development, rural economies, persistent poverty, and place-based strategies.
• Proven ability to translate complex research and data into accessible insights for diverse audiences including community leaders, funders, and policymakers.
• Experience conducting participatory or community-engaged research that centers local voice and knowledge.
• Familiarity with impact measurement, asset-based community development, or similar holistic approaches to community health.
• Previous familiarity with community capitals frameworks is desirable.
• Track record of building productive partnerships with academic institutions, research organizations, and community-based organizations.
• Exceptional project management skills with ability to oversee multiple interconnected research initiatives.
• Strong writing and communication skills across formats and audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across internal departments and with external stakeholders.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and building new research infrastructure in an evolving organization.

Benefits

• Heron offers an attractive benefits package