(Senior) Director of Research and Evaluation

About CDI

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing co-curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

About the Role

The (Senior) Director of Research and Evaluation will lead CDI’s research team and oversee the organization’s efforts to measure and communicate our impact. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of research, strategy, and public impact. You’ll guide a talented team—spanning quantitative, qualitative, and UX expertise—to produce rigorous, actionable insights that inform CDI’s programming, strengthen our partnerships with campuses, and advance our public thought leadership.

Reporting to the Chief Impact Officer, the Director will shape CDI’s research and evaluation agenda, ensure quality and consistency across all studies, and build systems that make our data and findings more accessible across the organization. You’ll also collaborate with the VP of Comms to help define CDI’s broader research voice. You will lead teams to conduct studies that advance the field of constructive dialogue as a whole, and translate those insights into publications, presentations, and public engagement that influence the national conversation.

This is a remote position with occasional travel for team retreats and key events.

We’re open to hiring at either the Director or Senior Director level, depending on the candidate’s experience and fit.

Responsibilities

Strategic Direction and Research Design

• Develop and steward a multi-year research and evaluation agenda aligned with CDI’s theories of change and organizational goals.

• Design and oversee studies that assess program effectiveness, participant learning, and institutional impact.

• Lead thought leadership research that explores emerging questions in higher education, civic discourse, and culture change—positioning CDI as a trusted voice in the field.

• Integrate insights from multiple methodologies—quantitative, qualitative, UX, and behavioral science—to tell a coherent story about CDI’s impact and the broader ecosystem in which we work.

• Ensure that research priorities reflect both internal learning needs and external opportunities to advance public understanding.

Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with the Chief Impact Officer and leadership team to translate research insights into organizational strategy.

• Partner with program, partnerships, and communications teams to make findings accessible to campus partners, funders, and the public.

• Serve as a spokesperson for CDI’s research, contributing to external reports, articles, panels, and convenings that advance dialogue and culture change in higher education.

Team Leadership and Management

• Supervise a cross-disciplinary research team, spanning junior to senior contributors with expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods.

• Provide mentorship, performance feedback, and professional development that supports each team member’s growth and accountability.

• Cultivate a collaborative, psychologically safe team culture grounded in curiosity, clarity, and follow-through.

Systems and Infrastructure

• Strengthen research operations, including data management, documentation, dashboards, and internal reporting workflows.

• Establish standards for study design, analysis, and dissemination to promote consistency and rigor across projects.

• Collaborate with quantitative researchers to maintain high-quality evaluation data systems and repositories.

About You

• 8-13 years of experience in applied research, evaluation, or social/behavioral science, ideally in education or nonprofit settings.

• Doctorate in a social or behavioral science field (e.g., psychology, education, political science, sociology, or related discipline) required; in exceptional cases, a master’s degree with extensive applied research leadership experience may be considered.

• Demonstrated success leading mixed-methods research teams and managing complex portfolios.

• Strong conceptual thinker who can connect micro-level program data with macro-level cultural trends.

• 2+ years of people management experience. 

• Excellent written and verbal communicator, with experience translating research into compelling narratives and publications.

• Values curiosity, humility, and collaboration.

• Experience building or scaling research infrastructure is a plus.

Benefits

• Compensation  — $135,000–$165,000, depending on experience and final title (Director or Senior Director)

• A Mission-Driven Culture — we practice what we preach, so our work culture is characterized by intellectual humility, continuous improvement, and open-mindedness

• Remote-First — CDI was founded as a remote-first organization, and we work hard to maintain a strong team culture across vast distances 

• Unlimited PTO — as well as 13 company holidays

• Other Benefits — employer-supported health, vision and dental plans, subsidized parental leave, 3% 401k match, short- and long-term disability insurance, life and AD&D insurance, $1,000 annual professional development budget.