Associate Director, Research Advisory Services (Advancement & Financial Sustainability)

EAB; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 70,500 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO

401(k) matching

Wellness programs

Job summary

EAB, a leading education research and advisory firm, seeks an Associate Director, Research Advisory Services (Advancement & Financial Sustainability) to guide engagement with university leaders, craft strategic terrain analyses, and deliver compelling, data-driven recommendations.

The role spends ~80% of time in market with 40–50% travel; base salary ranges from $70,500 to $95,000, plus discretionary bonus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with strong academic record and 5+ years of post-graduate experience, or 4+ years with an advanced degree.
• Experience working with client executives at colleges/universities or as a consultant.
• Excellent verbal, written, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to tell a compelling story through data visualization, graphics, and slides.
• Strong relationship-building and collaboration with senior-level leaders.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain issue expertise across research terrains to guide advancement and fundraising strategy.
• Deliver EAB insights through phone consultations, virtual meetings, and on-campus presentations.
• Support sales in new partner development and account expansion.
• Collaborate with partners to diagnose problems and propose effective solutions.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Facilitation

Presentation skills

Relationship building

Data visualization

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We tailor our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

We serve not only our partner institutions but each other — we are committed to ensuring our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we’ve been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards. For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief

Associate Director, Research Advisory Services (Advancement & Financial Sustainability)

EAB is the leading global provider of research and advice to higher education and K-12 institutions. Our research programs help executives at client organizations educate stakeholders, make research-informed decisions, and speed implementation of industry best practices.

Research Advisory Services (RAS) is a division within our research business, providing consultative support and expert advice to our education clients. RAS staff work directly with boards, presidents, and other senior academic and business leaders to help them make meaningful and strategic progress toward financial and mission-consequential issues. Through strong communication and storytelling, RAS provides high-impact, outcome-focused presentations, workshops, and unscripted conversations to help partners understand and implement EAB’s advice. We deliver our advice through peer conferences, expert phone consultations, virtual meetings, and onsite at client institutions. In addition to working with current clients, our advisors also support sales efforts in new client development.

This position will spend about 80% of time in the market, working with partners both in-person and virtually. The position requires 40-50% travel. This hire may be based in Washington, D.C.; Richmond, VA; or remote within the continental United States.

This position is posted at the Director level as well; candidates are considered across both levels for the current opening. The official and internal title is expected to align with business norms. RAS team members bring subject-matter expertise and an understanding of the broader higher education landscape to support EAB’s partners and prospective partners.

Primary Responsibilities

• Terrain Mastery: Build and maintain issue expertise across research terrains, with a focus on those most important to university executives and their teams. Deliver dynamic strategy to guide transformation, advancement and fundraising strategy, campaign readiness and execution, and donor and alumni engagement. Store and curate EAB’s perspective across terrains to provide partners quick access to advice.
• The ideal candidate will have experience working with senior institutional leaders and advancement organizations through practitioner, consulting, or advisory roles. Ability to engage effectively with advancement and cabinet leaders while maintaining strategic and operational fluency within the RAS model.
• Leverage EAB’s insights, best practices, tools, and data to help partners make decisions, implement best practices, and develop a deep understanding of terrain, market trends, and evolving client needs.

• Content Delivery and Facilitation: Work directly with partners to diagnose problems, challenge assumptions, guide decisions, and suggest solutions. Deliver EAB’s point of view through phone consultations, virtual meetings, conferences, and on-campus presentations to:
• Make EAB insights and data accessible and impactful, bringing clarity and context to challenges.
• Present partners with new ideas and potential solutions and advocate for adoption.
• Act as an expert outside voice, building consensus and educating committees and staff.

• Customer Success and Commercial Support: Collaborate with the research customer success team to execute a scalable and impactful partner delivery model and deliver high-impact client interactions. Support sales in new partner development.

• Research Collaboration: Leverage terrain expertise to generate original insight and content in assigned areas (e.g., blogs, briefings, presentations). Participate in ongoing research processes and share market insights with research colleagues to inform future EAB insights and deliverables.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with an excellent academic record and 5+ years of post-graduate professional experience, or 4+ years with an advanced degree.
• Experience working with client executives at colleges/universities, districts, schools, or as a consultant or advisor.
• Superior verbal, written, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to create a compelling narrative through data visualization, graphics, and slides.
• Excellent relationship-building and collaboration skills; ability to engage and challenge senior-level executives.

Ideal Qualifications

• Advanced degree.
• In-depth understanding of the education industry and the role of senior leadership in setting strategy.
• Ability to distill market and terrain insights from client interactions.
• Experience producing written content for executive-level audiences (blogs, reports, briefings).
• Commitment to continual learning and contributing to a culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission and values.

If you’re unsure about applying, please apply. We welcome new perspectives and learning from diverse experiences.

Compensation

The anticipated starting base salary range is $70,500 – $95,000 per year. Actual salary varies based on experience, skills, and location. A discretionary bonus or incentive compensation may apply.

Benefits

EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, plus holidays
• Daytime leave for community service and flextime for fitness activities
• 401(k) with annual discretionary company matching
• Health savings account and pre-tax flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program and wellness programs
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phased return to work
• Support for travel nursing and other supports as applicable
• Life, AD&D, and disability insurance; financial wellness resources
• Employee resource groups and opportunities for growth
• Benefits kick in day one; details at eab.com/careers/benefits

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time. EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis required by law.