Director of Research

Jobtailor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Airbel Impact Lab in New York seeks a senior researcher to lead high-impact research, shape agendas, and guide teams across humanitarian contexts.

You will foster partnerships, drive data-informed decision making, and advance ethical data use while scaling evidence generation for global impact.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a field related to development and humanitarian intervention.
• 10+ years in research, with significant humanitarian/development context experience.
• Experience designing research and managing teams in low-resource environments.
• Fluency in translating empirical evidence for technical/implementing teams.
• Fluency with AI- and data-science-enabled research methods.
• Track record of modernizing or accelerating research processes.
• Business development for research projects with public and private donors.
• Experience developing research strategy across a large international org.
• Strong publication record and network in humanitarian research communities.
• Excellent leadership and management competencies.
• Strong public speaking and writing skills.
• French, Arabic, or Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Oversee research agendas and manage select research teams to deliver high-quality research.
• Provide strategic direction to research agendas across select outcome areas.
• Engage technical units to use evidence to improve impact, equity, influence, and scale.
• Lead research teams and projects to deliver ambitious workplans.
• Oversee workforce planning and identify staffing gaps.
• Support team members and foster professional development and research excellence.
• Oversee the research community of practice across IRC countries.
• Lead strategic, cross-sectoral research projects and flagship projects for evidence generation at scale.
• Identify and shape research and funding opportunities.
• Serve as principal investigator on key research projects.
• Drive adoption of AI and data science tools across the research lifecycle.
• Present, publish, and represent IRC research and innovation externally.
• Cultivate relationships across IRC departments and represent the Airbel Impact Lab to senior leaders.

Skills

English fluency

AI & data-science research methods

Leadership & management

Public speaking

Education

Ph.D. in development or humanitarian intervention

Tools

AI Tools

Data science tools

Research management systems

Version control

Job description

• Oversee research agendas and manage select research teams to deliver high-quality research
• Provide strategic direction to research agendas across select outcome areas
• Engage technical units and research teams to use evidence to improve impact, equity, influence, and scale
• Lead research teams and projects to deliver ambitious workplans
• Oversee workforce planning and identify staffing gaps
• Support team members and foster professional development and research excellence
• Oversee the research community of practice across IRC countries
• Lead strategic, cross-sectoral research projects and flagship projects for evidence generation at scale
• Identify and shape research and funding opportunities
• Serve as principal investigator on key research projects
• Strengthen organizational systems for ethical analysis and responsible data use
• Serve as IRC's Institutional Review Board Chair
• Drive adoption of AI and data science tools across the research lifecycle
• Support country and regional teams with high-quality data collection
• Improve research systems for data collection, cleaning, coding, analysis, writing, and dissemination
• Strengthen systems for data storage, sharing, analysis, version control, and reproducibility
• Develop research partnerships at country, regional, and global levels
• Present, publish, and represent IRC research and innovation externally
• Cultivate relationships across IRC departments and represent the Airbel Impact Lab to senior leaders
• Collaborate on research communications with Technical Units, Communications, and Advocacy
• Raise funds for the research agenda and systems
• Oversee budgets and financial health of research teams, initiatives, and projects

Requirements

• Ph.D. in a field related to development and humanitarian intervention (e.g., economics, epidemiology, political science)
• 10+ years in research, with significant experience in humanitarian or development contexts
• Extensive experience designing research and managing research teams in low-resource environments
• Fluency in translating empirical evidence for technical and implementing teams
• Fluency with AI- and data-science-enabled research methods
• Track record of modernizing or accelerating research processes
• Demonstrated success in business development for research projects with public and private donors
• Experience developing and driving research strategy and learning agendas across a large, complex international organization
• Strong record of publication and authorship/co-authorship of peer-reviewed articles
• Strong professional network in humanitarian and development research communities
• Very strong leadership and management competencies
• Excellent public speaking and writing skills
• Fluency in English required
• Proficiency in French, Arabic, or Spanish is a plus

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading research teams and projects, with a strong focus on evidence generation, ethical data use, and strategic direction in humanitarian and development contexts. Proven ability to cultivate partnerships, drive funding opportunities, and enhance research systems for data management and analysis.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Ph.D. In Development Or Humanitarian Intervention
• 10+ Years In Research
• Fluency In AI And Data-Science-Enabled Research Methods
• Strong Record Of Publication In Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Very Strong Leadership And Management Competencies

Hard Skills

• Research Design
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Research Strategy Development
• Ethical Data Use
• Budget Management
• Business Development
• Publication And Authorship
• Research Team Management
• Evidence Translation

Soft Skills

• Public Speaking
• Writing Skills
• Relationship Building
• Team Support
• Professional Development

Certifications & Qualifications

• Institutional Review Board Chair

Industry Keywords

• Humanitarian Research
• Development Research
• Low-Resource Environments
• Funding Opportunities
• Research Community Engagement

Tools & Technologies

• AI Tools
• Data Science Tools
• Research Management Systems
• Data Storage Solutions
• Version Control Systems