Research Manager

The Aspen Institute; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

The Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program seeks a Research Manager to lead wealth-related research, coordinate analyses, and provide technical support to a growing portfolio of studies. Reporting to the Director of Insights and Evidence, you will manage projects, apply rigorous methods, and collaborate with partners and funders.

In-person at our Washington, DC headquarters is required two days a week, with some remote work.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of applied quantitative research experience.
• Graduate-level research training or equivalent experience required.
• Experience with statistical software (R, Stata, SAS).
• Ability to design research and manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Design, manage, and execute research projects.
• Advance wealth research and measurement projects and analyses.
• Coordinate research across multiple projects and partners.
• Maintain wealth data and document methods for transparency.
• Present findings and insights to partners and funders.

Skills

Quantitative research

Data science methods

Project management

Communication skills

AI tools in analysis

Education

Master’s degree or higher in economics/public policy/statistics

Tools

R

Stata

SAS

AI tools

Job description

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

FINANCIAL SECURITY PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s (Aspen FSP) mission is to illuminate and solve the most critical financial challenges facing American households and to make financial security for all a top national priority. We aim for nothing less than a more inclusive economy with reduced wealth inequality and shared prosperity. We believe that transformational change requires innovation, trust, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking. FSP galvanizes a diverse set of leaders across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to solve the most critical financial challenges. We do this through deep, deliberate private and public dialogues and by elevating evidence-based research and solutions that will strengthen the financial health and security of financially vulnerable Americans. Visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/financial-security-program/

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Research Manager will play a central role in Aspen FSP’s research on household wealth, providing substantive and technical support to an expanding body of work. Reporting to the Director, Insights and Evidence, this role will project manage and execute a range of the program’s new and ongoing wealth research projects, including a primary focus on the essential wealth metric, a new benchmark that measures how much wealth households need to build resilience and thrive. The Research Manager will also provide quantitative and general research support to the Insights and Evidence team and to research efforts across Aspen FSP.

This position is set in a collaborative, ambitious, and fast-paced environment where research is meant to inform real-world decisions. The Research Manager will work closely with colleagues across Aspen FSP and with external partners, funders, and stakeholders, many of whom are not researchers. Much of this work requires drawing key and timely insights from a range of sources. This role calls for a strong command of rigorous methods balanced with the creativity and flexibility to develop and test new concepts and make meaning from data, including when the data have known constraints. The role is ideal for someone who can take a problem, co-develop an approach, carry the work forward with independence and sound judgment, and come back with results and a clear view of why they matter.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 – $105,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Research Manager is expected to be in-person with colleagues at Aspen’s Washington, D.C. headquarters a minimum of two days a week while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Design, manage, and execute research projects

• Serve a key role in advancing critical FSP research projects, including the co-development and execution of new and ongoing analyses that provide actionable insights to strengthen household financial well-being.
• Conduct new and ongoing essential wealth research and measurement projects, including:
  • Partnering with the Director, Insights and Evidence, on new analyses, and contributing ideas and analysis to inform where the work goes next.
  • Coordinating research across multiple projects and partners, keeping work on track, and ensuring follow-through on commitments.
  • Leading routine maintenance, updates, and analysis of the essential wealth data, and documenting methods and analytic decisions so the work is transparent and reproducible.
  • Serving as a go-to resource for colleagues and partners on what the data show and how to interpret them.
• Carry projects from a jointly developed approach through to completion with initiative and limited direction, making and owning analytic decisions along the way, and presenting the results and why they matter.
• Pitch in across the Insights and Evidence team and FSP as needed, including conducting interviews, desk research, and literature reviews, supporting writing, and leading smaller and more contained projects on emerging issues.

Advise on and strengthen research methods

• Provide quantitative research and analysis support to the Insights and Evidence team and program teams across Aspen FSP, including advising on research design, data sources, and methods, and supporting quality control on analyses, figures, and data-driven claims.
• Help develop and implement AI-enabled research approaches and infrastructure that expand the team’s capacity for quick-turn statistical analysis and rapid literature reviews.

Engage external partners and audiences

• Present the work to partner, practitioner, and other stakeholder audiences; prepare background research and materials that showcase Aspen FSP’s research capacity; flag opportunities for related work; and contribute technical expertise to funder engagement and stewardship.
• Manage ongoing working relationships with staff of partner organizations; build and maintain trusting and effective relationships through credibility, reliability, and clear and timely communication.
• Attend and represent Aspen FSP at external meetings and public events, and support convenings, including preparation and thoughtful substantive notes.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in applied quantitative research; experience with program evaluation or performance management/measurement is a plus.
• Graduate-level research training (e.g., a Master’s degree or higher in economics, public policy, sociology, statistics, or a related field) or equivalent experience required.
• Experience with and strong command of quantitative and data science methods, balanced with the creativity and flexibility to develop and test concepts and surface insights from existing data with known constraints.
• Meaningful experience with statistical software (e.g., R, Stata, SAS).
• Demonstrated skill in research design and project management, including managing multiple projects and competing priorities at once.
• Comfort and experience moving work forward independently, making and owning analytic decisions, and making recommendations.
• A practical approach to working with non-research partners, both in translating results and in proposing new work that is responsive to the audience and opportunity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and relationship management skills, including the ability to produce written products that need minimal editing.
• Experience with research on economic policy issues (e.g., income, education, economic mobility) strongly preferred; familiarity with household finance and financial security research and literature is a plus.
• Comfort using, learning, and experimenting with AI tools in data analysis and research; experience preferred but not required.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

While not a minimum or mandatory qualification, we strongly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups and those with first-hand experience of financial insecurity to apply for this role.

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email [e-mail] or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.