National Journal is looking for a curious and innovative people leader to serve as a Director of our Social Impact and Reputational Risk research service, heading our newest team of researchers and consultants.

National Journal is a premier research and insights company committed to helping organizations effectively navigate Washington. Best known as one of Washington’s most trusted media brands for nearly 50 years, our expertise is unmatched with teams of specialists dedicated to government affairs, communications, and political research, in addition to exceptional journalism. Our mission is to equip the thousands of government and business leaders in the nation’s capital with the intelligence, insights, and connections they need to save time, increase efficiency, and deliver success. 

What is National Journal’s Social Impact & Reputational Risk Service?

National Journal’s newest venture is a research service that helps Fortune 500 companies make informed decisions about when and how to engage on societal issues, such as racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, climate, and human rights. We support clients by monitoring the current conversation around these issues, benchmarking our clients’ actions in comparison to their peers, and analyzing the advantages and risks of engaging on specific issues. 

Position in Brief:

The Director is responsible for leading dynamic teams of researchers and consultants in delivering insightful analytic products to Fortune 500 clients. They work with our analytic teams as well as our technology providers to extract relevant data from traditional and social media and translate that data into actionable insights on business risk and opportunity. They are responsible for coaching and mentoring our analysts through the research and presentation processes and coordinating research timelines across multiple projects. 

The Director presents work to clients, leads client conversations and feedback sessions, and provides critical product support to sales and renewals. They work closely with other members of the NSI leadership team to develop new and innovative approaches to our analytic work and drive the strategy of the research practice. The Director will help clients intelligently navigate a range of societal issue topics, including reproductive rights, climate and sustainability, and racial equity issues. 

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated qualitative research and analysis capabilities and a demonstrated track record of success in serving clients. They will have promising early leadership experience and a strong desire to develop into a competent manager and inspired leader.

 Core day-to-day responsibilities could include: 

• Managing a team of 4-6 research analysts, overseeing their work, and coaching them on their performance and growth. 

• Researching a wide range of societal issues and leading analysts in developing smart and nuanced thinking about them.

• Helping analysts and NSI leadership manage multiple projects across the analytic team and project future capacity against revenue.

• Leading client briefings and supporting client feedback sessions, serving as a client’s strategic advisor in evaluating business risk. 

• Providing product support to the revenue team in pursuing new sales and renewals.

• Thinking creatively about how to evolve the current product offering, improving our ability to deliver tight consulting products as well as suggesting new products and methodologies to pursue.

• Working with other members of the NSI leadership team to sustain a culture that values pursuit of excellence, radical responsibility, curiosity, and mutual respect and inclusivity. 

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate:

• 4-7 years of experience in qualitative research, policy analysis, consulting, and/or client services. Experience at a consulting or communications firm is a plus, but a range of backgrounds will be considered.

• The ability to highlight key insights within a complex set of qualitative data, synthesize large amounts of information, and then clearly explain these insights to clients.

• A deep curiosity and demonstrated ability to quickly get up to speed and extract insights on new topics. 

• A skilled project manager, able to independently manage competing priorities and adhere to timelines.

• A strong writer able to clearly frame issues for a variety of audiences; some experience with PowerPoint or other visual presentation formats highly preferred.

• Excellent interpersonal skills. Experience supporting the sales process or in client relations is a plus.

• A promising people leader with an early track record of success and a desire to develop strong management and leadership skills.

• A full course of the COVID-19 vaccination is required for employment at National Journal

• Earned Bachelor's degree required.

Employment Type: Full-time

Compensation: The salary range for this role is $85,000-$100,000

Remote Status: Hybrid work environment, based in Washington DC on Tuesdays and Thursdays

National Journal, LLC. and its affiliates ("National Journal") are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.