Research Director

Do you have a passion for conducting research and a strong desire to help the animal advocacy movement be the best it can be? You may be the new Research Director Faunalytics is looking for.

Faunalytics is now hiring A Research Director! As one of the leaders of our organization, the Research Director is responsible for our Original Research and Research Support programs. Read on to learn more about the position and how to apply!

About Faunalytics:

Faunalytics is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization with a mission to empower animal advocates with research, strategies, and messages that maximize their effectiveness to end animal suffering. Our work involves conducting original research on topics that are important to the farmed animal protection movement, maintaining an extensive research library on all animal topics/issues, and supporting other nonprofits and animal advocates to ensure they have the insight and information they need to make this world a better place for animals. We are proud to have been named a Recommended Charity in animal protection by Animal Charity Evaluators since 2015.

Our small, tight-knit team is not only dedicated to advancing animal advocacy through research, but we’re also committed to maintaining the collaborative and supportive culture that makes us unique. Our organizational values revolve around compassion, collaboration, curiosity, and of course, staying true to the data.

About The Position:

Faunalytics is now seeking a Research Director! As one of the senior leaders of our organization, the Research Director is responsible for our Original Research and Research Support programs as well as the organization’s impact monitoring and evaluation. They are the highest scientific authority for all of Faunalytics’ programs and resources, and are responsible for ensuring that all research activities are conducted in compliance with quality, legal, and ethical guidelines.

Success in the position requires deep expertise in applied social science, a strong understanding of research methodologies, excellent leadership and communication skills, and broad knowledge of the animal protection movement.

Faunalytics is committed to transparency. This is a newly vacated position, and we invite interested candidates to learn more about our previous Research Director’s departure here.

Responsibilities

1. Working closely with the Executive Director to set the direction for the original research program, as part of overall organizational strategy (25%). This includes:
   1. Contributing ideas and recommendations to strategic planning
   2. Ideating and leading research program initiatives
   3. Prioritization of research topics and studies
2. Providing scientific oversight for the organization (30%). This includes:
   1. Directly supervising our Projects Manager and a small team of Research Scientists
   2. Reviewing research team outputs at all key stages (i.e., research design, analysis, report writing)
   3. Providing scientific review to other teams when they undertake research or research-adjacent activities
   4. Creating, maintaining, and ensuring compliance with policies and processes for the quality, ethical conduct, and legality of research
3. Leading internal impact monitoring and evaluation process (20%). This includes:
   1. Designing and overseeing impact measurement surveys
   2. Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting results for board and leadership
   3. Reviewing impact monitoring tools and processes on a regular basis
4. Representing Faunalytics as a leader in research strategy for the animal protection movement (15%). This includes:
   1. Attending and presenting at conferences (travel required 3-5 times per year)
   2. Attending strategic initiatives and workshops
   3. Building and maintaining relationships with other research organizations and leaders in the movement
   4. Participating in media and podcast interviews
5. Overseeing and developing the Research Support program (10%). This includes:
   1. Working with the team to create new resources for our Research Advice hub page
   2. Fielding and vetting requests from other organizations to conduct collaborative research projects

Essential Qualifications

The Research Director must be a scientific expert with a strong track record of experience in applied research. In addition to having social science and leadership experience, the Research Director must meet certain qualifications. Here is what our Hiring Committee will look for:

Connection to our mission:

• Belief in and commitment to Faunalytics’ mission
• Passion for animal advocacy and evidence-based decision-making

Education and experience:

• A PhD in sociology, social psychology, or related disciplines is preferred; however, Faunalytics values practical experience in research for advocacy purposes and would consider candidates with a Masters degree who can demonstrate such experience.
• Experience leading or directing a research team:
  • For candidates with a PhD: 3+ years
  • For candidates with a Masters: 5+ years
• Experience conducting or leading applied research for lay users
  • For candidates with a PhD: 5+ years
  • For candidates with a Masters: 8+ years
• Experience considering research ethics, as well as principles of inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility in research
• Experience using research to develop strategy

Ideal candidates will also have the following skills:

• A strong understanding of research methods and statistics
• An unwavering commitment to research quality and transparency
• An understanding of the challenges and opportunities of applied research
• Excellence in leadership, with the ability to coach researchers to succeed
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively remotely and in collaboration with diverse groups of people

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong understanding of the farmed animal protection movement
• Experience overseeing multinational or multicultural research
• Experience with impact monitoring and evaluation
• Experience with Open Science
• Experience with survey platforms (e.g., Qualtrics, Zoho)
• Experience with statistical software, especially R
• Experience managing project budgets
• Familiarity with Google Workspace and Asana

Details:

• Reports to: Executive Director
• Schedule: Full time (40 hours/week)
• Salary: Approximately $81,000 USD (salary will be determined using our compensation algorithm, which makes slight adjustments for employees living in areas with an above average cost of living).
  • Note: We offer only the algorithmically generated salary, without the option to negotiate. Our intention is to reduce risk of racial and gender wage gaps that come from differences in willingness or ability to negotiate.
• Vacation Package: 15 paid vacation days, 10 paid floating holidays, 10 paid self care/sick days. PTO increases after three and five years with the organization, and sabbaticals are offered after ten years with the organization.
• Benefits: Health care, vision, and dental stipend; equipment stipend; paid professional development opportunities; and 2% retirement matching.
• Location: Permanently remote in the United States or Canada.
  • Note: Faunalytics is not set up administratively to hire outside these countries. While we sincerely wish we could consider candidates based elsewhere, applications from anyone based in other countries (including U.S. and Canadian citizens living in other countries) will not be considered.

Application Timeline and Process:

• September onward: Accepting applications.
• October 18, 2024: Application review begins. While we will accept applications on a rolling basis, we encourage interested candidates to apply by or before this date. Learn more about how we assess applications below.
• Early November: Select candidates will be invited to a 30 minute video interview with two Faunalytics team members.
• Mid November: Semi-finalists will be invited to a 30 minute video interview with two Faunalytics team members.
• Late November: Finalists will be invited to a 60 minute interview with Faunalytics’ Executive Director and a Board Member. Finalists will also be asked to complete a short work task prior to their final interview. Finalists who are not selected for the role will receive a small stipend in appreciation for their time spent on this process.
• Early December: Reference checks will be conducted and a hiring decision made.
• The target start date is January 2, 2025.

How to Apply:

Please complete this application form and attach your resume as a PDF at the end of the form. Please do not include a headshot in your resume.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but all applications will be processed in strict confidentiality. We sincerely thank all candidates for their time and interest.

Commitment to Equitable Hiring Practices:

Faunalytics strives to remove bias from our hiring processes to the best of our ability. All personal/identifying information (e.g., name, email) is removed from the form responses before our hiring committee reviews them. We also use the software Redactable to hide unnecessary information from resumes (e.g., name, university names and graduation years, etc.) so that our hiring committee can focus on your experience and qualifications.

Furthermore, while we appreciate candidate endorsements from our network, we ask that you refrain from emailing us recommendations and instead forward this job ad to anyone you think would be a strong fit for the position.

Lastly, although we love the enthusiasm, we are unable to take meetings with candidates hoping to talk to us in advance about the role.

Commitment to Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunities:

At Faunalytics our mission is to empower the animal protection community, and that means supporting advocates from all backgrounds and walks of life. We celebrate diversity in the movement, we’re committed to promoting diversity within our organization, and we believe that animal advocacy will be stronger when equity and inclusion are priorities. We strongly encourage women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, persons living with disabilities, and people of varied national origins to apply for this position, even if you don’t meet 100% of the criteria listed above.

Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility is available here.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, size, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Our Non-Discrimination And Anti-Harassment Policy is available here.