Senior Impact Researcher

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing co-curricular programming for students professional development for faculty and staff and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

CDI is looking for a Senior Impact Researcher to own our evaluation agenda end-to-end designing and executing impact and efficacy studies building the measurement systems and analytical workflows behind them and translating findings into insight that reaches academic practitioner funder and public audiences.

This is a role for someone who cares as much about how research lands as how its designed combining deep methodological expertise with a genuine commitment to public-facing communication. Youll work at the intersection of rigorous social science and real-world organizational impact contributing to both CDIs mission and the broader field of constructive dialogue.

This role reports to the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation and works in close collaboration with three key peers on the Research and Evaluation team: the Research Scientist who brings subject-matter expertise in moral psychology dialogue and bridge-building; the Senior Research Associate who owns research operations survey administration and UX research; and the Senior Data Scientist who owns the data infrastructure and reporting systems that evaluation workflows depend on.

Program Evaluation & Impact Research (50%)

• Own CDIs impact and efficacy research portfolio including pre-post evaluations quasi-experimental studies and randomized controlled trials conducted in partnership with university collaborators.

• Lead all phases of evaluation work: research design measurement development data collection planning analysis interpretation and reporting.

• Develop revise test and validate assessment measures including self-report surveys behavioral indicators and emerging measurement approaches.

• Build and maintain reproducible analytical workflows and documentation standards that support rigorous auditable research.

External Communication & Field Contribution (30%)

• Through various written and oral formats communicate research findings to diverse external audiences including university partners funders academic and practitioner communities and the general public.

• Represent CDIs research with accuracy clarity and appropriate nuance in a manner consistent with CDIs values and nonpartisan commitments.

• Contribute to CDIs external credibility and thought leadership in the fields of evaluation dialogue education and bridge-building.

• Collaborate with Growth Education and Product teams to translate findings into program improvements and partner-facing materials.

Research Systems & Collaboration (20%)

• Partner with the Senior Data Scientist to ensure measurement and data collection workflows are well-integrated into reporting infrastructure and stakeholder-facing outputs.

• Collaborate with the Senior Research Associate on qualitative data collection coding and synthesis and on the operational systems that support study execution.

• Build evaluation fluency across the team by helping colleagues develop shared language around measurement concepts study findings and their implications.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Education and Growth teams to align evaluation priorities with organizational needs.

• 5 years of experience leading applied social science research including program evaluation or impact studies outside of purely academic settings.

• Strong command of quantitative research design and advanced statistical methods (e.g. multilevel modeling mediation/moderation longitudinal analysis experimental and quasi-experimental designs).

• Experience designing and executing evaluations of interventions or programs including in field (non-lab) settings.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including demonstrated ability to write for non-academic audiences.

• Experience presenting or publishing research findings for practitioner funder or public audiences.

Preferred

• Experience with mixed-methods research including qualitative data collection and synthesis.

• PhD in psychology education or a related quantitative social science field

• Familiarity with higher education civic learning or dialogue/bridge-building contexts.

• Experience programming in R; proficiency with reproducible research workflows.

• Knowledge of implementation science or improvement science frameworks.

• Experience collaborating with or advising product or education teams on measurement and evaluation.

• Compensation $130000-$140000

• A Mission-Driven Culture we practice what we preach so our work culture is characterized by intellectual humility continuous improvement and open-mindedness

• Remote-First CDI was founded as a remote-first organization and we work hard to maintain a strong team culture across vast distances

• Unlimited PTO as well as 13 company holidays

• Remote Work Support up to $500 reimbursed for home office equipment (like desks chairs or webcams) and up to $50/month reimbursed for home internet or cell phone expenses

• Other Benefits employer-supported health vision and dental plans subsidized parental leave 3% 401k match short- and long-term disability insurance life and AD&D insurance $1000 annual professional development budget

• Reports to: Senior Director of Research and Evaluation

• Schedule: Full-time flexible within U.S. time zones

• Target start date: ASAP

• Location: Remote must be based in the U.S.

• Travel: twice a year for CDIs in-person gatherings and approximately once a quarter to represent CDI at conferences or funder events.