Research Manager at Research Collaborative in Remote

Research Collaborative (RC) seeks a Research Manager to help drive the execution of our research agenda. Reporting to the Deputy Director of Research, the Research Manager will own day-to-day project management across multiple concurrent research projects, lead initial drafting of research instruments and outputs, and help translate strategic and methodological direction into strong, high-quality deliverables. This role is both managerial and hands-on, balancing project planning, research writing, analysis, and staff support.

This is a rare opportunity to contribute meaningfully to efforts to counter fascism in the United States by producing research that informs how pro-democracy organizations communicate, mobilize, and make strategic decisions. The person who will succeed in this role is a highly organized, analytically rigorous operator who can move work from ambiguity to execution quickly and independently. They are a clear, disciplined writer and editor who produces high-quality work under pressure. They are proactive, collaborative,  detail-oriented, and can manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment where the stakes are high and often time-sensitive. 

Organizational Background

Research Collaborative is a public utility for the progressive, pro-democracy movement. We deliver narrative strategy, opinion research, and messaging guidance to counter fascism and advance progress toward a full democracy, where freedom belongs to all of us — no exceptions. We equip movement partners with the tools they need to cut through the noise, activate the public, and reclaim our shared future.

Our work sits at the intersection of research, narrative, and real-world political conditions. We translate public opinion insights into clear, actionable guidance for organizations navigating a rapidly shifting environment.

Key Elements of Work

1. Project management and workflow leadership: Proactively own day-to-day planning and coordination across research projects. Build timelines, track deliverables, anticipate roadblocks, coordinate with partners as needed, and help keep projects moving from scoping through final output. Manage multiple concurrent workstreams while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines. Own the integrity of project details, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and inputs are accurate, up to date, and clearly communicated across stakeholders. Proactively drive projects forward, following up on dependencies and resolving blockers without waiting for direction, while helping to reinforce strong internal systems and research operations across the team.
2. Research instrument drafting and development: Lead first-round drafting and editing of surveys, focus group guides, experiments, and other research tools based on strategic and methodological direction from senior staff. Clarify and refine direction from senior staff when inputs are incomplete, ambiguous, or evolving, and ensure research design remains aligned with strategic goals. Make recommendations on question wording, measurement approach, and research best practices, and conduct rigorous first-round edits of pollster and partner drafts. Be accountable for producing clear and strategically aligned instruments.
3. Research analysis, writing, and synthesis: Analyze findings from surveys, focus groups, and experiments to identify key takeaways, risks, opportunities, and new questions for future research. Draft and edit memos, briefings, and other written products that synthesize research into clear, persuasive, and actionable insights for internal and external audiences. Translate complex findings into concise outputs (e.g., 2-3 page memos, briefings, or guidance documents) that can be used immediately by partners. Review and edit work from internal and external contributors, identifying gaps or inconsistencies and ensuring all outputs meet RC’s standards for clarity, rigor, and usefulness.
4. Staff support and management: Manage, coach, and assign work to part-time research staff, currently including a Research Assistant. Provide day-to-day support to the Research Associate and help reinforce accountability, quality standards, and a collaborative team culture.