About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Associate Director, Research Advisory Services

EAB is the leading global provider of research and advice to higher education and K-12 institutions. Our research programs help executives at client organizations educate stakeholders, make research-informed decisions, and speed implementation of industry best practices.

EAB Research Advisory Services (RAS) is a division within our research business, providing consultative support and expert advice to our education clients. RAS staff work directly with boards, presidents, and other senior academic and business leaders to help them make meaningful and strategic process toward their most pressing financial and mission-consequential issues. Through strong communication and storytelling, RAS provides high-impact, outcome-focused presentations, workshops, and unscripted conversations to help partners understand and implement EAB’s advice.

We deliver our advice to clients through peer conferences, expert phone consultations, virtual meetings, and onsite at client institutions. In addition to working with current clients, our advisors also support sales efforts in new client development.

This position requires 40 - 50% travel and the hire will spend about 80% of time in the market, working with partners both in-person and virtually. This position is based in Washington, D.C. or open to remote employment within the continental U.S.

Position Responsibilities:

Terrain Mastery

Build and maintain issue expertise in specific research terrains, including advancement, business operations, generative AI, and international student recruitment and engagement. Store and curate EAB’s perspective across the breadth of research terrains to give partners the most direct access to EAB’s advice.

We are looking for a self-starter with a desire to learn and grow.

The candidate will leverage EAB’s insights, best practices, tools, and data to help clients make decisions and implement best practices and develop a deep understanding of assigned terrain, market trends, and evolving client needs.

Content Delivery, Facilitation, and Advisory Services

Work directly with partners to diagnose their problems, challenge their assumptions, guide decisions, and suggest solutions. Deliver EAB’s point of view and advice through phone consultations, virtual meetings, conferences, and on-campus presentations to:

• Modularize content from across terrains, creating customized, cross-functional solutions to partner problems;

• Make EAB insights and data accessible and impactful for our partners, bringing clarity and context to their understanding of their challenges;

• Present partners with new ideas and potential solutions to those challenges and advocate for adoption;

• Act as an expert outside voice, building consensus and educating committees and staff;

• Adjust, supplement, and/or reframe research content as needed for different audiences and segments (e.g., cabinets, board, teams, small schools, large schools, international audiences).

Combine functional knowledge with an understanding of higher ed’s unique organizational dynamics, enabling partners to set strategy, lead their institutions, and manage their operations more effectively by:

• Diagnosing and giving voice to dynamics that are often felt, but not addressed;

• Supporting leaders as they align effort and teams around institutional priorities;

• Pathing partners through ranges of viable solutions and their pros and cons;

• Recommending paths for improvement and serving as their guides and accountability partners as they progress;

• Connecting partner institutions and creating learning experiences.

• Building and maintaining relationships with thought leaders and influencers, such as professional associations, in key markets.

  Customer Success and Commercial Support

Collaborate with the research partner success team to execute on a scalable and impactful client delivery model and deliver high-impact client interactions. Support sales in new client development. Support in creating service plans for partners.

Research Collaboration

Leverage content and market expertise to generate original insight, content, services, and tools (e.g., blog posts, social media posts, briefings, presentations, new service offerings). Actively participate in ongoing research processes and share market insights with research colleagues to inform future EAB insights and deliverables. Collaboration with research colleagues also includes:

• Project leadership and effectively managing towards deadlines;

• Ability to synthesize complex ideas into actional insights for our partners;

• Collaboration with individual project leads, subject matter experts, and project teams to ensure that new deliverables are built in a way that is easy to execute and deliver to partners in interactive formats.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with an excellent academic record and 5+ years of post-graduate professional experience; or 4+ years of post-graduate professional experience and advanced degree

• In-depth understanding of higher education industry and the specific role that senior institution leadership has in setting strategy and decision making in areas such as strategic planning, academic programing, and advancement

• Superior verbal, written, facilitation, and consultative presentation skills

• Effective use of persuasive writing and graphics to communicate ideas and information

• Ability to create a compelling narrative through data visualization, graphics, and slides

• Excellent relationship building and collaboration skills; ability to build relationships with and engage and challenge senior-level executives

Ideal Qualifications:

• Advanced degree

• Experience working with client executives, either at a college, university, or as a consultant or advisor

• Demonstrated ability to distill market and terrain insights, drawing on client interactions

• Experience producing written content and deliverables for an executive-level audience (e.g., blogs, social media feeds, reports, briefings)

• Commitment to valuing diversity, practicing inclusive behaviors, and contributing to an equitable working and continual learning environment in support of EAB’s DE&I Promise

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome diversity of background and experience. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $65,000 to $100,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; dependents and domestic partners eligible

• 401(k) retirement plan with company match

• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm holidays

• Daytime leave policy for community service or fitness activities (up to 10 hours a month each)

• Paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents

• Phase Back to Work program for employees returning from parental leave

• Infertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance

• Wellness programs including gym discounts and incentives to promote healthy living

• Dynamic growth opportunities with merit-based promotion philosophy

• Benefits kick in day one, see the full details here.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.