Manager, Discovery Research Jobs

SecondMuse champions and supports the growth of future economies by designing and leading programs that involve workshops, events, mentorship networks, curriculum, and other efforts to build and grow community ecosystems. At the core of our community-sourced approach is a dedication to creating and fostering cohesive narratives and deep relationships throughout the ecosystem. We have organized innovation programs in over 100 countries and 250 cities, sourcing solutions worldwide. Each program has challenged our teams to develop targeted approaches to find and then support visionary leaders with a diverse range of experiences, motivations and cultures. We invite you to help build with us--leverage our proven strategies to build strong communities and influence local, regional and global networks, and add your own contribution to our growing team and portfolio of programs.

The Opportunity

The Practice Group at SecondMuse leads, advances and actualizes our Theory of Change (ToC) and its practice internally and externally. We do this in deep collaboration with program and global function teams.

We are looking for a Manager, Discovery Research to:

• Synthesize and communicate strategic insights gathered via community engagement and participatory research to understanding economic and social systems;
• Specialize in and practice participatory research methods such as inclusive research design, needfinding, workshop creation and facilitation along with traditional primary research methods such as surveys, interviews, site visits and focus groups (additionally the need for some secondary “desk” research may arise);
• Integrate many different content areas and socioeconomic topics, learning the community needs and creating structures and practices to engage subject matter experts and those most affected to share their knowledge and experience.

Essential Functions

• Synthesize findings into actionable insights and recommendations; prepare high quality written reports and presentations that communicate findings and insights
• Develop collaborative constructed systems and stakeholder maps; synthesize participatory research data and construct visual presentations like causal loop system maps and stakeholder maps
• Manage and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate methods and tools
• Design relevant data collection instruments such as surveys, forms and questionnaires and ensure their usability (particularly with SurveyMonkey, Salesforce, and other digital data management tools)
• Design and implement participatory research methodologies and strategies while incorporating ethical considerations; then working with the Practice Group to integrate these methodologies into the broader SecondMuse Practice
• Facilitate workshops, focus groups and other participatory research and data collection activities; build out interview guides and conduct interviews as needed
• Conduct secondary research to inform the design, selection and implementation of needfinding activities
• Establish and maintain relationships with internal program teams, the Practice Group and the broader communities and partners

Work Environment

• Some periodic travel (sometimes international) for in-person internal meetings and on-site delivery of workshops and research components
• This role is a mix of internal codification and development and external community and client facing work as well
• This new role will be a core team member within the Practice Group, an internal function dedicated to codifying, innovating, and building capacity around the SecondMuse practice
• This role is part of a remote team that works on a global schedule to accommodate teammates in Singapore, North American West Coast and East Coast, Indonesia, and Australia
• Reports to the Director of Discovery and Impact Research; collaborates closely with Senior Design Manager, Program Research Specialist and the Creative Director to codify tools and practices

Requirements

• Fluent in Miro, Slack and Google Workspace
• Fluency in human-centered design practice with ability to translate insights to inform design processes
• Ability to manage multiple and distinct bodies of work and priorities simultaneously
• Ability to participate in and contribute to service design based on research
• Strong interpersonal skills, such as the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with others even under stress
• Specialization in equitable, inclusive practices either from a particular lens or more generally. Able to meet a group where they are and bring them along
• Cross cultural competency with the ability to flex between different content areas, time zones, project types and cultures both internally and externally
• 5+ years experience as a participatory researcher or human-centered designer
• Comfort with ambiguity and an evolving organization and practice

Benefits

• Paid time to participate in volunteer activities that enhance and serve our communities
• Generous paid time off program, including paid holidays
• Generous paid parental leave programs for all new parents
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible work options
• Employer monthly mobile phone contribution
• 401(k) with employer 3% guaranteed contribution
• Medical, dental and vision insurance with employer contribution
• Annual salary based on experience
• Short-term disability insurance

SecondMuse provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.