Research Manager

Inatai Foundation is a growing 501(c)(4) philanthropic organization committed to working with communities to shift the balance of power to ensure racial justice and equity across Washington and beyond. We are hiring a Research Manager to join our expanding team.

Cultivating a staff team that embodies the diverse experiences of Washington communities is essential to these aspirations. We strongly and sincerely encourage applications from people of color; individuals who are immigrants, bilingual, and multicultural; d/Deaf people and people with disabilities; members of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

Visit our About Us page to learn more about our work, approaches, and values. You may also browse our Join Inatai page to understand our hiring process, work culture, and benefits.

Position Summary

Inatai Foundation’s Research division is part of the Learning and Community Engagement department and is responsible for developing actionable information in partnership with the organizations we fund to advance the Foundation’s mission of changing the balance of power in Washington State for racial justice and equity. The Research division publishes reports, recommends grants via a research fund, and cultivates research partnerships.

The Research Manager reports to the Research Director and executes the Research division’s strategy in alignment with the Foundation’s Long-Term Vision and organizational values. The Research Manager builds relationships with grantees, consultants, and staff from other foundations; manages teams and other research division team members; develops scopes of work and project outlines; tracks project progress and deliverables; shares project updates and findings internally and externally; and develops presentations, written reports, and memos.

This is a full-time, exempt position. Inatai is proud to be a statewide organization and we know there are talented leaders everywhere in our state. As we grow and learn, we know that we are better partners to communities and more strategic grantmakers when we have team members rooted in place and bringing their lived and learned experiences to our work. We are prioritizing the following geographies to ensure we are fully living up to our commitments to geographic equity. 

• The Olympic Peninsula, with special attention to Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor counties
• North Central Washington, with special attention to Douglas, Chelan, Okanogan, and Kittitas counties
• North Eastern Washington, with special attention to Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties

In addition to these regions, we would like to give priority to candidates based in Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Skagit, Skamania, and Whitman counties.

We currently have offices in Seattle and Pasco. Team members connected to an office will work in the office at least three days per week. Team members not connected to an office will work remotely.

Periodic early morning, evening, and weekend hours will be required, and statewide and regional travel should be expected. All employees participate in our offsite retreats, which often require travel and overnight stays.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams of consultants as they carry out contracted work in research and evaluation
• Mentor, train, and develop Research Associate(s)
• Represent the Foundation in meetings with community organizations and peers in philanthropy and research
• Develop project plans for review and finalization in collaboration with the Research Director
• Develop one-pagers, literature reviews, and presentations in preparation for new projects, new potential partnerships, or in service to grantees and Inatai team needs
• Monitor and ensure progress, quality, thoroughness, and timeliness of deliverables for research projects and contracts
• Perform preliminary analysis and descriptive statistics using internal and external data sets
• Perform background research and gather informational resources including reports, white papers, and articles
• Co-design studies and evaluation activities, develop surveys and other feedback and evaluation instruments, and create insightful and actionable reports.
• Learn and maintain an understanding of Foundation-wide data collection and management systems
• Create systems and processes to store, categorize, retrieve, and share knowledge and information
• Align all information and knowledge management activities with the Foundation’s key roles of Actionable Information (providing actionable information in service to community-led organizations and partners)
• Contribute one’s own ideas, perspectives, and lived experiences to the emerging culture of the Foundation
• Assume other responsibilities and explore new opportunities that arise with the evolving needs and aspirations of the Foundation

Requirements

• A deep commitment to equity and racial justice, and strong alignment with our organizational values
• Ability to authentically connect the Foundation’s mission and aspirations with one’s own personal experiences
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships and work effectively and respectfully with politically, ideologically, culturally, and geographically diverse people and communities
• Minimum five years of experience in research management and data analysis
• Understanding and/or lived experience in the historical context for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ and community distrust of western research
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with the collection and analysis of quantitative data
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and organize large sets of data, including publicly accessible data sets
• Experience developing and implementing project management systems
• Experience applying an equity lens to data visualization, infographics, and other research dissemination activities
• Humility and curiosity, and an understanding of how these qualities are connected to success in this role
• Demonstrated capacity for self-reflection
• Strong verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills combined with the ability to listen deeply and authentically
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint) and Adobe (Acrobat DC) and ability to adapt to new technologies
• Willingness to take part in occasional meetings and events outside of core business hours
• Enthusiasm for traveling throughout Washington and engaging with communities that may be different from your own (travel is estimated at 10-15% for this position)

Benefits

In addition to a positive and flexible work culture, we attract, retain, and motivate exceptional people with an equitable and competitive compensation package. Salary ranges are set according to an explicit compensation policy, and relevant data are reviewed when setting ranges for each position. The salary range for this position is $98,000 to $120,000. A compensation enhancement is provided to employees with indigenous or advanced language proficiency in more than one language that they utilize to advance the Foundation’s work across Washington.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes fully paid medical/dental/vision coverage for employees and dependent children (and partial coverage for partners and spouses), a 10% retirement contribution, generous time off (29 days of flexible paid time off, five paid holidays, and a year-end office closure from December 25 to January 1), paid family and medical leave (12 to 18 weeks), a transit pass (where available), and support for ongoing professional development. 

To Apply

Please submit your resume and a cover letter expressing your specific interests through our online application portal. Priority will be given to applications submitted by Friday, December 6th. You will receive an automatic acknowledgment of your application once you submit your materials, and you can expect updates from the Foundation every two to three weeks once the priority deadline has passed.

We are committed to creating conditions where all candidates are able to fully express their talents and potential and invite you to let us know if there are any accommodations that we can provide to support you in your pursuit of this role.

Thank you for your interest in joining Inatai Foundation!