"Senior Director, Higher Education Policy Research"

The Senior Director of Higher Education Policy Research is a key member of the research team at ADEA, focusing on producing educational research products for the Association and its membership. This position reports to the Senior Vice President of Policy and Education Research under the Office of Educational Services (OES). The Senior Director must have a strong understanding of higher education policy at both the state and federal levels, particularly regarding its impact on policies related to the health education professions. It is essential for the senior director to lead higher education policy research projects and develop products that effectively communicate policy trends, including presenting information in various formats such as visuals and storytelling.

As a key member of the OES research team, you will actively support the research programmatic activities of ADEA by executing higher education policy research activities. Major activities include leading several ADEA policy research projects focused on higher education. The Senior Director will also serve as a policy expert, assisting in the development of advocacy and government relations materials and identifying policy research areas for growth and/or expansion in higher education. The Senior Director will draft policy positions, conduct policy research analysis, give presentations on behalf of the Association; coordinate the production of higher education policy research papers, issue briefs, talking points and other written and visual materials; organize convenings and support OES relations with ADEA members, key collaborators and partners.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the assigned higher education policy research programs conducted within the OES research team.
• Manage all aspects of higher education policy research projects from establishing and implementing project timelines, conducting any necessary literature review, policy review and/or data collection, creating any necessary surveys/data collection tool, processing and analyzing the data, to report writing, creation of association reports, issue briefs, white papers, fact sheets, journal articles, summaries and other written materials and interactive visual reports.
• Oversee the approval process for projects involving primary data collection through the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
• Identify, monitor, evaluate and analyze trends in national and state higher education policies, factors and actions that have the potential to impact dental and health professions education.
• Collaborate with the Vice President, Allied Dental Education and Faculty Development on the policy research projects focused on allied dental education.
• Oversee the review process for data collection tools used in higher education policy research projects, instructional materials, project products and communication materials.
• Work with colleagues in the Office of Communications and Marketing on the design of the managed projects and the development of the release strategy.
• Present results of projects at different events and meetings on dental education, higher education and health professions, as requested.
• Develop data documentation for higher education research projects, in collaboration with the SVP, Policy and Education Research and the Data Analyst.
• Respond to requests from ADEA members and colleagues regarding policy research in higher education.
• Communicate any issues encountered and provide suggestions for solutions in a timely manner.
• Facilitate communication and interactions essential for effective project management with the supervisor, OES Senior Chief, colleagues, communication department staff, school representatives, and administrative leadership in dental education programs.
• Collaborate with colleagues across ADEA on tasks and projects, as necessary.
• Adhere to data privacy policies and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
• Organize meetings and strengthen OES relations with ADEA members, key collaborators, and partners regarding higher education policy issues that impact academic dentistry and health profession education.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree and eight years of higher education policy research experience; or a Ph.D. degree and six years of relevant experience. Policy research experience in dental education/medical education preferred.
• Strong project management, organizational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Experience with organizing and conducting focus groups, technical group discussions, and consultations to provide insights on key topics in higher education policy.
• Experience in analyzing and making recommendations that ensure higher education policies are relevant to and appropriate for different populations.
• Ability to exchange ideas, facts and technical information clearly and concisely with others.
• Ability to manipulate and analyze data sets of varying size and complexity when creating survey questionnaires and using appropriate methods/procedures to conduct policy analyses.
• Proven experience in developing reports or articles with succinct analysis and clear graphics.
• Ability to produce and present findings and recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience in public speaking and delivering presentations to diverse audiences, both in-person and virtually.
• Experience in working with a multitude of internal and external stakeholders, with different timelines, expectations and roles.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with an emphasis on effective verbal and written communication are required.
• Experience with SPSS, R, STATA, Python and survey software such as Qualtrics or similar platform is a plus.
• Attention to detail; self-motivation and confidence; and professional discretion with sensitive and confidential materials.
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse team environment and the ability to collaborate well with others from different backgrounds.
• Ability to work at ADEA’s DC office on a hybrid basis and as needed. The current hybrid schedule is four days per week onsite at DC office, Monday through Thursday and can work from home on Fridays.