Senior Program Director - Desk Research and Data Analysis

Title: Senior Program Director-Desk Research and Data Analysis Location: Remote, with the ability to work US East Coast office hours, with occasional domestic and international travel. Must have permanent U.S. work authorization. Role: Verité is looking for a values-aligned, experienced researcher to advance Verité’s vision of a world where people work under safe, fair, and legal conditions. This position will lead rigorous, desk-based research, data analysis, and other projects for corporate clients, foundations, and government funders across a wide range of geographies, sectors, and supply chains. The Senior Program Director will bring significant experience related to human rights issues, desk-based research, quantitative data analysis and visualization, responsible use of AI, and effective team leadership to their work at Verité. The Senior Program Director will lead the development of robust, scalable desk-based research methodologies, responsibly apply technology and AI to increase efficiency while controlling for quality and adverse effects, translate research data into client-ready deliverables and original publications that expand Verité's thought leadership and the impact of our research portfolio. Responsibilities Lead company-, foundation-, and government-funded desk-based research and other projects, from scoping and design through execution, quality assurance, and delivery. Oversee staff, consultants, and research partners conducting desk research and other projects, including workplans, deliverables, and client relationships. Lead development and implementation of innovative, scalable quantitative desk research and scoring methodologies for saliency assessments of human rights risks across a wide variety of geographies and sectors. Provide organizational leadership on data analysis and visualization. Draft and oversee high-quality, client/funder-ready deliverables, including Excel- and web-based heatmaps, narrative reports, and PowerPoints tailored to executive audiences. Implement responsible use of technology and AI to improve efficiency in research and deliverable drafting, while maintaining human oversight, safeguarding quality and confidentiality, recognizing bias and other risks, and mitigating negative impacts. Produce external communications grounded in original analysis, including blog posts, social media content, white papers, journal and press articles, and other publications that position Verité as a thought leader on emerging human rights issues. Work closely with Verité’s business development team to develop compelling technical approaches and proposals, identify prospective clients and grant opportunities, and expand the organization’s research and grant portfolio. Build and maintain productive relationships with clients, funders, government agencies, research partners, civil society organizations, and subject-matter experts. Contribute to organization-wide research strategy, knowledge management, and continuous improvement of methodologies, tools, and delivery systems. Supervise junior researchers and provide ongoing mentorship, capacity building, oversight of quality and performance, and guidance on career development. Other related duties as assigned. Required qualifications Advanced degree in economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, international development, public policy, human rights, statistics, or a related field. Minimum of ten years of professional experience conducting and overseeing research on labor rights, human rights, or related fields, demonstrating progressively increasing responsibility for research design, project and team leadership, quality assurance, and client and funder relationships. Demonstrated quantitative desk research skills, including the ability to develop cutting-edge, scalable human rights risk assessment methodologies. Familiarity with quantitative data analysis and visualization tools, such as Power BI, Tableau, R, Python, SPSS, and Stata, and experience using these platforms to clean, analyze, interpret, and visualize research data. Experience using AI tools to enhance research, data analysis and visualization, and deliverable development, with demonstrated attention to quality assurance, bias, confidentiality, responsible use, and mitigation of negative impacts. Experience drafting client- and publication-ready research products, with strong English language writing, editing, synthesis, and data-visualization skills. Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-country and multi-sector research projects, including budgets, timelines, teams, partners, risks, and competing priorities. Strong client service and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to communicate methodological choices, findings, limitations, and recommendations clearly and credibly. Demonstrated organizational and project management skills, sound judgment, and close attention to detail. Self-driven and able to work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of multiple teams in a fast-paced environment. Preferred qualifications Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or another language relevant to Verité’s global work. Experience in business development, including drafting proposals and identifying client or grant opportunities. Qualifications for all Verité positions Demonstrates strong personal commitment to Verité's mission or related social justice objectives in human rights, labor issues, international law, or corporate social responsibility. Demonstrates professional competency and/or personal experience thinking and working effectively across boundaries. * Demonstrates sensitivity and competency engaging with the diverse marginalized populations impacted by Verité’s mission around the world. Personal reliability and commitment to organizational success. Maintains confidentiality in communications, as appropriate. Salary: $90,000 - $112,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience. To Apply: Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter through the Verité application portal at verite.org/about-us/opportunities. No telephone or email inquiries will be accepted for this position. *These include, but are not limited to gender, race, religion, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, nationality, class, political opinion, union affiliation, or social or ethnic origin. Verité is committed to a diverse work force and is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expressions, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class. Verité's daily work to achieve our vision of a world where people work under safe, fair, and legal conditions is inherently linked to topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Recognizing that the labor market and institutions have long marginalized people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, and people from working class background, we therefore feel the need to be particularly proactive in encouraging candidates who identify as such to apply.