Senior Director, Research and Insights

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is seeking to add an experienced Senior Director, Research and Insights to its team.

The Senior Director of Research and Insights is a key member of the research team for ADEA which focuses on producing educational research products for the Association and its membership. This position is housed in the Office of Educational Services and is supervised by the Senior Vice President, Policy and Education Research. The Senior Director of Research and Insights requires an understanding of higher education research, specifically, as it relates to research associated with health professions. An ability to lead research projects and produce products that presents data in various forms, especially visually and storytelling, is essential to meeting membership needs.

As a key member of the Office of Educational Services (OES) research team, you will actively support the research programmatic activities of ADEA by executing higher education research activities. Major activities include but are not limited to leading several of the ADEA higher education research projects. The Senior Director of Research and Insights will also be responsible for serving as a content expert, assisting in verification processes with other projects within the division and identifying other research areas for growth and/or expansion. Key research projects for the Senior Director of Higher Education Research are the annual ADEA Predoctoral Senior Student Survey and the biannual ADEA Trends in Dental Education. The current research products of these projects include:

1. Annual ADEA Predoctoral Senior Student Survey

• summary report
• online storyboard of the summary report
• Journal of Dental Education association report
• spreadsheet-based report for each participating dental school with the results of the survey

2. Bi-annual ADEA Trends in Dental Education

• association report covering the trends in the field of dental education.
• online version of report with interactive charts, videos and downloadable data

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the annual ADEA Predoctoral Senior Student Survey and the biannual ADEA Trends in Dental Education.
• Manage all aspects of these higher education research projects from establishing and implementing project timelines, updating the surveys/ data collection tool, conducting the data collection, processing, validation, analysis, to report writing, creating and coding of spreadsheet-based reports, or creation of interactive visual reports.
• Develop the story for the ADEA Trends in Dental Education, collect and analyze the data, write the story, create and implement the visuals in an online interactive.
• Work with ADEA members directly to ensure updated contacts for the distribution of the data collection tools for the projects they manage, the submission of the data in an efficient manner, the correction of missing/incorrectly input data, and a high response rate.
• Manage the rounds of review of the data collection tools, instruction materials, projects products, and communication materials with supervisor, colleagues and ADEA members.
• Manage the approval process for these projects through the Institutional Review Board (IRB), an ethical review board that ensures that human subjects’ rights are protected while participating in a research study.
• Collaborate with colleagues in the Office of Communications and Marketing on the design and branding of the managed projects and the release strategy.
• Present results of projects at different events and meetings as requested.
• Develop the data documentation for these higher education research projects, in collaboration with the SVP for Policy and Education Research.
• Respond to ADEA members’ and ADEA colleagues’ requests as they relate to higher education research and data.
• Validate the results of other projects developed by the OES research team.
• Communicate timely any issues encountered and provide suggestions for solutions.
• Manage the communication and interactions necessary for efficient project management with supervisor, Senior Chief of Educational Services, colleagues, communication department colleagues, school representatives, and administrative leadership at dental education programs.
• Collaborate with colleagues across ADEA on tasks and projects, as necessary.
• Follow data privacy policies and comply with data protection regulations.
• Other duties as assigned.

• A master’s degree and eight years of higher education research experience; or a Ph.D. degree and six years of relevant experience. Higher education research experience in dental education/medical education preferred.
• Expertise in survey design, methodology and strategies to increase survey response rates, in other data collection methods, and data processing.
• Expertise in data storytelling, especially developing extensive interactive visual reports for higher education or member associations.
• Experience with survey software such as Qualtrics or similar platform, including extensive logic implementation through embedded fields and survey flow, implementation of quota requirements, display and skip logic as well as loop and merge, setting up email and contact list triggers.
• Python and SQL proficiency.
• Tableau, Infogram, MS Power BI or other visualization software proficiency.
• Working knowledge of statistics and ETL techniques.
• Experience developing different types of reports (written, spreadsheet based, automated, visual and interactive) based on storytelling with data for different audiences.
• Experience in working with a multitude of internal and external stakeholders, with different timelines, expectations and roles.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines, with demonstrated project management skills. Strong project management and planning skills are essential.
• Ability to exchange ideas, facts and technical information clearly and concisely with others.
• Attention to detail and meticulous focus on sensitive and time sensitive materials and activities.
• 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 Friday.

This position's salary range is $119,000 to $134,000. In addition to a rewarding and purposeful mission, ADEA offers you a collaborative team environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits, including health, vision, dental and life insurance, wellness benefits, a 35-hour work week, generous paid leave and a 403(b) retirement plan with 10% employer contribution. Our office is conveniently located across from the Washington Convention Center, near shopping, restaurants and the Red and Green Line Metro Stations. 

For more information and to apply online, visit www.adea.org.

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Its members include all 78 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, over 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, 66 corporations and more than 20,000 individuals. 

The mission of ADEA is to develop an inclusive, future-ready oral health workforce prepared to improve the health of all people and communities through leadership, education , and collaboration.  

ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services ADEA AADSAS, ADEA PASS, ADEA DHCAS and ADEA CAAPID. 

ADEA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Associations EEO policy prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or ancestry, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, child birth or related medical conditions, family responsibilities, genetic information, political affiliation, matriculation, veteran status, union affiliation, disability, credit information, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking, or any other legally- protected characteristic in accordance with federal or local law (the Protected Categories). EEO applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, termination, compensation, and benefits.