Vice President for Survey Research and Institutional Policy

 Job Announcement:

Vice President for Survey Research and Institutional Policy

 The Association of American Universities, an association of America’s leading research universities, seeks applications for the position of Vice President for Survey Research and Institutional Policy.  This position reports to the AAU President. 

The vice president will lead and direct AAU’s public polling, institutional surveys, and research in support of AAU’s advocacy messaging and campaigns. The vice president will direct opinion research, measurement, and analysis for paid and earned campaigns at the university, state, and federal levels.  Applicants should have deep experience managing public opinion research initiatives across multiple stakeholder groups. Experience on Capitol Hill, political campaigns, or in the media is highly preferred. Applicants should have experience administering weekly tracking surveys and other rapid-response opinion instruments. Applicants should also be familiar with targeting, direct mail, voter files, media buying, and performing opposition research.

The vice president will oversee and direct AAU’s institutional policy initiatives and will work with staff, senior fellows, AAU members, and other partners to advance AAU’s institutional policy projects on a variety of topics of importance to America’s leading research universities. The vice president will work with a collaborative, collegial style and must have the ability to establish credibility and forge relationships with broad and diverse constituencies. Applicants should have a keen understanding of research universities and effective institutional practices for advancing AAU’s institutional policy goals as well as the expertise necessary to explore and apply pressure to various levers for advancing institutional change.   

To read a more detailed list of job duties, please click here.

Applicants will ideally have: (1) strong leadership, advocacy, negotiating, political, strategic planning, and communication skills; (2) expertise and/or experience with public opinion research and designing, executing, analyzing, and interpreting large-scale and individual-level surveys and polls; (3) experience developing and implementing campaigns; (4) experience as a tenured faculty member, including mentoring of Ph.D. candidates and dissertation committees; (5) the ability to work effectively and collegially with representatives of member universities, other organizations, and coalitions; and (6) the ability to succeed in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment involving many individuals with different backgrounds and interests. 

Applicants should have an advanced degree in the social sciences (e.g., economics, political science, sociology, psychology, communications), or in a quantitative field (e.g., statistics, informatics, econometrics); Ph.D. preferred. Applicants should have at least 15 years of demonstrated relevant experience in policy advocacy, political science, or public opinion research, including a track record of developing and implementing campaigns and writing, conducting, and analyzing public opinion and individual-level polling. Applicants should have experience as a tenured faculty member, including mentoring of Ph.D. candidates and service on dissertation committees.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. AAU offers robust health, dental, retirement savings, commuting, and other benefits. AAU is an equal opportunity employer.

To be assured of full consideration, please send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and where you found this listing by March 22, 2021 to:

• Email: jobs@aau.edu (Please reference Vice President for Survey Research and Institutional Policy)
• Roxanne Murray, Vice President for Administration

Association of American Universities

1200 New York Ave, NW, Suite 550

Washington, DC 20005