Director of Research

Role Overview

• Serve as the operational leader of ARC’s research portfolio, coordinating and executing program activities across initiatives and ensuring alignment with departmental goals, budgets, and ARC’s broader mission and strategy.
• Lead the design of research programs and projects, including defining research questions, study approaches, and success criteria, in collaboration with scientific advisors and external partners.
• Drive the end-to-end execution of programs and partnerships from concept to completion, managing timelines, deliverables, success metrics, and resource plans in collaboration with ARC leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Personally author and contribute to grant applications, research protocols, manuscripts, and reports.
• Serve as a key member of ARC’s leadership team, contributing to organizational planning, strategic decision-making, and interdepartmental collaboration.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including industry partners, donors, academic collaborators, clinicians, and patient advocates, to advance ARC’s mission.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities for program growth, strategic partnerships, and funding that strengthen ARC’s sustainability and impact.
• Develop and oversee department SOPs, workflows, and documentation systems to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability across teams.
• Lead by example, contributing directly to programs while mentoring team members and building their capacity.
• Represent ARC as a subject matter expert and thought leader in external forums—including conferences, advisory panels, and public events—to elevate the organization’s visibility and influence.
• Monitor department performance and impact through measurable outcomes; evaluate program effectiveness and adjust strategies based on data and feedback.
• Manage up and across effectively by collaborating with ARC’s senior leadership and Board to frame priorities, present actionable recommendations, and anticipate organizational needs.
• Stay current on trends, challenges, and innovations in the healthcare, nonprofit, and rare disease sectors to inform ARC’s strategy and programs.
• Assume additional responsibilities as appropriate to the role and organizational needs.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) preferred, with 7-10+ years of progressive responsibility, including at least 5 years in a leadership or management capacity.
• Nonprofit leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Experience managing or overseeing a diverse portfolio of research and research-adjacent programs, including human subjects research, natural history studies, endpoint development, and/or collaborative scientific working groups; comfortable getting into data directly
• running analyses, reviewing outputs critically, and contributing substantively to research design and interpretation.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully designing, leading, and delivering programs through cross functional and multi-stakeholder teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and sustain multi-stakeholder collaborations, particularly in environments where partners contribute on a voluntary or time-limited basis; adept at maintaining momentum, engagement, and accountability across diverse groups through thoughtful and innovative approaches.
• Ability to engage substantively in ARC's research programs, with comfort facilitating expert discussions and working knowledge of health outcomes research, human subjects principles, and good clinical practices.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders across sectors.
• Proven leadership ability to inspire, mentor, and directly manage teams and individuals toward excellence while fostering collaboration and accountability.
• Experience and demonstrated ability to balance and manage multiple priorities, projects and deadlines; ownership of the work and outcomes.
• Experience managing departmental budgets, contracts, and external partnerships.
• Highly organized, very detail-oriented, proactive and takes initiative.
• Ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks, exercise good judgment, and quickly identify and resolve problems.
• Demonstrated experience with communicating science to different audiences and through different media, including websites, emails, presentations, and publications.
• Passion for non-profits, health equity, patient engagement, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Commitment to ARC’s mission, values, and collaborative culture; demonstrates flexibility, compassion, and creativity, with a sense of humor.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Salesforce (or similar CRM), project/document management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Box).

Benefits

• Paid Time Off (PTO): 4 weeks of vacation time, 8 days of sick leave, 10 holidays, and 2 floating holidays.
• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance: Employees have access to comprehensive contributory health plans; and ARC covers 65% of individual and family medical and dental insurance premiums.
• Life and Disability Insurance: 100% employer-paid Life and AD&D coverage, along with Short-Term and Long-Term Disability insurance.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Up to a 4% employer match to support your financial future.
• Additional Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Workers’ Compensation, and other resources to support your well-being.