Senior Vice President of Research (Job ID: 2025-3624)
Overview:
Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for this search. Prospective candidates are invited to send their CV and a cover letter to BrookingsSVP@RussellReynolds.com.
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national, and global levels.Brookings brings together leading experts in government, business, civil society, and academia from all over the world who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis on a full range of public policy issues. Brookings’ research agenda and recommendations are rooted in open-minded inquiry and represent diverse points of view.
Research is conducted by approximately 100 scholars in five major Research Programs: Brookings Metro, Economic Studies, Foreign Policy, Global Economy and Development, and Governance Studies. These programs include 16 Centers and numerous special projects and initiatives, designed to be nimble and responsive to changing local, national, and global issues.
One of the world’s most cited and influential think tanks, Brookings also produces and manages several external communications channels, including a website, social media and multimedia platforms, a book publishing imprint, and more than two hundred public events produced in 2024 (either in-person or hybrid).Brookings’s events and Brookings-hosted learning networks often feature experts alongside policymakers, business, and community leaders, and provide an opportunity to highlight original scholarly research while exchanging ideas on how to solve complex policy issues.
With an annual operating budget of around $100M and over 400 employees, Brookings has more than a century of producing high-quality insights and recommendations that help decision makers, news media, and the public to understand and tackle important challenges at the local, national, and global levels.
Based in Washington, D.C., reporting to Brookings President Dr. Cecilia Rouse, and seated within the Executive Office, the Senior Vice President (SVP) will serve as a principal partner to the President in all matters pertaining to research, scholars, impact planning, and multi-scholar initiatives.The SVP will be crucial in overseeing and interacting with the work of the five Vice Presidents of Research (RVPs), maintaining standards for research quality, and supporting scholar culture and success. The SVP will collaborate with the President to set and implement strategic priorities and enhance cross-program collaboration.
They will work to identify areas of synergy across the programmatic portfolio and work to foster collaboration where appropriate.
Responsibilities:
Ready to contribute to Brookings success?
Brookings is preparing to finalize its new strategic plan, which seeks, over the next 3-5 years, to enhance Brookings’ ability to: prioritize original, quality research; be strategic and intentional when planning its research outreach efforts; strategically adopt advanced technologies; work more collaboratively across the institution; and bring together these strengths – original research, impact planning, sophisticated use of technology, and collaborative efforts – to advance ambitious initiatives that energize our supporters.
The organization is seeking a dynamic SVP to collaborate closely with Brookings President Dr. Cecilia Rouse and the Institution’s executive team in executing this plan. This pivotal role will support Brookings in delivering against its mission and ensuring Brookings continues to remain at the forefront of public policy research and impact.
Among the key responsibilities for this position, we would highlight the following:
- Advance the goals of the strategic plan in partnership with research vice presidents (RVPs and scholars)
- Work with RVPs to identify and support multi-scholar impact opportunities
- Maintain and regularly review quality standards and work with the Office of the General Counsel to keep scholar-related policies current and relevant
- Oversee quality review
- Oversee concurrence of Senior Fellows and conduct Center and Research Program reviews
- Work closely with institutional advancement and communications/external affairs VPs to create and foster strong, productive links among these functional areas
- Supervise institutional initiative directors and serve as executive sponsor on other institutional research/policy efforts
- Establish and use a deep understanding of Brookings’ scholars, research agendas, workplan creation, funding, and pathways to policy impact to support scholars’ impact; work with the leadership team to achieve same
- Oversee research support services such as the library and data/quantitative analysis support
- Run point on programmatic risk management discussion with RVPs (and scholars as needed), Office of the General Counsel, SVP of finance and COO, and VP of institutional advancement
- Conduct administrative reviews and sign offs as delegated by the president
- Work with development staff and RVPs/scholars on the programming of International Advisory Council (IAC) engagement
- Serve as executive sponsor for research- or scholar-based institutional partnerships
- Represent Brookings to external partners engaged in institutional projects
- Cultivate and/or steward selected institutional funders, especially but not limited to those who support institutional initiatives
- Establish and maintain Board of Trustees relationships
- Conduct individual research as capacity allows
- Solid line management of three individuals and dotted line management of the five RVPs
Qualifications:
Ready to make an impact? In this role, you will support Brookings values of collegiality, respect, inclusion, diversity and community.
Brookings is seeking an organizational leader and exceptional manager who will bring intellectual depth and breadth, practical experience, and demonstrated management and leadership skills. The successful candidate will have experience working within an evolving organization and partnering closely with expert staff and other constituents to achieve ambitious goals.They will be experienced in producing actionable and rigorous research, applying original analysis through partnerships and networks, and connecting with policymakers at all levels. They will have relevant experience in managing people with a wide range of skillsets within a complex organization and have the capacity to manage a variety of constituents.
In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:
Strategic Leadership: The SVP will bring a demonstrated capacity to communicate and align others to the strategy, showing broad curiosity balanced with conviction and confidence. They will have the ability to develop and refine Brookings’ approaches to research quality and impact, curate new ideas, and create goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.They will possess the ability to translate an inspiring vision for the organization into action.
Commitment to Research and Policy: A strong candidate for the role will model and empower the kind of open-minded, rigorous inquiry that the institution exists to support. They will bring a demonstrated commitment to evidence-based research over rhetoric, and an inspiring and visible body of work and policy experience.They will be credibly curious on a broad range of global and domestic policy areas, will have a demonstrated history of turning research insights into actionable policy recommendations, and will be knowledgeable on how research outputs frame issues and advance policy issues with decision makers and policy ecosystems.
Communications and Convening Power: The successful candidate will possess an ability to inspire trust. They will be able to connect naturally and to build strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both internally and externally.They will encourage others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrate and support the success of the team. They will bring a demonstrated ability to work effectively with strong personalities and viewpoints but not lose their own character while accommodating.
Leading Teams: An inspiring and inclusive manager, they will be driven towards solutions, accountable to colleagues, and open to innovation and transformation. They will bring a demonstrated ability to recruit, cultivate, and retain talent and to develop and maintain a healthy organizational culture.They will be viewed as a leader with a high degree of integrity, inclusiveness, and forethought in their approach to making decisions and will possess the ability to lead in a transparent and consistent manner while always considering what is best for the institution.
Diverse Perspectives and Backgrounds: They will bring a demonstrated track record of commitment to attracting and supporting diverse perspectives, including experience translating an organization’s values related to diverse perspectives into specific strategies and actions, including championing an organizational culture of inclusion and belonging.They will have experience developing and leading a broadly diverse staff focused on a wide range of subjects.
Fundraising: The SVP will bring a demonstrable capacity to maintain and raise the financial resources to invest in talent, intellectual capital, and innovative programming.
Above Partisanship: The right candidate for Brookings will bring a demonstrated and unwavering commitment to rigorous, fact-based, nonpartisan research and policy analysis. They will be politically astute but think through issues on the merits, above partisanship.
A terminal degree is required.
Additional Information
What can we offer you? Brookings provides a generous benefit package that is comprehensive and includes both traditional benefits and unique offerings. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous time off, and workplace flexibility.For more information, please visit Brookings Benefits.
The salary range for this position is $425,000 to $475,000 annually. The exact salary offered within this range is determined by skills, experience, and organizational pay equity. Brookings offers excellent and comprehensive benefits.
This role works largely in-person at Brookings’ Washington, DC office, with flexibility for remote work when possible.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for employment at Brookings.
Brookings welcomes and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We welcome applications that reflect a variety of backgrounds based on ideology, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, first generation college goers, and other factors protected by law.Brookings is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Contact
Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for this search. Prospective candidates are invited to send their CV and a cover letter to BrookingsSVP@RussellReynolds.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.