Director of Research

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to ensure a fair, inclusive financial marketplace that creates opportunities for all. Through research, legal analysis, policy development, and state and national advocacy engagement, CRL fights for economic equity for underserved communities—particularly Black and brown communities and low-to-middle income families. CRL’s staff, allies, and funders reflect a collective commitment to eliminating systemic injustice in America’s financial services.

CRL provides a strong voice on both the state and national levels for these families to expand family wealth and financial stability through sustainable homeownership, affordable higher education, and support for small businesses, and protect their financial stability by preventing abusive products that trap families in debt and strip away their income, by ending payday lending and other predatory high-cost lending, exorbitant bank fees, and abusive debt collection practices.

CRL is an affiliate of Self-Help, a community development lender founded in 1980 that has provided more than $9 billion dollars in financing to help 164,000 low-wealth borrowers buy homes, build businesses, and strengthen community resources.

Role Overview: Position reporting to the President and integral part of and contributor to the senior management team as an Executive Vice President (EVP), the Director of Research will be responsible for the development and deployment of CRL’s research strategy and will contribute to CRL’s equity leadership in organizational operations, strategic planning, resource development, and staff development. The Research Director will develop a world-class research agenda—including ground-breaking research as well as analyses of periodic economic data—that maintains CRL’s position as a research leader and supports its education and advocacy campaigns. The Director will supervise research staff, consult on methodology, and internally represent the research team. In addition, the Research Director will also serve at times as a contributor to research projects and author reports.

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to CRL’s culture of collaboration, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and its mission to eliminate the racial wealth gap through opportunities for wealth building and economic security for underserved communities.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Spearhead CRL’s long-term, strategic research agenda.
• Stay informed of trends and issues pertinent to CRL; keep up with relevant policy developments.
• Identify challenges and emerging issues faced by the organization. Work with CRL leadership to recognize internal and external research opportunities and solutions and define and execute appropriate strategies to support them.
• In collaboration with other teams and management, set research team goals and work with researchers to identify suitable projects to fulfill these goals.
• As a member of CRL’s senior leadership team, responsible for CRL’s planning and program execution, fiscal and operational management and fundraising, staff development and office climate, diversity, equity and inclusion, and communication, as well as ensuring adequate staff and resources for effective organizational operations.
• Carry out core components of CRL Team Leaders: develop team goals, manage and develop staff, provide input on priorities and resource allocation (e.g., annual/team budgets), and support development aspects of CRL’s strategic plan.
• Review and evaluate research requests received from other teams at CRL; prioritize work and allocate resources to complete long-term projects and respond to short-term requests.
• Coordinate with project leads to determine research methodology.
• Participate in several research and policy forums during the year and otherwise assist team members in initiating and maintaining relationships with external partners.
• Outsource research responsibilities to other professionals, as needed, and administer contractual relationships with outsourced vendors.
• Assist with testimony for policymakers and/or other stakeholders for hearings and other convenings.
• Assist, as needed, with development and delivery of presentations to funders.
• Assist project leaders toward the timely delivery of projects for maximum impact on policy agendas.
• Ensure adherence to professional standards and ethics; create work guidelines and oversee quality control.
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality and inclusion.
• Supervise research staff; set individual employee goals and provide routine feedback and evaluation of progress toward these goals; conduct annual performance appraisals and administer salary adjustments.
• Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach on a consistent basis; identify and promote professional growth opportunities.
• Model inclusive behavior, continuously build cultural humility, and support staff interested in deepening their DE&I knowledge—including requesting and raising awareness of learning resources.
• Act as a change agent to drive Self-Help’s economic inclusion initiatives by integrating supplier diversity and the use of businesses owned by women and people of color in third party contracting and vendor management for relevant products and services
• Perform other duties as may be deemed necessary.

Credentials, Experience and Skills:

• A master’s degree or PhD in business, economics, public policy, planning, project management, public administration, statistics or related field, or comparable experience.
• At least five (5) years of research experience, including one year of supervisory experience—to include people and/or projects.
• Previous public policy and research experience in a non-profit and knowledge of consumer finance issues, a plus.
• Personnel and fiscal management abilities.
• Knowledge of research methodologies both quantitative and qualitative.
• Familiarity with statistical packages such as SAS.
• A demonstrated commitment to low-income families, communities of color, past experience in racial justice analysis and understanding of how federal/state/local policies contributed to and sustained racial wealth disparities.
• Willingness to do some travel (post-COVID).
• Record of publication desired.
• Preference for working in organizations that place priority on teamwork and collaboration
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively interface with senior management, Board of Directors, and staff. Excellent and persuasive communicator.
• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive.
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and output.
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Superior management skills; ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports and peers.
• Ability to gain the credibility and respect of high-performing Board of Directors.
• Ability to make decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future needs.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects through to completion.