Location: Seattle, WA

Reports to: Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives

Job Type: Full-Time/Temporary (Duration of Residency: 12 months)

The Bezos Family Foundation is seeking a Researcher in Residence to support its mission of investing in the science of learning and the experiences youth need from birth to high school to pursue their own path for success. The full-time, temporary role will help the Foundation ensure science remains in service to children and families, and those who serve them.

The position will join a team focused on expanding the Foundation’s research investments across a range of current and emerging priorities that include strengthening the research pipeline, translational research, and participatory models, and serve as an internal expert, contributing thought leadership and leading research projects and collaborations with the early childhood and/or adolescent teams.

The Foundation is specifically focused on finding a seasoned scholar with expertise to help Foundation expand capacity in one of our priority investment areas: family success, early childhood and K12 educator supports, and/or youth contribution and leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advise on Research Initiatives: Work with the Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives to refine existing research priorities into actionable strategies.
  • Contribute thought leadership and promote relationships to support Foundation efforts to build a pipeline of diverse scholars prepared to conduct community-engaged research.
  • Participate in and/or lead projects to more deeply understand field trends, gaps, and innovations in priority areas with a lens on more effectively serving children, youth, and families from historically marginalized and rural communities

• Review Research Grant Opportunities and Partnerships:
  • Review potential grant investments aligned with priority areas; support due diligence, including analysis of research designs; and prepare written and oral recommendations to staff and leadership
  • Support Foundation staff in evaluating potential investment opportunities (e.g. assessing the science behind an intervention, scoping investments from a research lens) to strengthen organizational learning and investment decisions.

• Support Development of Internal Research Infrastructure and New Partnerships
  • Identify opportunities to enhance internal systems for gathering and sharing research knowledge
  • Represent the Foundation and cultivate external relationships with subject matter experts, disciplinary societies, and education institutions to promote learning and collaboration.
  • Identify new outlets to share Foundation learnings and contribute to content on research investments and priorities.

Willingness to travel up to 10% to attend research-focused conferences and events.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• A minimum of three years post-Ph.D. in a relevant research discipline (e.g. education, psychology, neuroscience, or a related field) preferably with a focus on human development or education systems. Tenured scholars interested in taking a leave of absence/sabbatical are welcome to apply.
• Strong qualitative and/or quantitative research skills, with a history of using evidence to inform research, policy, or practice decisions. Ability to critically evaluate research opportunities, educational programs and interventions.
• Experience with or functional knowledge of community-based participatory research, research practice partnerships and other public impact research designs. Candidates who have worked with educators, families, or youth is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate research findings effectively to a variety of audiences, including non-researchers, educators, policymakers, and philanthropic colleagues.
• Experience in a community traditionally under-represented in research leadership roles and an understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities especially as it pertains to early childhood and adolescent public education.
• Demonstrated success in developing effective professional relationships, collaborating with diverse teams and stakeholders, and seeking and integrating feedback.
• Experience with grantmaking processes is a plus.

Characteristics:

The successful candidate will possess these attributes:

• Possesses a strong work ethic with the ability to deliver results.
• Takes a positive, professional and proactive approach, particularly related to problem solving.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with strong presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust with external partners and strong cross-functional relationships across an organization to achieve common goals.
• Sound business judgment and a skilled collaborator.
• Ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality.
• Unwavering integrity, ethics and comfortable with an open and transparent work environment.
• Innovative, resourceful and conscientious of organization’s brand and assets.
• Strategic thinker, ability to map daily responsibilities to the organization's overall mission and goals.
• Ability to work collaboratively and take initiative to support changing needs of the team.

Location: Bezos Family Foundation is located in downtown Seattle and currently operates on a hybrid schedule of 3 days/week in the office and up to two days/week remote work.

Compensation & Benefits: Consistent with applicable pay transparency laws, Bezos Family Foundation provides a range of minimum compensation for roles that may be hired in the relevant location. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include a wide array of things including: your specific skills and experience, geographic location, or other relevant factors.

The base pay range for this position is: $120,000 - $200,000. We offer a generous benefits package including medical, dental and vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and paid time-off.

Eligibility: US citizens and those authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply. Work sponsorship is not available at this time.

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to: lindsey@hanselltierney.com with the subject of: Researcher in Residence.

1. A cover letter outlining your research experience and interests related to the Foundation’s focus on education and child/youth development. 
2. A detailed CV/resume.
3. A writing sample or research paper related to child/youth development, education or philanthropy.

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background check.

Bezos Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

About Bezos Family Foundation

Since 2000, we’ve been driven by a simple but ambitious vision: A world in which all young people reach their full potential and meaningfully contribute to society. We pursue that vision by making grants and by operating our own programs, with the aim of fueling the science of learning and enabling its application in a variety of settings. Our mission: To invest in the science of learning and the experiences that youth need from birth to high school to pursue their own path for success. We liken our work to that of the rider in the rear seat of a tandem bicycle: lending energy and support, while leaving the steering to the researchers, teachers, and families who care for and work with children and teenagers every day, and to the young people whose voices, needs, and experiences shape programs and approaches. We believe that, by working together, we can go much further, much faster, than any of us could go alone.

Connections working at Bezos Family Foundation