Strategic Initiatives & Measurement Mgr

RAND has an exciting opportunity for a Strategic Initiatives & Measurement Manager to join our Communications and External Affairs (CEA) department. This role is central to enhancing collaboration across CEA functions, advancing strategic priorities, and driving continuous improvement throughout the department.

In this position, you will lead and support a variety of cross-departmental initiatives that improve operational effectiveness, stimulate innovation, and help measure and assess performance. You will play a key role in aligning departmental efforts with strategic objectives, identifying opportunities for process improvement, and ensuring data-driven decision-making through oversight of CEA's metrics and measurement program.

The Manager will work closely with senior leadership and colleagues across CEA-including operations, creative, editorial, media relations, and digital teams-to advance strategic projects and promote alignment, efficiency, and innovation. The role combines sophisticated project management, operational insight, and analytic rigor to help deliver on RAND's mission to improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Lead strategic planning and special initiatives by conducting analyses that support senior leadership decisions around investments, processes, and department-wide operations.

• Map workflows and business requirements to help translate CEA's functional plans into actionable and effective operational processes.

• Monitor performance of ongoing processes and recommend and implement improvements that align with evolving organizational goals.

• Collaborate closely with leaders across CEA to understand needs, gather input, and support teamwork across disciplines.

• Oversee CEA's metrics and measurement program, working with a Communications Data Analyst to define, monitor, and report on departmental KPIs and metrics.

• Guide the analyst's work, including goal setting, performance review, direction, and problem solving.

• Assess staffing needs to support the metrics function and make recommendations as appropriate.

• Contribute to a culture of innovation and operational excellence by managing a diverse portfolio of projects aligned with CEA's priorities.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 9 years of relevant work experience in strategic initiatives, operations, communications, or project management.

• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory or leadership experience.

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, including experience working with complex datasets and drawing actionable insights.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders across different functions and levels of seniority.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing strategic presentations and reports for leadership.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Teams, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Excel.

• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with RAND or similar organizations, particularly those with complex business and funding models.

• Experience working in mission-driven environments.

• Graduate degree (MA/MS or equivalent) in business, operations, communications, or a related field.

• Experience leading data-driven strategy or operations work, including development of KPIs.

Education

BA/BS degree in Business, Economics, Operations, Communications, or a related field is required. Advanced degree preferred.

Location

This position will be located at one of the following RAND offices: Santa Monica, Calif. Pittsburgh, PA; or Washington DC. This position is eligible for RAND's hybrid work environment, which enables a blend of on-site and remote work. Some on-site presence will be required to meet business needs, including on an ad-hoc basis; on-site needs will vary from week to week.

Work Sample

All applicants are required to provide a work sample that demonstrates experience with strategic planning, performance measurement, or operational analysis.

Salary Range: $120,900 - $184,500

RAND considers a variety of factors when formulating an offer, including but not limited to, the specific role and associated responsibilities; a candidate's work experience, education/training, skills, expertise; and internal equity.The salary range includes base pay plus RAND's sabbatic pay (which provides additional compensation above base pay when vacation is taken). In addition, RAND provides strong benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, paid time-off and more.