Senior Director of Research – Grant Funded

Detroit Regional Partnership
Detroit, MI
Date Posted:  December 9, 2022
Closing Date:  January 23, 2023

The Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) seeks a Senior Director of Research to lead the research work for the BBBRC grant recently awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. This grant provides funding for six unique projects under the banner of the Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM), all centered on ensuring that the Detroit region retains and expands its global mobility and automotive leadership. With your extensive experience in research and leadership and your excellent sense of judgment and time management, you will excel in this dynamic, mission-driven environment.

GEM seeks to create a smart, secure, sustainable, and inclusive advanced-mobility industry, starting with the transition to next-generation electric, autonomous, and fully connected vehicles. The GEM research team led by the Senior Director of Research will support the GEM Central project which is the full-time managing body responsible for enabling the region’s existing mobility ecosystem to become better connected, smarter, more inclusive and quickly adapt to change.

The Senior Director of Research reports directly to DRP’s Vice President of Marketing & Business Intelligence, but also works alongside the GEM Executive Vice President/RECO providing full time research support for the entire GEM initiative. This 4-year grant funded position offers unparalleled opportunities to expand your network and the chance to drive massive, positive impact for the Region we call home.

The Senior Director of Research will:

  • Lead annual GEM research strategy in support of the six projects that will ensure the grant goals are achieved.
  • Develop the GEM research workgroup consisting of key industry stakeholders including industry & industry associations, education, economic & community development, labor and government.
  • Convene and lead bi-annual meetings of key stakeholders to identify and prioritize research needs, conduct research, and report out findings.
  • Develop and manage research related RFIs in accordance with federal grant procurement procedures and lead research with consultants.
  • Conduct social network analysis of the Detroit Region’s mobility ecosystem.
  • Support DEI & sustainability research initiatives.
  • Support co-recipient research requests.
  • Collaborate with marketing and communications to communicate grant outcomes and research findings to key stakeholders such as board members, marketing teams, investors, or partners in research projects.
  • Create and track the grant outcomes and metrics through development of a dashboard and data and intelligence central repository.
  • Manage the research subaward budget and reporting, including working with the GEM Central team for expense reimbursement.
  • Hire and manage one research analyst.