About Understood Understood is a nonprofit focused on shaping the world for difference. We raise awareness of the challenges and strengths of people who learn and think differently. Our resources help people navigate challenges, gain confidence, and find support and community so they can thrive.

Having a shared commitment to our values is a key factor in any hire we make. We have five core values: Continuously learn. Act with intention.

Champion difference. Inspire change. Grow together.

Come be part of an organization with an entrepreneurial spirit that’s helping to shape the world for difference. Together, we can build a world where everyone can reach their full potential. org .

Who You Are

To advance Understood’s mission and to further our impact, we’re hiring a Senior Manager, Applied Research & Evaluation, reporting to our Associate Director, Applied Research & Evaluation. This role blends applied research, program evaluation, and cross-sector partnership to help Understood understand, assess, and communicate impact. The ideal candidate is comfortable with conducting applied research and evaluation in an agile and fast-paced environment adapting rigorous methods to real-world and digital settings.

You can translate research into practical insights that help teams improve products, content, and experiences. You’ll help tell Understood’s story in ways that resonate with different audiences, advancing our mission to help millions of families thrive with learning and thinking differences. This is a hybrid role that requires a minimum of three (3) days a week in our NYC office, with a focus on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

We are a Mac-based environment, and team members are provided a Mac laptop for their work.

What You’Ll Do

Conduct and, as needed, coordinate applied research projects and utilization-focused or rapid-cycle evaluations using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Use best practices in ethical and rigorous research in real-world and online settings while adapting for organizational needs and timelines. Contribute to a shared understanding across the organization of research processes and outcomes.

Generate research- and evaluation-based insights that help improve our offerings for increased impact. Write descriptive, analytical, critical, and persuasive summaries, reports, briefs, presentations, and marketing materials that contribute to public and industry understanding of our impact. Contribute to the development of models and frameworks that position our impact within broader industry and research contexts.

Support applied research and evaluation conducted with and for partner organizations in the fields of behavioral health, psychology, organizational psychology, and other social/behavioral sciences. Support the Advancement team with grant proposals to secure funding for the organization and applied research and evaluation projects through the development of protocols and assets. Maintain high standards for privacy and confidentiality, as well as data governance, management, and security.

Eager to acquire new skills, take on new challenges, and grow with the position as it evolves.

Minimum Qualifications

We don't expect a perfect match across every category. What matters is relevant experience, genuine interest in the work, and a mindset for growth. In this role, you bring applied expertise and the ability to own components of a project or workstream end-to-end.

You work with cross-functional partners, manage project-level milestones and risk, and contribute to budget planning. Experience: 5+ years of experience in the same or similar roles, including at least 3 years of experience in consumer or public-facing industries. You have contributed to projects or workstreams beyond assigned tasks.

Domain expertise: You systematically investigate real-world challenges and assess the effectiveness of programs and interventions.