Director of Audience & Research

Overview Job Title: Director of Audience & Research Department: Editorial- Audience & Research  Reports To : Executive Editor Supervises: Audience Engagement Editor; research and analytics staff  FLSA Status: Exempt Location: Washington, DC  Schedule: Full-Time | Hybrid Schedule Who We Are Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with editorial and operational bureaus in Taipei, Bangkok, and Seoul. A congressionally funded grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), RFA operates with full editorial integrity and independence. Our congressionally-mandated mission is to provide accurate, uncensored news and information to people living in countries where a free press does not exist. We produce content in nine languages and dialects — Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Burmese, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, and Korean — reaching audiences across China, North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and beyond via radio (short- and medium-wave) and digital formats (the internet and social media) . Our journalists work in some of the world's most difficult media environments, often at considerable personal risk, filling a critical gap in access to truthful, timely news for millions of people who would otherwise have very little of it. That reality shapes everything about how we work and who we hire. Job Summary RFA is rebuilding its language desks and newsgathering teams. The Director of Audience & Research provides the research and data that editors need to plan coverage and reach audiences in each market. The Director will lead RFA's audience research and evaluation, and will oversee the Audience Engagement Editor and research staff. The Director will turn findings into clear guidance for editors and will work with the language desks to reach existing audiences and build new ones. RFA's audiences live under heavy censorship and surveillance, and people who take part in research can face reprisal. Conventional audience research in these conditions is difficult and sometimes dangerous. The Director must design research that produces credible findings while protecting participants. The Director is also responsible for independent evaluation of RFA's desks and programs, and for the accuracy of the audience and performance data RFA reports to USAGM and Congress. This is an editorial position reporting to the Executive Editor. It is an opportunity to build RFA's research and evaluation function almost from the ground up. Responsibilities Audience strategy and team leadership Lead the audience team, including the Audience Engagement Editor. Set priorities for audience development and distribution across the language desks. Set audience goals with each desk Editor in Charge, including goals for reaching new audiences in each market. Set research priorities each year with the Executive Editor and the desk Editors in Charge. The Executive Editor settles disagreements over priorities. Work with Innovation, TechOps, and the language desks on platforms, analytics tools, and circumvention channels. Evaluation Build and run a continuous evaluation framework for RFA's language desks and newsgathering teams. Set the criteria with the Executive Editor and share them with the President before evaluations begin. Convene and manage an Evaluation Panel made up of the President, the Executive Editor, the   Director, and the Chief Communications Officer. The President chairs the panel. The panel reviews candidates, selects outside evaluators for each evaluation based on their journalism, academic, policy, regional, and language expertise, and checks each candidate for conflicts of interest. Evaluate each desk and team routinely at regular intervals, as well as new programs, formats, and the rebuilt language desks. Recommend specific improvements and goals. Measure outcomes such as reach, engagement, pickup by other outlets, and citations in policy and official documents. Document cases where RFA reporting shaped public debate, accountability, or policy. Send evaluation reports to the President and the Executive Editor at the same time. Track how desks act on evaluation findings, and report progress to the Executive Editor and the President each quarter. Audience research Design and run research (qualitative and quantitative surveys) on RFA's audiences in closed and restricted media environments. Plan each study with the Editor in Charge of the relevant language desk, so the research reflects what the desk needs to know and conditions in that market to inform its overall strategy. Map media habits, platform use, and information needs by country and language service. Identify groups RFA is not yet reaching. Where standard fieldwork is impossible or unsafe, use adapted methods such as diaspora and traveler surveys, remote and encrypted interviews, proxy indicators, and digital trace data(stating each method's limits plainly). Produce media environment and censorship assessments for RFA's target countries. Manage research vendors and partners, including USAGM-commissioned studies. Audience data and performance measurement Own RFA's core performance indicators and the dashboards that report them. Combine digital analytics, social media data, and distribution data into one consistent view of reach. Account for VPN use, circumvention tools, and blocking when interpreting audience data. Guidance for the newsroom Turn research and evaluation findings into specific, actionable recommendations for editors on audiences, topics, formats, and platforms. These findings will guide audience engagement strategy, short- and long-term goals, and overall performance in line with RFA's congressional mandate. Report findings candidly, including when coverage is not reaching its intended audience. Brief desk editors regularly, and train staff to read and use audience data. Adv