Director of Collaboration and Learning

Administrative Operations Specialist 4

Job Family: Administrative Operations

Time Type: Full time

Max Pay Depends on experience: $120,000.00 USD Annual

Salary Range: $90,000 - $120,000 Depending on experience

Position Overview

The Knight Center for the Future of News at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication works to envision and accelerate a stronger future for the news industry. The Center operates as a public-interest research and development hub, combining applied research, experimentation, product development, training and knowledge sharing.

The Knight Center's work spans three interconnected areas: Journalism x Civics, Business Growth and AI Studio.

The Director of Collaboration and Learning ensures that the Center's work is grounded in strong research and that insights connect across projects rather than remain siloed. This role shapes research frameworks, supports evaluation, and translates findings into practical guidance that can inform experimentation, product development and field adoption.

Working across all three labs, this position partners with faculty, researchers, fellows and graduate assistants to develop applied research that is rigorous, relevant and usable. This is a senior staff role for someone adaptable, intellectually curious and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment.

Essential Duties

• Develop research frameworks and evaluation approaches across initiatives
• Partner with Cronkite and ASU faculty, affiliated researchers and fellows on applied research design
• Synthesize insights across labs and translate findings into usable reports, briefs or frameworks
• Integrate graduate assistants and students into research efforts in meaningful ways
• Support learning and refinement as projects move through the Research, Test, Apply, Share and Train (RTAST) cycle
• Contribute to convenings, publications and other public-facing outputs

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with impact measurement or evaluation design
• Familiarity working in or alongside news and technology organizations
• Experience collaborating within academic environments and with research teams
• Deep understanding of the business of journalism and artificial intelligence
• Relevant experience in research, journalism, media strategy or related fields
• Experience leading applied research or evaluation initiatives
• A strong portfolio of previous work in news, communications or technology research
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insight and development-ready projects

Working Environment

• This position requires work in person at the Cronkite School of ASU's Downtown Phoenix Campus
• Activities are performed in an environmentally controlled office setting subject to extended periods of sitting, keyboarding and manipulating a computer mouse
• Travel to provide support for operations of the program
• Required to stand for varying lengths of time
• Regular activities require ability to quickly change priorities, which may include and/or are subject to resolution of conflicts
• Communicate professionally to perform essential duties
• Ability to lift 25 pounds