Senior Research Analyst, AI Transformation Best Practices

Gravity Research is hiring a Senior Research Analyst to help some of the world’s leading communications and corporate affairs teams navigate the rapidly changing world of AI.

This is a role for someone who is endlessly curious about what AI can do, eager to experiment with the latest tools, and excited to turn emerging ideas and peer experiences into practical solutions. You’ll work alongside senior executives to research how leading organizations move from simply experimenting with AI to fundamentally changing how their teams work, and help others follow their lead.

Gravity Research, born of National Journal, is a premier custom research and insights organization supporting corporate clients. Our mission is to help communications and corporate affairs leaders modernize their functions by finding where AI fits into their workflows and team structures.

Background

We are looking for curious and innovative researchers interested in helping communications and corporate affairs leaders smartly navigate AI’s transformation of their function through rigorous case study and best practices research.

The Role
Senior Analysts are responsible for contributing to all aspects of Gravity’s new AI transformation practice, with a focus on case study and best practices research. Analysts help communications and corporate affairs leaders move their teams from early experimentation to mature AI adoption. Analysts on this team use qualitative research methods to assess where organizations stand in their adoption journey, build step-by-step case studies and best practices, and create practical implementation guidance on how to modernize the function. Analysts work directly with senior leaders at Gravity and senior communications and corporate affairs executives at member organizations.

Qualifications Of The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strong qualitative researcher who is comfortable designing executive interviews and turning the findings into polished, practical insight. The candidate will also have hands-on comfort with AI tools and prompting, along with the curiosity to test how new tools can improve communications work. The candidate will have the ability to execute against tight deadlines to develop professional and intellectually sound deliverables for members, both independently and in close collaboration with team members.

• Designing in-depth interviews with senior executives and practitioners, and synthesizing the results into organized notes that capture key learnings.

• Developing research using qualitative methods to synthesize findings from interviews, surveys, and open-source research into clear, actionable insights and best practices.

• Writing and editing detailed step-by-step case studies and roadmaps that translate peer and expert insights into practical implementation plans clients can act on.

• Constantly experimenting with new AI tools and releases to understand first-hand how they can be used to improve communications workflows.

• Applying change management principles to help clients structure adoption roadmaps, training plans, and upskilling programs for teams navigating AI-enabled ways of working.

• Drafting deliverables, including PowerPoint presentations, memos, and other formats, to communicate findings and recommendations to clients.

• Supporting the design and delivery of monthly webinars, executive briefings, and training sessions that build AI capability across a client's team.

• Preparing briefing materials and research summaries for executive advisors ahead of member meetings, and responding to subsequent questions.

• Contributing to product development by crafting new and innovative approaches to producing the analytic work, optimizing operations, and perfecting the research product.

• To perform this job successfully, each essential competency and responsibility must be performed satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform essential functions. Other duties may be assigned to meet organizational goals.

• A highly analytic, natural problem solver.

• Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative research, including designing interviews and synthesizing findings into clear conclusions.

• The ability to highlight key insights within a complex set of data, synthesize large amounts of information, and then clearly explain these insights to clients.

• Creative thinking and resourcefulness in problem-solving.

• Experience creating case studies, benchmarking reports, white papers, or other client-facing research products is highly preferred.

• A skilled project manager, able to independently manage competing priorities and adhere to timelines.

• Familiarity with change management fundamentals and the ability to apply them practically to drive team adoption of new tools and workflows.

• Hands-on experience using AI tools and prompting (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot).

• An individual with 1-3 years of experience in at least one of the following domains: case study or best practices research, change management, organizational development, AI transformation, or a related field.

• Research focused on AI, organizational development, or the future of work preferred.

• Earned Bachelor's degree required.

• Entrepreneurial spirit; Track record of building new initiatives from conception to execution.

• Prodigious work ethic and spirit of generosity.

$70,000 - $85,000 a year

The salary range for this role is $70,000-$85,000, commensurate with experience.

Start Date: Available immediately

Employment Type: Full-time

Location: This job is based in Washington, DC. Gravity Research operates on a hybrid schedule, with employees required to be in the office every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

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About Us

Across Gravity Research, generally, the firm looks for three “pillar gifts” in you, and everyone else. In all of us, these are more aspirational than actual, but they are central in our intentions –

Force of Ideas: At the center of Gravity Research’s work are the ideas within our work. We believe that ideas—the good and not—have consequences. Our ultimate objective is to bring rigor, insight, and intellectual honesty to the goal of separating the bad from the good, and giving voice, argument, and flight to maintaining the latter.

Spirit of Generosity: Gravity Research seeks in its ranks a spirit of generosity: a natural disposition in each colleague toward service and selfless conduct. Our writing should be cut from the same cloth—critical on the merits, but informed by charity and forbearance in measuring motive and personal character.

Radical Responsibility: We give our people a lot of responsibility early on, and our top performers embrace it. We believe in holding ourselves and our colleagues accountable, taking ownership over big things, striving for excellence, and celebrating success.

Gravity Research is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.