Full-Time Chief Executive Officer & President
Job Description
Chief Executive Officer & President
Founded in 1932, the https://www.bmrb.org/ (Research Bureau) is a cornerstone of Boston’s civic landscape, dedicated to providing rigorous, data-driven research, analysis, and recommendations regarding the city’s services and finances. Renowned for its independence and objectivity, the Research Bureau serves as a trusted and vital resource to its members, policymakers, elected officials, journalists, and the public. As Boston confronts increasingly complex urban challenges, the Research Bureau’s role in enhancing the effectiveness and accountability of Boston’s government and in shaping a more equitable and prosperous city has never been more critical.
The Research Bureau helps promote a more efficient, effective, and responsible city government by:
• Providing expert research and fact-based insights to initiate or support constructive action.
• Proactively tracking city operations and finances.
• Fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors on critical policy issues affecting the delivery of city services, promotion of economic health, and improved quality of life in Boston.
• Serving as a valued source for accurate information and opinion to Research Bureau members, government officials, the media, and the public.
• Promoting better public understanding of issues to stimulate informed citizen participation in city affairs.
• Addressing evolving challenges and opportunities critical to Boston’s future.
Learn more about the Research Bureau at https://www.bmrb.org/.
The Opportunity
The next Chief Executive Officer and President (CEO) of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau (the Research Bureau) will inherit a remarkable legacy of being an indispensable voice for fiscal responsibility and government efficiency and effectiveness in Boston. This is an extraordinary opportunity for a strategic leader to build on this legacy, guiding the Research Bureau into its next chapter with a renewed focus on its mission to provide objective and impartial research and policy analysis in addressing the key challenges and opportunities facing Boston today. In addition, the new CEO will need to build the organization’s membership and shore up its finances to ensure the Research Bureau has the resources to thrive.
The landscape of member-focused nonprofits and advocacy groups is often dominated by organizations that represent specific industries or special interests. In contrast, on behalf of its wide-ranging members, the Research Bureau is dedicated to the broader effort of fostering a thriving city and effective government through comprehensive analysis of municipal operations, policies, and finances. To advance this impactful mission, the CEO has the opportunity to:
• Safeguard independence, objectivity, and public trust by producing fact-based, timely, impartial research and independent oversight that earns respect across the political spectrum.
• Preserve the City’s fiscal health and address evolving urban challenges such as housing affordability, climate resilience, transportation, and economic inequality by delivering insightful and actionable analysis and recommendations that consider the constraints of local government and the totality of public interest implications, including the sustainability of various options and their projected impact on long-term urban vibrancy.
• Maximize the Research Bureau’s impact through effective communication strategies to an array of audiences, including its members and the broader business community, elected officials, policy makers, members of the media, and the public.
• Ensure the Research Bureau’s financial sustainability through innovative ways to expand membership, increase event sponsorships, and build effective philanthropic fundraising.
Reporting to the Board of Directors and working closely with the Executive Committee, the CEO is charged with sustaining and enhancing the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s operational and financial health while providing clear and thoughtful leadership to the staff. In this highly visible role, the CEO will represent the Research Bureau across Boston’s civic landscape, ensuring the organization remains a respected and influential voice. With a deep commitment to fiscal accountability, government efficiency, inclusivity, and best practices in nonprofit governance, this leader will guide the Research Bureau in helping Boston to become a more efficient, equitable, thriving city.
The CEO will be a skilled and strategic communicator, adept at representing the organization in high-profile settings, including the media (reporters, editorial boards, etc.). A core aspect of the Research Bureau’s mission is its ability to effectively communicate and influence, and the CEO will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering this message. Politically astute and deeply engaged with the community, the CEO will build and maintain relationships with key constituencies, ensuring the Bureau’s work resonates across diverse audiences and drives meaningful impact.
Candidate Profile
There is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
Strategic, Adaptable Leader
• Thought Partnership: Work with board leaders to envision the future, set short-term and long-term goals, and develop a clear roadmap to achieve strategic objectives.
• Adaptability: Be flexible and responsive to changing circumstances, combining foresight with agility to ensure the Research Bureau not only plans effectively but also adjusts its strategies to respond to new challenges, opportunities, or shifts in the environment.
Research-Driven and Policy-Savvy
• Research Integrity: Uphold the Research Bureau’s reputation for producing high-quality, data-driven research, analysis, and recommendations. Working in concert with the staff, Board, and Executive Committee, develop and implement the Research Bureau’s research agenda, balancing reports on near-term policy challenges with longer-term, in-depth research.
• Policy Expertise: Leverage an intellectual curiosity and robust commitment to research and policy analysis to ensure the Research Bureau’s work addresses Boston’s fiscal health and most significant urban challenges.
Independent and Objective
• Political Independence: Maintain the Research Bureau’s independence from electoral politics, acting as a neutral, fact-based voice. Navigate political dynamics with diplomacy, critiquing city policies when necessary while fostering constructive relationships with civic and political leaders.
• Balanced Approach: Maintain the Research Bureau’s watchdog role while also collaborating with City of Boston elected leaders and staff, ensuring that the organization’s work supports the long-term success of Boston.
Communicator and Relationship Builder
• Public Engagement: Serve as a visible, articulate leader and spokesperson for the Research Bureau, effectively conveying positions and addressing issues to a variety of stakeholders, including city officials, the media, current and prospective members, and other constituencies.
• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to further the Research Bureau’s goals and objectives.
• Media Management: Serve as a thought leader for the Research Bureau, representing the organization with authority and expertise. The CEO will confidently engage with diverse media outlets to elevate the Research Bureau’s work, ensuring its research and insights are highly visible and impactful.
Fundraiser and Resource Developer
• Revenue Enhancement: Lead efforts to increase revenue and generate additional funding sources, including expanding membership and event sponsorships, establishing partnerships with corporate and foundation funders, and securing grants. This could include exploration of strategic partnerships and collaborations to secure funding.
• Membership Strategy: Develop strategies to retain and engage current members and attract future members, ensuring that the Research Bureau’s value proposition aligns with the success of its supporters and the broader city.
Champion of Operational Performance and People
• Operating Efficiency: Oversee the Research Bureau’s operations, ensuring quality performance and efficient use of resources. Ensure the organization’s infrastructure is modernized to enhance research accessibility, communications, and member engagement.
• Inclusive Culture: Foster a collaborative, inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds, and promotes teamwork and a sense of belonging. Provide inspiration and clear direction to the staff in an environment of transparency, collaboration, and mutual respect.
• Performance Management: Manage a 4.5 FTE team, as well as coop students, contract services, and vendors, providing clear guidance and direction and setting performance expectations to ensure alignment with annual goals and objectives.
Proponent of Best Practices in Nonprofit Governance
• Governance Leadership: Ensure that the Research Bureau adheres to the highest standards of nonprofit governance, working closely with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors to ensure best practices in organizational oversight and financial management.
• Board Collaboration: Partner effectively with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, ensuring that these governing bodies are engaged, informed, and actively involved in guiding the organization’s strategic direction and long-term sustainability.
In addition, strong candidates will offer:
• Master’s degree in law, business, and/or public policy preferred, with 10+ years of experience in government, business, nonprofit, academic, research, or trade association environments.
• Understanding of municipal government, finance, and policy, and the intellectual curiosity to learn more.
• Ability to develop and execute a high-quality, data-driven research agenda and impact the associated policy dialogue.
• Credible and respected thought leader with high standards, impeccable integrity, and willingness to bring a non-partisan approach to the work. Confident in taking necessary, sometimes unpopular positions to advance the Research Bureau’s mission.
• Skilled, persuasive communicator, able to clearly frame complex issues and policies, and research findings and their implications to diverse audiences. Skilled at crafting and delivering compelling content and leveraging multi-media vehicles and opportunities for public speaking.
• Exceptional relationship-builder, politically astute, and diplomatic; able to navigate the competing demands of government, business, and politics.
• Experienced at setting an organization’s direction, managing multiple priorities and deadlines, and maintaining a positive, collaborative work culture.
• Proven ability to increase revenue, develop and expand a member base, and raise philanthropic funds.
• Self-motivated and able to pivot quickly. Tenacious on behalf of members. Attentive to detail with a strategic focus and results orientation.
• Effective manager, able to engage, empower, and retain a highly skilled staff and engage board members in the work of the organization.
Measures of Success
In Year One:
• Organizational Assessment: Lay the groundwork for strategic planning by completing an organizational assessment that may include analysis of the Research Bureau’s financial health, operational performance, staffing levels, market position and value proposition, and external environment.
• Enhanced Public Presence: Establish presence as a visible, respected, credible civic leader in Boston, effectively representing the Research Bureau in public forums, media engagements, and across stakeholder groups.
• Proactive/Responsive Research Agenda: Ensure that the Research Bureau’s research agenda bolsters its reputation for producing high-quality, data-driven research and policy analysis that is rigorous, unbiased, and responds to current and emerging issues and policies that impact the quality of life and government in Boston.
• Revenue Growth: Achieve measurable progress in increasing the Research Bureau’s revenue streams, potentially including, but not limited to, increasing membership and event sponsorships and securing grants from corporate and foundation funders.
• Strengthened Governance: Implement best practices in nonprofit governance, ensuring robust collaboration with the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and other board-level committees, enhancing the transparency and accountability of the organization’s governance.
• Modernized Technology: Begin the modernization of digital and data management tools and communications platforms to enhance information accessibility and member engagement.
Beyond Year One:
• Strategic Planning: Engage the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and key stakeholders in strategic planning, setting clear goals and actionable steps to support mission advancement. Develop robust strategies that drive meaningful impact and adapt to the evolving needs of the city, and consider integrating equity and inclusion as core components of the Research Bureau’s mission.
• Long-Term Impact: Demonstrate the Research Bureau’s continued relevance and impact through high-quality, influential research, policy analysis, and recommendations that directly contribute to addressing Boston’s most significant challenges.
• Revenue Growth: Grow revenue to ensure the Research Bureau’s long-term financial health, including a growing and engaged membership base.
• Leadership and Culture: Foster a positive, collaborative organizational culture that attracts and retains top talent, encouraging professional growth and high performance among staff members.
• Engagement and Inclusivity: Ensure the Research Bureau’s research, recommendations, stakeholder engagement, and internal operations reflect a commitment to diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices.
• Reputation and Influence: Cement the Research Bureau’s reputation as a leading, independent, and non-partisan voice in Boston, respected for its commitment to fiscal responsibility and government efficiency.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $185,000 – $200,000 with a competitive benefits package.
Contact
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alicia Salerno.
Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at
re****************@ko**********.com
. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email
No****************@di*******.com
. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
The Boston Municipal Research Bureau is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group
Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/koya-partners/
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