Research Lead

Job Posting - Research Lead

Employment Type: Full-Time, Contract

Duration: June 8, 2026 - March 31, 2027

Compensation: $35 – $40 per hour, with Dental and Health Benefits

Hours: 35 hours/week, including evenings and occasional weekends

Work Location: Hybrid; within the Greater Toronto Area

Application Deadline: Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

To apply, click the "Apply" button above or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://forms.gle/HTFLiiXxmJqVLcoA6

For questions or accessibility accommodations during the application process, please email us at hiring@asecommunityfoundation.com

ABOUT US

The Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities is Canada’s only national, Black- and disabled-led organization, specifically focused on advancing economic justice and social inclusion at the intersection of Blackness, disability, and gender.

Our work centres lived experience, amplifies community voice, and supports self-determination. Through this approach, we inform national research, programs, and services. We envision a future with Black disabled people thriving on the path they design.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Research Lead is responsible for leading and managing community-based research projects that address systemic barriers experienced by Black Canadians with disabilities. The role oversees the full research process, including project planning, research design, ethics, data collection, analysis, reporting, and knowledge sharing.

This position also supervises research staff and collaborates with community members, advisory groups, funders, and stakeholders to ensure research is community-centred, trauma-informed, culturally affirming, and grounded in disability justice principles.

The Research Lead translates research findings into reports, policy recommendations, presentations, and advocacy tools that support systems change, program improvement, and social inclusion. Building safe and trusting relationships with Black disabled community members, funders, and stakeholders is critical to this role.

The ideal candidate has a graduate degree, strong experience in qualitative and mixed-methods research, project leadership skills, and expertise in equity, disability justice, and intersectional frameworks related to race, gender, and disability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Research Leadership & Project Oversight

● Provide overall leadership for the research project, including vision, objectives, methodology, work plan, and timelines.

● Ensure the research aligns with the organization’s mission, values, strategic priorities, and funder requirements.

● Oversee all phases of the research process, from planning and implementation to analysis, reporting, and dissemination.

● Monitor project progress, identify risks or challenges, and ensure deliverables are completed on time and within scope.

Ethics, Research Design & Quality Assurance

● Lead the development of research questions, study design, data collection tools, consent forms, and research protocols.

● Ensure research methods are ethical, accessible, trauma-informed, culturally affirming, and community-centred.

● Oversee ethics approvals, informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, and data protection.

● Lead data collection, analysis, interpretation, and quality assurance to ensure findings are accurate, rigorous, and grounded in participant experiences.

Team Supervision & Community Engagement

● Supervise, mentor, and support research staff, including research analysts, assistants, peer researchers, students, and/or consultants.

● Assign roles, review deliverables, provide feedback, and build team capacity in research methods, ethics, accessibility, and analysis.

● Build and maintain relationships with community members, partners, advisory groups, funders, and stakeholders.

● Ensure community voices and lived experiences are meaningfully included throughout the research process.

Reporting, Knowledge Translation & Impact

● Lead or oversee the development of research reports, briefing notes, presentations, policy recommendations, and community-facing materials.

● Translate research findings into accessible, practical, and actionable recommendations.

● Present findings to funders, partners, policymakers, service providers, and community audiences.

● Use research findings to support advocacy, policy change, program improvement, funding opportunities, and broader systems change.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

● Completed graduate studies, with a PhD strongly preferred and a Master’s degree minimum, in Disability Studies, Equity Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Public Health, or a related field. An equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered.

● TCPS 2 (Tri-Council Policy Statement) certification in ethical conduct for research involving humans, with a demonstrated commitment to maintaining high ethical standards throughout the research lifecycle.

● Minimum 5–7 years of experience conducting community-based research

● Demonstrated experience in a senior research leadership role, including supervising or mentoring research staff, students, consultants, or project teams.

● Strong background in mixed-methods research design, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, community consultations, literature reviews, and data and statistical analysis.

● Experience developing research questions, methodologies, data collection tools, consent materials, research protocols, and analysis plans.

● Experience overseeing quantitative and qualitative analysis using tools such as SAS, SPSS, NVivo, or similar platforms.

● Demonstrated experience with data management, data quality assurance, research databases, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, and ethical research records.

● Experience preparing literature reviews, research reports, academic papers, briefing notes, policy recommendations, and knowledge translation materials.

● Excellent project management skills, including managing timelines, deliverables, funder requirements, and competing priorities.

● Experience working within the Black disability diaspora with a strong understanding of the Black Feminist Disability Framework and disability justice.

● Proficiency in digital platforms for (e.g. Google Suite, MS365), evaluation (e.g. SurveyMonkey, CRM systems/Salesforce, and project management (e.g. Monday.com)

● Familiarity with using AI tools and emerging technologies in literature reviews, data organization, accessibility, and knowledge mobilization.

● A valid Vulnerable Sector Check is required/must be completed within the first month of starting the role.

ASSETS

● Lived and/or professional experience at the intersection of Blackness and disability

● French language proficiency

The application form will remain open until the position is filled. Interviews will take place starting Monday, June 1, 2026, with an anticipated start date of June 8, 2026.

We are committed to a fully accommodated, seamless hiring process and to on-the-job support. Please let us know how we can support you throughout this process, including accommodations and other requests.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. For updates and future opportunities, we invite you to visit our website at asecommunityfoundation.com — where you can join our community and find us on social media.