Research Director Jobs in Virginia
Research Director jobs in Virginia concentrate in federal and defense research, life sciences, higher education, and public policy, with demand at senior and executive levels across the state's most active hiring markets. The Washington, D.C. metro corridor, Richmond, and Northern Virginia anchor most of the hiring, where organizations like MITRE Corporation, Leidos, and the University of Virginia maintain lasting research director presences. Clinical research, national security research, and health policy are among the most in-demand specialties. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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We are seeking a Director of User Research to establish and lead a research function across Bloomberg Industry Group. This role will define how customer insight informs product strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions across our platform.
This is a foundational leadership role. You will build a centralized research capability, bring structure to how teams engage with research, and ensure insights are consistently translated into decisions that improve product outcomes. You will also help modernize how research is conducted and applied across teams by leveraging scalable systems, tools, and emerging technologies.
What You Will Do:
Build and lead a centralized user research function serving Law, Tax, and Government product lines
Hire, develop, and manage a team of user researchers, evolving from a limited existing footprint to a scaled capability
Define and operate a research model, including intake, prioritization, and engagement, that ensures research is focused on the highest-impact product and business decisions
Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering leadership to embed research into product development and shape strategy, roadmap, and investment decisions
Lead research on complex, ambiguous problem spaces and critical product bets
Translate customer insights into clear implications, tradeoffs, and recommendations that directly inform decisions and drive measurable product improvements
Establish standards, processes, and systems that improve the quality, consistency, and accessibility of research
Connect insights across product lines and Core Product Experience to inform platform-level opportunities
Establish systems, tools, and practices that enable teams to efficiently access and apply research insights, improving the speed and consistency of decision-making across the organization
Leverage tools and emerging technologies to streamline research operations, including participant recruitment, synthesis, and insight sharing, and continuously improve how research is conducted
What You Need to Have :
10+ years of experience applying user research to product development for complex, web-based or platform-level products, with increasing scope and leadership responsibility
Experience hiring, developing, and leading user research teams
Experience building or scaling a research function in a multi-product organization
Strong expertise in qualitative research methods, with working knowledge of quantitative approaches
Experience defining research processes, operating models, or systems that scale insight across teams
Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy, prioritization, and senior stakeholders through clear, actionable insights
Experience working across Product, Design, Engineering, and business teams with competing priorities
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate insights into decisions and action
Experience leveraging modern research tools and emerging technologies to improve efficiency and scale (e.g., participant management platforms, AI-assisted synthesis, or similar capabilities)
Ability to balance hands-on research, team leadership, and organizational enablement
Compensation Range:
$215,000.00-$260,000.00
Placement in the salary range will be decided upon completion of the interview process. Salary determination will be determined based on factors including but not limited to relevant experience, demonstrated skills related to the requirements of the role, education, certifications, and geographic location.
Equal Opportunity
Bloomberg Industry Group maintains a continuing policy of non-discrimination in employment. It is Bloomberg Industry Group’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access for all persons, and the Company is committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified individuals without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, parental or caring status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or maternity/parental leave, protected veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other classification protected by applicable law (“Protected Characteristic”). Bloomberg prohibits treating applicants or employees less favorably in connection with the terms and conditions of employment, in all phases of the employment process, because of one or more Protected Characteristics (“Discrimination”).
We are seeking a Director of User Research to establish and lead a research function across Bloomberg Industry Group. This role will define how customer insight informs product strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions across our platform.
This is a foundational leadership role. You will build a centralized research capability, bring structure to how teams engage with research, and ensure insights are consistently translated into decisions that improve product outcomes. You will also help modernize how research is conducted and applied across teams by leveraging scalable systems, tools, and emerging technologies.
What You Will Do:
Build and lead a centralized user research function serving Law, Tax, and Government product lines
Hire, develop, and manage a team of user researchers, evolving from a limited existing footprint to a scaled capability
Define and operate a research model, including intake, prioritization, and engagement, that ensures research is focused on the highest-impact product and business decisions
Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering leadership to embed research into product development and shape strategy, roadmap, and investment decisions
Lead research on complex, ambiguous problem spaces and critical product bets
Translate customer insights into clear implications, tradeoffs, and recommendations that directly inform decisions and drive measurable product improvements
Establish standards, processes, and systems that improve the quality, consistency, and accessibility of research
Connect insights across product lines and Core Product Experience to inform platform-level opportunities
Establish systems, tools, and practices that enable teams to efficiently access and apply research insights, improving the speed and consistency of decision-making across the organization
Leverage tools and emerging technologies to streamline research operations, including participant recruitment, synthesis, and insight sharing, and continuously improve how research is conducted
What You Need to Have :
10+ years of experience applying user research to product development for complex, web-based or platform-level products, with increasing scope and leadership responsibility
Experience hiring, developing, and leading user research teams
Experience building or scaling a research function in a multi-product organization
Strong expertise in qualitative research methods, with working knowledge of quantitative approaches
Experience defining research processes, operating models, or systems that scale insight across teams
Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy, prioritization, and senior stakeholders through clear, actionable insights
Experience working across Product, Design, Engineering, and business teams with competing priorities
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate insights into decisions and action
Experience leveraging modern research tools and emerging technologies to improve efficiency and scale (e.g., participant management platforms, AI-assisted synthesis, or similar capabilities)
Ability to balance hands-on research, team leadership, and organizational enablement
Compensation Range:
$215,000.00-$260,000.00
Placement in the salary range will be decided upon completion of the interview process. Salary determination will be determined based on factors including but not limited to relevant experience, demonstrated skills related to the requirements of the role, education, certifications, and geographic location.
Equal Opportunity
Bloomberg Industry Group maintains a continuing policy of non-discrimination in employment. It is Bloomberg Industry Group’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access for all persons, and the Company is committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified individuals without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, parental or caring status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or maternity/parental leave, protected veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other classification protected by applicable law (“Protected Characteristic”). Bloomberg prohibits treating applicants or employees less favorably in connection with the terms and conditions of employment, in all phases of the employment process, because of one or more Protected Characteristics (“Discrimination”).
See All 12 Research Director Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Research Director JobsResearch Director Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Research Director Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Education
- Food & Beverage
- Agriculture & Farming
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in research director jobs across Virginia.
- Doctoral degree in a relevant field such as public health, social sciences, or engineering
- Minimum of eight to ten years of progressively responsible research experience
- Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor multidisciplinary research teams
- Experience securing and managing federal grants, contracts, or sponsored research funding
- Strong record of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or policy research outputs
- Proficiency with research compliance standards including IRB protocols and federal regulations
Research Director Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a research director in Virginia?
Most research director roles in Virginia require a doctoral degree in a relevant discipline, such as public health, engineering, the social sciences, or a natural science, combined with substantial experience leading funded research programs. Virginia does not issue a state license specific to research directors, but roles within clinical or healthcare research settings often require alignment with IRB-governed compliance standards. Many hiring institutions in Virginia, including federal contractors and universities, also expect demonstrated grant management experience.
How much do research directors make in Virginia?
Research directors in Virginia earn a median of about $150,570 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $84,080 for the lowest 10% to over $212,620 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire research directors in Virginia?
Companies currently hiring research directors in Virginia include EAB, StarKist, and Virginia Tech, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and research universities creates particularly consistent demand for research directors with backgrounds in national security, health policy, and applied sciences.
Which Virginia cities have the most research director jobs?
Richmond, Fairfax, and Arlington have the most research director openings in Virginia. The Northern Virginia and greater Washington, D.C. corridor drives the largest share of demand through its dense cluster of federal agencies, defense contractors, and think tanks, while Richmond draws openings from state government, Virginia Commonwealth University, and life sciences employers anchored in the region.
Are there remote research director jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than many senior leadership roles, because research directors in analytical, policy, and social science fields can manage teams and deliverables remotely. About 25% of research director openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting the high proportion of desk-based and federally contracted research in the state. Lab-based, clinical, or site-dependent research director roles remain predominantly on-site.
How can I get hired as a research director in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is building toward the role through a senior researcher or research manager position, which large Virginia employers like MITRE, Leidos, and Virginia Commonwealth University use as a structured pipeline into director-level leadership. Completing a postdoctoral fellowship at a Virginia research university or gaining experience managing a federally sponsored project, even at a coordinator level, builds the credentials that Virginia hiring managers look for. An active publication record or a demonstrated role in winning grant funding accelerates the transition significantly.
Where can I find and apply to research director jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to research director jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 12 Research Director Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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