Board Research Associate

About the Organization

TAAF serves the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by promoting safety, fostering belonging, and advancing prosperity. Launched in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and to address the long-standing underinvestment in AAPI communities by building safety and economic prosperity in cities, advocating for the teaching of AAPI history in classrooms, advancing decision makers and creatives in Hollywood and journalism, ensuring that we are represented across all levels of leadership, and conducting research to inform our communities. Through groundbreaking programs, essential research, and cross-sector partnerships, we’re creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for millions of AAPIs in the United States. For additional information about TAAF, please visit www.taaf.org or follow @TAAForg on Instagram, LinkedIn, X,  Facebook or TikTok.

About TAAF Board Accelerator 

The TAAF Board Accelerator (TBA) connects highly qualified Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) executives to companies, investors and search firms filling corporate board seats. AAPI professionals make up about 14% of the U.S. workforce but hold only 4–5% of Fortune 500 board seats. TBA believes that the talent exists but the connection in the market doesn't.

TBA identifies and curates a pool of board-ready AAPI executives, prepares them for board service, and introduces them into active board searches. It is backed by a multi-year commitment from the Walter and Shirley Wang Foundation and a partnership with Equilar, and guided by senior advisors who include Fortune 500 directors, search-firm leaders and investors.

What You Will Bring

You bring experience in executive search, talent acquisition, prospect research, governance, consulting, or leadership development, with strong research, analytical, and project management skills. You have a demonstrated ability to identify, assess, and engage senior-level talent, map professional networks, and translate research into actionable insights. You understand the importance of building diverse leadership pipelines and bring strong communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills. We welcome candidates from a variety of professional backgrounds, including career changers and individuals returning to the workforce, and recognize that no single candidate will meet every qualification. 

You will report to Rebecca Kaplan, Director of Corporate Engagement. You will work closely with TBA's advisors, TAAF's marketing, communications and events colleagues, and partners at search firms, companies and governance organizations.

What you’ll do

As the Board Research Associate, you will lead candidate research and manage board search projects from initial request through completion. You will translate board needs into targeted search strategies, identify and assess AAPI candidates within and beyond TBA's network, and develop well-researched, prioritized candidate slates. Serving as a thought partner to TBA leadership, you will independently manage searches, collaborate with internal teams and external partners, and support outreach, stakeholder engagement, events, and broader research initiatives as needed. As TBA grows, you will help strengthen and scale its research function by improving processes, tools, and data management practices to support an expanding portfolio of board searches.

Board research and slate development (~50%)

• Scope each opening. Turn every request into a clear search brief. Cover the board's current composition and skills gaps, committee needs (such as audit committee financial expertise, technology or cyber, risk), industry, geography and the company's strategic situation.
• Build the search strategy. Develop target lists of companies, sectors and functional profiles where strong candidates are likely to sit, and agree priorities with TBA leadership.
• Identify candidates. Draw on TBA's candidate pool, Equilar, LinkedIn, proxy statements and other public filings, and the networks of TBA's advisors and partner organizations.
• Assess fit and board readiness. Weigh scope of leadership and P&L responsibility, public-company and prior board experience, committee qualifications, independence and potential conflicts, and current board commitments.
• Deliver the slate. Produce a prioritized, client-ready slate with concise candidate profiles and a clear rationale for each recommendation.
• Validate interest discreetly. Contact candidates and sources to confirm interest, availability and fit before names go to partners.
• Own the candidate database. Keep TBA's candidate records accurate and current: profiles, readiness, engagement history, and board appointments and departures.
• Spot opportunities early. Track board-refreshment signals such as director retirements, mandatory retirement ages, IPOs, activist situations and CEO transitions. Flag companies where seats are likely to open.
• Build tools that scale. Create templates, search-brief formats, profile standards and processes for recurring requests, and recommend improvements as volume grows.

Search project management (~20%)

• Manage each request end to end: intake, timeline, deliverables, regular status updates to the requesting partner, and hand-off of candidate materials.
• Run several requests at once. Prepare agendas and notes for partner calls and keep every request moving on schedule.
• Follow up on outcomes with partners and candidates and close the loop with both.
• Track and report results: requests received, slates delivered, candidates introduced, interviews and appointments.

Additional responsibilities (~30%)

These will take more of your time while search volume ramps up.

• Outreach and marketing. Research and build target lists for outreach to companies, search firms and investors. Help draft campaign materials, newsletters and social content.
• Stakeholder communications. Prepare updates and meeting materials for TAAF leadership, TBA's advisors and funders.
• Events. Support TBA convenings such as roundtables, dinners and conferences: guest lists, invitations, briefing materials and logistics, working with TAAF's events team.
• General research. Support research on AAPI board representation, landscape analyses and thought leadership, drawing on Equilar data and public sources.
• Other projects or duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required

• Undergraduate degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 2–5 years identifying and profiling senior leaders. That could be executive search research, senior-level recruiting or sourcing, or comparable work such as prospect research, expert-network sourcing or governance research. 
• A track record of building market maps and target lists, then turning them into prioritized slates or shortlists.
• Fluency with LinkedIn, Boolean search and public filings, and with at least one of Salesforce, Equilar, Capital IQ or PitchBook. Experience keeping a CRM or candidate database clean.  
• You run several projects at once, hit deadlines and keep stakeholders informed, with little supervision. 
• Concise, polished candidate profiles and updates for very senior readers. 
• You handle confidential information about candidates, boards and companies with care. 

Preferred:

•  Research experience on board or CEO searches.
•  A working knowledge of corporate governance: board composition, committee structures, director independence and skills matrices.
• Comfort reading proxy statements and other company disclosures.
• Familiarity with AAPI professional and leadership communities and organizations.
•  Experience supporting outreach campaigns or events, with tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot or Monday.com.
• Comfort using AI-enabled research tools responsibly to work faster without sacrificing accuracy.

Working Hours, Location & Schedule

• In-Office Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in our New York City or San Francisco office
• Remote Days: Mondays and Fridays offer work-from-home flexibility
• Requires occasional weekend, off-hours, or evening work for events

Benefits

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is committed to salary transparency and pay equity. The hiring range for this position is $95,000 - $110,000 which is carefully benchmarked against the market to ensure competitiveness.  Final offers are determined through a structured analysis of relevant experience, skills, and role scope to ensure internal pay equity.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all the listed qualifications. We recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this description; if we identify a candidate whose profile suggests a different level, the updated salary range will be communicated to you during the interview process.

At TAAF, we invest in your health and financial future with competitive pay, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a 100% 401(k) match on the first 5% of your salary.

Equal Opportunity Employer

TAAF is deeply committed to being a diverse, inclusive, and equitable place to work. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply.