Senior Research Director - BCG Institute

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformation— inspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact. To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital ventures—and business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive.

The BCG Institute — BCG’s think tank — is seeking an Executive Research Director, Geopolitics & Technology to serve as a senior intellectual and institutional leader at the firm. This role sits at the intersection of global strategy, public policy, and frontier technology, with a mandate to shape BCG’s perspective—and the broader global conversation—on the geopolitical forces redefining competition, security, and growth.

As a senior leader, you will set the firm’s Geopolitics Technology agenda, influence C-suite and government decision makers, and translate deep research into strategic insight that informs BCG’s highest-impact work. The role carries significant visibility, internal influence, and leadership responsibility across BHI and the firm.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Enterprise Thought Leadership & Agenda Setting: Define and steward the Institute's global thought leadership agenda on Geopolitics Technology, shaping how senior leaders understand systemic risk, technological competition, and geopolitical transformation. Act as a senior intellectual voice for BCG on geopolitics and technology, contributing to firmwide strategic dialogue and priority setting.
• Research Leadership & Foresight: Lead a portfolio of high-impact research initiatives across topics such as trade and industrial policy, defense and security, economic competitiveness, AI and advanced technologies, cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and the geopolitics of innovation. Extensive drafting and writing of thought leadership publications and managing research team, ensuring research meets the highest standards of rigor while remaining directly relevant to executive and policy decision making.
• Global Influence & Representation: Author and sponsor flagship thought leadership in top-tier outlets (e.g., Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review). Participate in advisory boards, policy dialogues, and expert networks shaping the global geopolitical and technology agenda.
• Executive Advisory & Client Impact: Partner with BCG leadership and case teams to bring geopolitical and technology insight into the firm’s client engagements, serving as an advisor with a leading voice on geopolitical strategy, technology competition, and risk.
• Leadership, Talent & Ecosystem Building: Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of researchers and fellows, setting a culture of excellence, intellectual ambition, and impact. Cultivate long-term partnerships with leading universities, think tanks, and innovation ecosystems to extend the Institute's reach and influence.
• Firmwide Integration & Influence: Embed geopolitical and technology foresight into BCG’s commercial and intellectual agenda, working closely with Practice Area leaders (e.g., GA, PS, TDA, X) to shape offerings, narratives, and client impact. Act as a bridge between frontier research and the firm’s strategic and commercial priorities.

What You'll Bring:

• PhD required in Political Science, International Affairs, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Deep, original expertise with expertise in geopolitics with additional experience in the impact of technology, demonstrated through multi-year research contributions with a minimum of 10 major publications (books/book contributions/articles) over the past 10 years. Established global thought leader with a sustained record of influential publications, public engagement, and agenda-setting impact.
• 15+ years of progressive experience spanning geopolitics, technology policy, international relations, strategic consulting, and/or senior public-sector leadership.
• Demonstrated experience building, leading, and scaling major research programs, policy initiatives, or institutions (e.g., think tanks, government offices, global initiatives) with measurable influence on public and private decision-making.
• Experience shaping or implementing national or international policy frameworks related to technology, energy, security, or economic competitiveness.
• Proven experience advising C-suite executives, senior policymakers, and leaders of global institutions on complex, high-stakes issues.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to operate credibly at the highest levels of business, government, and academia.

Boston Consulting Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under national, provincial, or local law, where applicable, and those with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with applicable state and local laws. BCG is an E-Verify Employer.