Research, Evaluation, and Learning Officer

The Research, Evaluation and Learning Officer (RELO) builds and applies knowledge to guide the Foundation's strategic planning and grantmaking in healthcare and the Social Determinants of Health. The ideal candidate has formal training and work experience in a range of research and evaluation approaches and methods in healthcare and the Social Determinants of Health. They are highly collaborative and capable of building effective relationships, as they work closely with programs, grants management, and external relations colleagues, as well as with a range of topic experts, such as academics, researchers, policy experts, and leading thinkers. This is a full-time exempt position that works in the Foundation’s headquarters in New York City. The duties and responsibilities of the RELO require some discretion in decision-making. RELOs are supervised by a senior member of the Evaluation and Learning team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Research to guide foundation strategy development  

Develop an evolving base of knowledge about issues of priority to the Foundation to guide strategy development. This involves:

• Conduct literature reviews of peer-reviewed literature and grey literature.
• Identify evidence-based, promising, and innovative intervention models, strategies, and leading practices in the field.
• Apply conceptual frameworks and theories to understand issues and guide strategic decision-making.
• Distill insights from a variety of sources and perspectives into implications and recommendations for strategy development.
• Identify and engage with topic experts to elicit diverse perspectives on complex issues through in-depth interviews and group meetings.

Evaluation

Develop and implement evaluations for different areas of grantmaking. This involves:

• Developing theories of change / logic models.
• Develop evolving learning agendas of key strategic learning and evaluation questions and approaches to answering these questions.
• Set up procedures for data collection, data quality assurance, analysis, and use.
• Identify and implement data collection and analysis methods (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods).
• Define and measure progress and success. Develop, identify, track, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative indicators of progress and success.

Knowledge products

Develop knowledge products informed by leading practices in research and evaluation. This involves:

• Develop knowledge products. These may include but not be limited to: landscape assessments; reports from consultations with experts; evaluation plans; learning agendas; terms of reference for commissioning evaluation and research studies; evaluation reports; evidence reviews; strategic reviews; and presentations for senior leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Assist with commissioning high quality, useful, and timely research studies and evaluations. Support oversight of quality of knowledge products from research and evaluation contractors/consultants.
• Contribute to dissemination of learnings with the field.

Departmental approaches to research, evaluation, and learning

Contribute to developing departmental strategy related to research, evaluation, and learning as opportunities arise.

Internal stakeholder relationships

• Coordinate with other departments as needed for completion of inter-departmental projects.

External stakeholder relationships

• Engage with topic experts in specific areas of responsibility related to strategic grantmaking.

External visibility

• Attend conferences/events as opportunities arise.
• Assist with identification of appropriate conferences/events related to specific areas of responsibility.

We are aware that a candidate may not possess all of these skills and experiences. We welcome applications from candidates who bring some of these skills, experiences, and orientations, as well as a commitment to professional development and growth.

• Master’s degree preferred. Preferred areas of graduate study are: public health, health policy, healthcare, social work / social welfare, macro social work, social research, social policy, public policy, public administration, sociology, economics, political science, or related field, with substantive focus on research and evaluation.
• At least 3 years of work experience in research and evaluation (e.g., program evaluation, policy analysis, research) in areas of relevance to the foundation, such as social services, healthcare, public health, social policy, or social welfare policy.
• Formal training in qualitative and quantitative study designs, data collection methods, and analytic techniques. Knowledge of quantitative research includes the following areas: data collection through surveys and databases; data cleaning and quality checking procedures; data analysis and visualization; descriptive and inferential statistics; and familiarity with tools for data collection (Survey Monkey, Qualtrics, databases, etc.) and data analysis and visualization (SPSS, R, SaaS, Stata, Tableau, Power BI, etc.). Knowledge of qualitative research includes design and analysis of in-depth interviews and focus groups, various qualitative methodologies (case studies, narrative research, ethnography, document reviews, etc.), and qualitative analysis tools (ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, NVivo, etc.).
• Familiarity or interest in learning evaluation frameworks and approaches, such as the CDC’s framework for program evaluation in public health, Equitable Evaluation Framework, Utility Focused Evaluation, Developmental Evaluation, etc.
• Experience with analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, distilling findings, developing reasoned conclusions, and making thoughtful recommendations. This includes an ability to assess the quality, strength, and limitations of evidence and understand the difference between the evidence of absence and the absence of evidence.
• Experience or interest in developing group facilitation skills, including an ability to elicit multiple perspectives on complex issues, engage in participatory approaches, fruitfully and tactfully explore complexity and conflicting perspectives, and move a process forward at the pace needed.
• Interest in identifying and developing principles to guide the organization’s learning strategy such as stakeholder inclusivity, equity, and multi-disciplinarity.
• Ability to identify the contributions and blind spots of different perspectives and how to bring in missing perspectives.
• Ability to identify, commission, and liaise with research and evaluation consultants and organizations to carry out high-quality, timely, and useful research and evaluations studies.
• Capable of conceiving of and delivering creative ways to engage others in learning.
• Ability to work with multiple constituencies on complex, challenging problems.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently on a wide range of issues, as well as the ability to work constructively and creatively as part of a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as organizational ability.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills for research and evaluation projects. Ability to set realistic goals, budgets, and timelines, to anticipate roadblocks, and to recalibrate proactively.
• An orientation towards intellectual curiosity, humility and growth, evaluative thinking, and conceptual thinking.

Salary and Benefits

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation expects to pay a salary in the range of $125,000 - $175,000 for this role, commensurate with experience, plus benefits.

To Apply

Please submit an updated resume along with a one-page cover letter containing your contact information and sign your application. We encourage interested candidates to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline to apply is August 15.

Conditions and Requirements

MCHF will provide any reasonable accommodation(s) required to perform the role’s essential duties:

• Working in a high-rise office environment for all or most of the scheduled work week.
• Employees of the MCHF are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. Final candidates must be fully vaccinated as of their first day of employment.
• Offers of employment are contingent on clear results of a thorough background check.
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

EEO and Diversity Statements

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind. The Foundation is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees, interns, and applicants for employment and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, discipline, terminations, layoff, leaves of absence, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.

All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, family or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics will not be tolerated.

MCHF is committed to diversity and encourages applicants of all ages and backgrounds. Members of underrepresented communities are especially encouraged to apply. The Foundation is also committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the Foundation will ensure that people with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the internship application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact hr@cabrinihealth.org.

Immigration Compliance

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation complies with prevailing immigration laws. As a condition of employment, and in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the Immigration Act of 1990, all new employees, will be expected to provide satisfactory evidence of identity and legal authority to work in the United States within three (3) days of hire, as stipulated by the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9.

Background Check Authorization

Final hiring decisions are contingent on applicants' favorable background check results, including criminal and, in some cases, credit history. By submitting this application, the applicant acknowledges understanding of this requirement and authorizes the collection of personal information from third-party sources as required for Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to validate his or her eligibility for hire. Such validation shall include review of the applicant's social security number, criminal history, education, employment, and professional references. A signed authorization from the applicant will be required to initiate the background check process.

All background checks and employment consideration will comply with existing law, including the provision of appropriate notice in the case of adverse history, as required. The existence of a prior criminal conviction will not disqualify an applicant from consideration. In such cases, all relevant factors will be considered in accordance with the law. Mother Cabrini Health Foundation will exercise its right to deny employment consideration if an applicant refuses to submit to a background check. Further, a favorable employment decision may be rescinded at any time after the discovery of unfavorable or adverse background check details obtained through the background check process, especially if such details conflict with information provided by the applicant on this employment application.