Job Overview

The Director of Research and Evaluation is responsible for developing, overseeing, and executing AVANCE’s strategic direction for research and evaluation. The Director of Research and Evaluation works with the CEO and CPO to design, project-manage, oversee and conduct research projects; and produce and disseminate meaningful and relevant analyses, reports and data representations for internal and external stakeholders. The Director of Research and Evaluation will manage a small team who oversees data collection and management systems for the AVANCE Network. The Director of Research and Evaluation is responsible for creating a welcoming atmosphere for AVANCE internal employees and external program participants and partners.

Job Responsibilities

• Research, Evaluation, and Program Fidelity:
  • Develop and manage the design, implementation, and oversight of AVANCE’s research and evaluation goals and processes
  • Design and implement evaluation frameworks to assess program effectiveness and impact.
  • Develop and manage project plans, budgets, and timelines. Manage multiple simultaneous data analysis and research projects
  • Cultivate and maintain a library of all relevant program measurement data that is up-to-date and easily accessed by the entire AVANCE organization
  • Update metrics as well as data needed to create and publish AVANCE’s annual report
  • Monitors local, state, and federal education policy to determine education research of value in policy decision-making and whether/how this should fit into AVANCE’s research agenda
  • Presents data findings to a variety of audiences through various mediums including in person, video, and print to inspire action and drive change
• Interdepartmental Coordination:
  • Collaborate with grant writer and fund development staff to develop and monitor outcomes for grant applications/funder initiatives
  • Partner with AVANCE staff to identify and strategize opportunities to provide school districts, institutions of higher education, and other partners with data and information that communicates the impact of AVANCE’s programs
  • Coordinate with communications staff to ensure that accurate and compelling data is integrated into marketing collateral and key communications messages. This includes developing charts, graphs, infographics, tables, maps and interactive data displays that communicate information clearly for a variety of external audiences, effectively telling a story that communicates AVANCE’s impact Present analytic information in verbal, written, and graphical forms to internal and external stakeholders to inform and influence decision-making and policy
  • Collaborate with IT Team to support implementation of AVANCE’s centralized data system
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
  • Collaborate with stakeholders, including AVANCE leadership, staff, partners, and strategic investors, to establish research priorities
  • Drive a strong culture of data use by improving the accessibility and availability of data to improve decision-making and increasing the capacity of stakeholders to make effective use of data
• Data Management and Reporting:
  • Serve as Administrator for the AVANCE Network’s centralized data system
  • Analyze and summarize data, design, and refine metrics, and undertake quantitative and qualitative research and analysis to further AVANCE’s mission
  • Utilize an equity lens when analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data
• Training and Professional Development
  • Lead training for the centralized data system across the AVANCE Network, including with partner organizations.
  • Performs other duties as assigned

AVANCE Core Competencies

• Execution & Accountability
• Problem Solving & Decision-Making
• Communication & Influence
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Stakeholder Focus
• Adaptability & Continuous Learning

Education

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in the social sciences, education, or statistics with graduate hours in statistics, research design, and other coursework related to applied research and program evaluation

Preferred:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in social sciences, education, or statistics

Work Experience

Required:

• A minimum of 3 years of experience working with educational institutions
• A minimum of 5 years of experience developing and executing data driven strategies and projects
• Experience in developing research studies and the corresponding reports for publication
• Knowledge and experience in data analytic software: Python, SAS, R, and/or SPSS   

Preferred:

• Extensive understanding of Texas education data at the early childhood, K-12, and/or higher education levels
• Experience with the design and management of SQL databases to maintain data sets, and with programming languages for the manipulation of analytical data and data visualizations
• Experience developing, managing and executing a randomized controlled trial and/or a quasi-experimental design study
• Experience managing a team  

Additional Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Good training and facilitating skills
• Excellent writing skills
• Exhibit attention to detail and ability to deliver high-quality, tested analytic results
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Maintain confidentiality of work-related information and materials, including interpretation of an adherence to federal FERPA and HIPAA requirements
• Meet requirements for deliverables and deadlines
• Candidates must demonstrate strong proficiency in using Office 365 applications (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams) and other relevant technology tools.

Travel 

• Ability to travel to various sites: Dependable transportation is required daily with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, Inc.
• Travel required up to 20-25% of the time for work-related site visits, meetings, and functions.

Working Conditions  

• Work is generally performed in an office environment.
• Noise level in the work environment is moderate to occasionally loud (examples: business office with computers and printers, light to moderate traffic, human voices).
• Standard office equipment generally used includes:
  • Telephone
  • Personal Computer (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) or Tablet
  • Printer/Photocopy Machine
  • Calculator

• May be required to operate a motor vehicle during the course of duties. 

Mental and Physical Demands  

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling and pushing, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Factors  

Occasional exposure to biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional expose to weather related conditions when working in outside environment/neighborhoods and events.