Title: Director of Research and Evaluation

Department: Program

Reports to: Vice President of Program

Job Purpose: As a member of the Program team, the Director of Research and Evaluation leads and manages research and evaluation efforts to assess and report on the effectiveness of the Trust's program and grant making strategies.

Job Responsibilities:

Research

• Manage work related to the MetroPulse project in collaboration with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
• Produce periodic reports on the state of the region in various issue areas using data available through MetroPulse and other sources
• Oversee special research projects commissioned by the Trust aligned with the strategic plan

Evaluation

• Serve as an internal expert and in-house consultant to the Program department staff on project-level evaluations and program area evaluations
• Ensure high-quality evaluation designs
• Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with external evaluators
• Manage evaluation grants as needed
• Develop and maintain systems to organize and document evaluations and major findings
• Assist the Program staff in linking project evaluation with ongoing program planning and improvement, including assistance in developing and updating logic models and program indicators
• Manage evaluation of special initiatives and projects of the Trust

Reporting

• Assist with the selection of a new grants management system to ensure appropriate data collection for the purposes of reporting and evaluation
• Assist Program Officers with tracking and synthesizing data related to program outcomes for each program area
• Develop dashboards and concise reports on grant making activity to improve effectiveness
• Assist Program staff in presenting research and evaluation results to key constituencies, including the Trust's Executive Committee
• Develop clear and concise reports on the results and lessons learned from the Trust's grant making for internal and public consumption

Other

• Serve on various internal and interdepartmental committees to ensure effective and efficient operation of the Trust
• Participate in the ongoing review and implementation of the Trust's strategic plan
• Perform other duties as assigned

This description should not be construed to contain every function or responsibility that may be required to be performed by an incumbent in this job. Incumbents are required to perform other related functions as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Masters degree in program evaluation, public policy or the social sciences (Ph.D. preferred)
• At least 10 years work experience in planning, designing and conducting program evaluation, both formative and summative, and/or research
• Deep understanding of program evaluation design
• Strong project management skills, with demonstrated experience managing complex projects involving a variety of stakeholders
• Skill and aptitude for data analysis and synthesis
• Excellent analytical writing and research skills
• Strong verbal and presentation skills
• Familiarity with metropolitan Chicago, its communities, neighborhoods and organizations
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Ability to develop, maintain and utilize databases
• Familiarity with GIS tools
• Ability to manage and adapt to changes in work demand
• Willingness and ability to work as a team member with colleagues and external partners

Interested individuals should submit cover letter, resume, salary history and names of references to Please use "Director of Research and Evaluation" as the subject line of your email.

Posting Date: August 1, 2012

Deadline: August 22, 2012