Senior Director of Research, Evaluation and Program Development

MISSION STATEMENT:

Eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

PRIMARY FUNCTION: The Senior Director of Research, Evaluation, and Program Development is a strategic executive leader. This position serves as an inspiring thought partner, supporting YW programs to integrate research and evaluation into practice, and supporting the sector to benefit from the YW’s findings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Masters in social work or related field required, including applied research, OR

PhD strongly preferred in social work, early childhood, public health or related field

• Experience bridging the research-practice divide through implementation science and practice

• 10+ years of developing and executing social service programs
• Personal or professional experience related to at least one of the agency’s service pillars
• Demonstrated experience in all of the following: designing and executing impact evaluations; strategic planning; personnel supervision and growth; conducting needs assessments; facilitating research partnerships; leading direct service teams

KEY SKILLS:

• Expertise in implementation science and practice
• Strategic planning and innovation
• Curiosity, humility, boldness, creativity, connectedness
• Strong group facilitation, including personnel and community members
• Tool, research, and EBP/best practice identification and development
• Strengths-based personnel development, including for highly credentialed teams
• Commitment to anti-racist, feminist perspectives in social work
• Bilingual Spanish/English candidates encouraged to apply

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Centers anti-racism, feminism, and trauma-responsive leadership in all activities, including in leadership, partnership, and research.
• Consults on research design and implementation, including development and direct facilitation of groups, interviews, and surveys when necessary
• Collaboratively develops, manages, and forecasts departmental budget
• Serves as the principal writer for research funding opportunities
• Manages funded research projects in accordance with contractual requirements
• Collaboratively creates and executes agency-wide research, evaluation, and program development protocols
• Ensure all programs agency-wide are supported with a collaboratively created, rigorous, measurable logic model
• Ensure all tools and interventions used agency-wide are vetted and either a) evidence-based or b) if no appropriate tool/intervention exists, have an actionable plan to develop the evidence-base
• Maintain a comprehensive roster of the tools and interventions used across the agency, including confirmation (and citations) for whether the tools/interventions have been evaluated with like-populations to the communities served by YWCA Kalamazoo
• Ensure research methods deployed are an effective, rigorous blend of qualitative and quantitative methods, and that the analysis and discussion around results uses best practices
• Lead the organization’s research-to-practice strategy, including:
• In partnership with the PIs and program teams, identifying what needs assessments, evaluations, and research studies would be strategic in furthering the agency’s mission
• Identifying research/practice gaps, and ways the organization can bridge the research-practice divide internally and externally
• The strategy for organizational studies to be shared publicly for maximum impact
• Secure, facilitate, and monitor research partnerships, including developing the agency IRB process
• Directs the development and issuance of data for monthly KPI reports, annual reports, advocacy reports, and funder data reports
• Collaborates across departments to develop policy papers
• Honors and uplifts the expertise held by others
• Develops and provides senior oversight for research partnerships, including subaward management, contract performance review, and fiscal oversight
• Demonstrates consistent visibility and on-site engagement across the agency, developing the critical relationships necessary for mutual information sharing and collaborative action
• Intentionally builds partnership and relationship with personnel at all levels
• Participates in public information sharing with partners, legislators, media, conferences, and other opportunities
• Engages in weekly 1:1 supervision, committed to personal growth and coaching others in accordance with agency leadership requirements
• Develop and support a team of specialists and principal investigators to:

• Identify relevant data trends in their pillars of service
• Effectively manage research subawards and partnerships
• Facilitate a collaborative and actionable discussion regarding what action may be needed based on data observations
• Develop and implement needs assessments, evaluations, and research studies within their target service pillar
• Support programs to translate findings into appropriate understanding of implications, collaboratively generated recommendations, and actionable steps
• Engage routinely and meaningfully in pillar operations to enhance relationship and understanding
• Produce sound, accessible research reports that further organizational and sector practice
• Conduct impact evaluations that inform the agency’s strategy to eliminate racism and empower women
• Ensure ethical practice in all aspects of research activities
• Share results in the public sphere
• Grow professionally as leaders, researchers, innovators, and collaborators
• Become leaders in bridging the research-practice divide

WORKING CONDITIONS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• YWCA location
• Off-site location
• Potential outdoor events
• Sitting, standing, kneeling, bending, some lifting
• Frequently required to talk or hear
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet
• The employee must occasionally lift and /or move more than 10 pounds

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

• Orientation to YWCA Personnel Policies, Mission, Purpose and One Imperative.
• Racial Justice Training
• Orientation to all agency service pillars (victim services, maternal/child health, and early childhood education).
• Appropriate training and in-service which will occur during employment.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Employer