Title:                  Director of Evaluation and Research Strategies                                                                                          

Reports to:       Senior Director of Impact Evaluation, Learning, and Research                                                                                    

FLSA Status:    Exempt                                                                                       

Salary Range:  $80,728 - $90,819                                                                                                   

Location:          Remote                                                                                       

Tentative Start Date:  As Soon As Possible                                                                              

About Race Forward

Race Forward's mission is to catalyze movement building for racial justice. In partnership with communities, organizations, and sectors, we build strategies to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture. Race Forward imagines a just, multiracial democratic society free from oppression and exploitation, in which people of color thrive with power and purpose.
 

Since 1981, Race Forward has brought a systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity.  In 2017 Race Forward united with the Center for Social Inclusion to become the new Race Forward. 

Employment at Race Forward is contingent upon a new employee submitting on their start date: (1) proof they are up-to-date on their vaccinations; or (2) an application for an approved exemption as an accommodation due to:  (i) a medical reason; (ii)  a sincerely held religious belief; or (iii) other exemption recognized by applicable state law. Up-to-date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines. Employees may request an accommodation in good faith without fear of retaliation.  Accommodations will be granted where they do not cause Race Forward an undue hardship, pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others, or prevent an employee from performing the essential functions of the employee’s job. Exemption application forms are available from Human Resources at [email protected].

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director of Impact Evaluation, Learning, and Research, the Director of Evaluation and Research will primarily lead the impact evaluation of Race Forward Programs, especially in light of the new strategic plan. This includes developing standardized  metrics, tools, and processes to evaluate  impact for each department. The Director will also be responsible for teaching and socializing staff in the use of these evaluation tools and metrics and leading overall implementation of the framework. 

The Director will also support the team in building a network of racial justice researchers to engage in an ecosystem of learning and support fee-for-service client work.

This position will engage with research justice frameworks and anti-oppressive methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, that are rooted in advancing racial equity and align with Race Forward’s mission to build a just, multiracial democracy and the organization’s Theory of Change. This position will engage in collaboration with staff and programs internally to Race Forward, and with partners and clients, such as grassroots organizations, nonprofits, and governments aligned with the racial equity mission to transform systems and cultures and build governing power to advance racial justice.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead the impact evaluation of Race Forward programs (40%)
   1. Design and develop an impact measurement and evaluation plan for Race Forward in alignment with the new strategic plan.
   2. Develop evaluation framework, tools, metrics that will help standardize evaluation across the organization. 
   3. Facilitate teach-ins, trainings, and technical assistance meetings with staff to build their skills to lead and implement evaluation processes in their departments and programs. 
   4. Lead the measurement, collection of evaluation data, and reports from across the organization, analyze and make sense of the data to paint an overall picture of the impact of Race Forward programs. 
   5. Working with the Senior Director of Impact Evaluation, Learning, and Research, the Deputy SVP of Programs, and the Senior Leadership Team to develop impact evaluation of program reports to support in continuous learning and improvement of programs. 
   6. Support the development of a culture of learning within Race Forward’s programs.
2. Support the development a network of racial justice researchers and evaluators to engage with and fee-for-service work (30%)
   1. Convene racial justice researchers to provide co-learning, thought partnership, and methodology development for the field.
   2. Develop infrastructure to support a bench of affiliate researchers and contractors to support internal programmatic work and external partnerships and fee for service work. 
3. Engage with partners to provide Research Justice guidance (20%)
   1. Support the creation of Research Justice trainings, workshops, and learning experiences to offer methodological guidance and best practices for the field.
   2. Support the creation of tools, such as Racial Equity Assessment and Racial Equity Evaluation tools as part of our fee-for-service work.
4. Admin / other (10%)
   1. Complete operational requirements (scheduling, calendaring, answering emails, coordination of meetings and engagements) based on the needs of the team and Race Forward.
   2. Participate in internal meetings and processes.
   3. Support the program's budget to ensure alignment with the organization's financial goals.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

To perform successfully in this role, incumbent should possess skills identified below:

• Strong justice and anti-oppressive research pedagogy and methodological practice;
• Strong knowledge and skills across both qualitative and quantitative methods and measurement;
• Strong project management and logistics skills;
• Strong workshop development and facilitation skills that support a culture of learning, engagement, and action;
• Strong communication skills, written and oral;
• Ability to understand, design, and improve complex work processes;
• Ability to motivate and inspire others - including peers - to take action;
• Proactive, self-directed, and able to multitask effectively;
• Proficient skills with Powerpoint/Canva,  Salesforce, Asana, Outlook, Word and Excel.

Qualifications and Experience 

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice work;
• Extensive experience in leading impact evaluation and measurement processes for social justice non profits;
• ​​Minimum 5 years developing, conducting, analyzing, communicating, and disseminating racial justice research with various partners and across audiences;
• Experience developing relationships, networks, and/or coalitions within racial justice contexts;
• Experience managing and completing complex projects in a timely and effective manner, ;
• Experience using project management softwares such as Asana, Slack, Google Suite, and Salesforce is a plus. 
• Experience working within or closely adjacent to various partners, including grassroots communities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Additional Information

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.
• Includes inter-state travel - on average three or six trips per year, but this will ebb and flow by season

External Applicants: To apply for this position, please click the link below. To ensure full consideration, please be sure to include both a cover letter and resume with your application.

https://raceforward.isolvedhire.com/jobs/ 

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Race Forward is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.  In keeping with our commitment, Race Forward will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.  Accordingly, if reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].

EEO Statement

Race Forward provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.