Director of Evaluation and Learning
| Title: | Director of Learning & Evaluation | FLSA: | Exempt, Full-Time Salaried |
| Department: | Research & Policy Center | Reports To: | VP, Research & Policy Center |
| Salary Range: | $60K – $70K |
Submit resume and cover letter to careers@chiul.org.
ROLE SUMMARY
As a senior member of the Chicago Urban League team, the Director of Learning and Evaluation will help strengthen the League’s impact by leading the organization’s learning and evaluation activities across all programs and administrative departments. The Director will provide thought leadership, planning, technical assistance and day-to-day guidance on the League’s internal research activities, and will serve as a resource for the League’s executive team, department directors and staff. This role works closely with all department directors on the front end to assist with the design and implementation of our programs, services and initiatives, and on the back end to lead the development and implementation of evaluation plans and processes. Learning activities can include client, community and partners needs assessments, reviews of best practices and theories of change and transforming program/service data and findings into recommendations and action plans. Evaluation activities include the development and implementation of evaluation plans, processes and tools, as well as the analysis and reporting of program/service data. This role also works closely with the Development team, providing grant-writing and grant-reporting assistance for the organization and all departments, and the External Affairs team, helping translate department outcomes into the story of our work.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Essential Function 1: Provide Guidance and Recommendations for Program Development
The Director of Learning and Evaluation will stay abreast of research on best practices, promising programs and theories of change that underpin the programs and services of the League, including youth development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, financial empowerment, leadership development, policy/advocacy and external communications. The Director will summarize this information and provide recommendations to department directors to help them develop innovative, responsive and meaningful programs, services and initiatives for our clients and communities served. The Director will also assist the department directors in the development of their annual department plans, program information forms and associated operational materials.
Essential Function 2: Lead Organization-Wide Evaluation Efforts
The Director of Learning and Evaluation will design and implement an internal performance measurement system that promotes accurate, efficient and reliable data collection, and allows for timely outcome reporting to organizational leadership, the board, funders and other stakeholders. This includes the development of annual evaluation plans, an annual review of department metrics and service targets, and the development or adjustment of data collection and client information tools. The Director will use available data, staff, client, community and stakeholder feedback to make observations and ask questions designed to identify what is and is not working in our programs, services and initiatives. The Director will also support program teams to ensure that learning and evaluation results are considered and integrated into ongoing efforts, as well as future strategy and program planning.
Essential Function 3: Develop an Organization-Wide Culture of Learning
The Director of Learning and Evaluation will build the capacity of directors and staff through a range of learning approaches, which may include individual and group trainings, workshops, research summaries and other tools to increase understanding of targeted populations, the issues they face, and innovative evaluation approaches to improve programs and processes.
Essential Function 4: Provide Research and Writing Support to Development and External Affairs
The Director of Learning and Evaluation will assist the Development team and department directors in the development and writing of corporate, foundation and government grants, as well as the writing of interim and final grant reports. The Director will also help the External Affairs team understand and explain the impact of our work, to be shared in annual reports and other external communications.
Qualifications and Requirements:
- Minimum of a Masters Degree in Social Work, Social Science, Education or related;
- Minimum of 5-7 years of experience within a nonprofit, social service organization, or working with these organizations as an external evaluator;
- A track record of developing and implementing processes that advance learning and improvements across an organization or team;
- Experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods, survey and assessment design;
- Experience working collaboratively with others across an organization;
- Demonstrated capacity of translating ideas into action;
- Strong project management experience and able to simultaneously facilitate the work of multiple teams or departments;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to distill and explain complex concepts.
- A self-starter with a personal style characterized by service, accessibility, curiosity and a genuine team orientation.
