Sr. Associate, Research & Evaluation

WHO WE ARE

Rooted in community for more than 40 years, Communities In Schools (CIS) strives to bring community resources inside public schools, where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. Founder Bill Milliken said, “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.”

CIS programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving 3,270 schools; 1.8M students with over 15,000 community volunteers and 114 CIS affiliate organizations across the country. Their programs for students include providing needs assessments, support teams with corresponding plans to address academic and non-academic needs, delivery of multiple tiers of support for both students and families, progress monitoring and evaluation and assessment with parents and student support systems.

MISSION AND VALUES

Communities In Schools (CIS) is “all-in” for kids. It is our passion—it is our mission. At the National Office, CIS collaborates with local affiliate organizations to provide resources and create communities of caring adults who work hand-in-hand with educators to make sure young people have the tools they need to stay in school and achieve in life. We are the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, and we achieve our mission by hiring bright, creative, and innovative team members who demonstrate a passion for what they do.

CIS also holds the following talent beliefs:

• Every staff member is passionate and committed to the mission.
• As a National Office, CIS employees have a responsibility to live our values and integrate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization and lead by example.
• In turn, CIS is committed to continuously improving decision making, incentivizing creativity, and building engagement. We do this by building a diverse workforce, fostering a climate of inclusion, and shaping business practices and policies that promote equity.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a highly motivated researcher to join the Research and Evaluation team at Communities In Schools. Under the supervision of the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation, the Specialist will support on-going research projects as well as oversee and/or manage components of projects, including recruitment, data collection, cleaning, and data analysis. This position may also assist with survey development and administration, preparation of grant applications, research reports, publications, and presentations. As needed, the Specialist will provide data management and analytic support to priorities, initiatives, and projects within the National Office.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide support to the CIS network of affiliates and Licensed Partners participating in research projects with the National Office
• Compile and clean data for analysis and use in internal and external communications, research and evaluation, fundraising, and stakeholder reporting
• Assist with survey development and administration and data collection and analysis efforts
• Qualitative data collection, including observations, interviews, and focus groups
• Conduct literature reviews/research syntheses

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required skills & qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree and minimum three years of research experience or a Master’s Degree in psychology, education, evaluation/research methods, public policy, or related field preferred (equivalent years of experience will be considered in lieu of degree).
• Knowledge of the field of education, nonprofits, and research/evaluation (experience conducting research and navigating research requirements with education agencies is a plus).
• Experience in designing and/or executing mixed methods research studies.
• Proficiency with quantitative data analysis software (Excel proficiency required; R a plus).
• Demonstrated data analytic skills (experience with multivariate analyses such as multiple regression a plus).
• Excellent writing, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience managing large datasets is a plus.
• Ability to communicate complex information about research and data in non-technical terms.
• Manage time well and work toward multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Demonstrate attention to detail.
• Work independently and take initiative.
• Collaborate and work effectively across teams within the organization.

TRAVEL

10-25%.

ABOUT US

CIS staff continue to work in a virtual environment; however, the national office is open and available for staff to use as appropriate.

To ensure the health and safety of staff and job applicants, all interviews will be conducted by phone and/or video conference.

BENEFITS & PERKS

Work that makes a difference—the opportunity to contribute to an important mission!

Competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Five weeks of Paid Time Off
• Generous 403b Retirement Savings Plan contribution
• 10 Paid Holidays
• 90% of employee health care premiums paid by the organization
• Summer Work Schedule and Winter Break
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term income replacement programs, and much, much more!

Communities In Schools is committed to a workforce that is representative of the varied communities we are privileged to serve. We provide a work environment that does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable law. CIS prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

For more information on Communities In Schools please visit our website.