Senior Director, Evaluation & Learning

Strada Education Foundation is a national nonprofit social impact organization that supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between education and employment in the U.S., with a special focus on helping those who have faced the greatest challenges securing economic opportunity through postsecondary education or training. The Foundation is at an exciting place in its development, with a new strategy focused on five pillars: clear outcomes, quality coaching, affordable postsecondary education or training, work-based learning, and employer alignment. We now seek a senior leader to build an evaluation and learning function to make the most of our unique combination of assets. 

Overview

Strada Education Foundation is seeking a dynamic and innovative Senior Director, Evaluation and Learning to join our research team as we work to identify solutions that educators, employers, policymakers, and other funders can advance to improve equitable pathways to opportunity through post-secondary education and training.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Research, the Senior Director of Evaluation and Learning will lead our efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of our mission-focused activities. In this role, you will be responsible for evaluation activities and synthesizing the insights into knowledge products that will guide Strada’s work and benefit the broader field.

In this role, you will build and support a culture of evaluation and learning that is  integrated into all strategic activities. Your strong methodological and quantitative abilities will be vital as you design effective measurement frameworks and provide consultative and technical support for both formative and summative evaluation studies. You will work with colleagues in philanthropy and programs, strategy and innovation, research, and strategic investments. 

Joining a collaborative team of colleagues who conduct qualitative, quantitative, and secondary research projects in postsecondary education and training, you will determine how and when to best engage both internal and external partners. You will also cultivate proposals and partnerships with external experts in circumstances where a third-party evaluation is indicated. 

As a Senior Director, you will have the opportunity to work in either Strada’s Washington, DC or Indianapolis, IN office at least two days a week. If you are excited about the prospect of bringing new expertise and building a center of excellence while growing as a leader in the field, we encourage you to apply. 

The Senior Director, Evaluation and Learning has three core responsibility areas:

• Develop a comprehensive evaluation and learning framework and implementation plan aligned with Strada’s strategic plan (35%)
• Create evaluation and learning plans for each of Strada’s strategic initiatives (40%)
• Develop and implement a learning agenda and knowledge product plan (25%)

In this role, you will build internal capacity among colleagues and peers, provide mentorship to program and research team members, and have the opportunity to represent the work internally and externally as a presenter, author, and ambassador for Strada’s research.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Doctoral degree and relevant training in evaluation, public policy, social science, education, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in program evaluation and research design
• Knowledge of evaluation and learning strategies, frameworks, and methods. 
• Strong knowledge of quantitative and qualitative measurement.
• Responsibility for developing knowledge products and communicating insights from evaluation results with internal and external audiences.

Preferred

• Ability to synthesize, prioritize, and document actionable plans with supporting rationale. 
• Proficiency in designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative research.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, expertise using statistical analysis software (Stata strongly preferred), and knowledge of appropriate methods. 
• Consultative skills to work with internal leaders and teams in identifying goals and developing evaluation and learning strategies.
• Experience managing external clients. 
• Deep awareness of systemic inequities and knowledge of methods for culturally responsive and equitable evaluation. 
• Clear concise, and nuanced written and oral communication skills.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to Strada’s organizational vibrancy, employee experience, and mission. We strongly encourage applicants from people of color/the global majority, immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals; people with disabilities, members of the LBGTQIA+ and gender nonconforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We believe every member on the team enriches our workplace by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver critical insights and solutions.

About Organization

Strada Education Foundation supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between postsecondary education and opportunity in the U.S., with a focus on helping people who face the greatest challenges. Learn more at stradaeducation.org.