Director of Research & Evaluation

Work Authorization: Candidates must already be authorized to work in the U.S.

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000

Roles & responsibilities 

As the Director of Research & Evaluation, you will be a senior member of the ideas42 team, reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer. You will help project teams think creatively and rigorously about the best and latest analytical techniques useful to their work. You will review and advise on the evaluation strategy for all ideas42 projects as well as lead the impact evaluation approach for the organization overall. You will also ensure data analysis is done using appropriate methods and that findings are reported objectively. 

Specific responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

Assisting project teams with with the design and  analysis of rigorous impact evaluations:

• Providing active feedback and coaching to project teams as they design and analyze the results of randomized controlled trials to test the impact of behaviorally designed interventions and develop related materials (pre-analysis plans, project reports, etc.)
• Serving as a resource to project teams on field and lab experiment design and data analysis, especially for complex designs, messy data, or projects where quasi-experimental methods are best
• Supporting project teams as needed on the design and analysis of descriptive, exploratory, or quasi-experimental research
• Assisting teams with qualitative research design and analysis
• Coordinating with other resources across the organization, and academic advisors, to access the relevant expertise as necessary

Ensuring the quality of project outputs related to evaluation design and data analysis:

• Establishing best practices for ensuring rigorous and accurate design and analysis of experiments and quasi-experiments such as reviewing study designs, pre-analysis plans, data, and coding, and creating replication protocols
• Guiding the analysis and write-up of experimental results to accurately reflect findings while addressing any limitations that may have arisen

Building and advancing organizational capacity for evaluation design and data analysis:

• Staying abreast of the latest developments in quantitative analysis and research methods and evolving practices at ideas42 accordingly
• Curating and developing resources to support project teams with the design and analysis of rigorous impact evaluations
• Develop and deliver trainings and other professional development activities (e.g., workshops) to build staff capacity at all levels
• Create the training materials offered to our partners' staff

Creating, managing, and maintaining ideas42’s organizational measurement efforts:

• Design and leading a collection and analyses of objective measures of impact and success for ideas42 as an organization
• Partnering with academics or external organizations as appropriate, for example, supporting meta-analysis efforts
• Developing and managing related knowledge management processes and systems.
• Assisting in creating subjective internal survey methods to measure and improve ideas42 workplace, culture, and performance
• Developing cost-effective approaches to fit a highly dynamic innovation organization with time-constrained staff

Minimum qualifications: 

• PhD in Economics, Public Policy, Behavioral Science, or a related field with a strong emphasis on econometrics and impact evaluation
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in rigorous impact evaluation, with some portion in a management position
• Experience designing, managing, and analyzing the results of randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs in the field, and lab experiments
• Advanced proficiency in working with large datasets using econometric techniques and statistical analysis.
• Experience in designing and implementing rigorous impact evaluation approaches for entire organizations or portfolios of interventions
• Track record of successfully managing multiple projects simultaneously
• Track record of building and maintaining trusting relationships with internal or external project partners or clients
• Commitment to high-quality outputs and working with teams to achieve them
• Strong knowledge of statistical software (R or Stata preferred).
• Mission-aligned, self-starter, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Prior work experience in the social sector and with nonprofits, foundations, academia or government is highly desirable.
• Familiarity and understanding of the pedagogy of applied research and evaluation, and teaching experience, is a plus