Manager, Equitable Evaluation

Purpose of Division:
Success Measures operates as a social enterprise within NeighborWorks America, a Congressionally chartered national nonprofit intermediary serving the housing and community development field. Over the last 20 years, Success Measures has gained national recognition through its evaluation and learning work with over 1,000 local and national organizations, funders and intermediary partners who are working to improve the places, systems, conditions and supports needed to create healthy and equitable communities.

Success Measures’ services include evaluation and strategic learning consulting and technical assistance to support nonprofit and philanthropic organizations that want to understand the results of their programs and investments in communities and systems. This work is rooted in the principles of participatory evaluation, including a longstanding commitment to intentional, equitable practices that help residents, nonprofits, and foundations understand and strengthen their impact through collaborative evaluation and learning processes that are inclusive, practical, and purposeful. Infused with a drive toward increased racial and health equity, this work covers all aspects of community development including housing, neighborhood revitalization, community engagement, health outcomes, financial security, resident leadership and arts and culture. For more information on Success Measures, please visit www.successmeasures.org.

Position Summary:

The Manager, Equitable Evaluation plays several key roles in Success Measures’ portfolio of evaluation and learning strategy services for philanthropic clients and their grantees who are addressing housing, health and racial equity through innovative programs. This is a client-facing position responsible for managing creative and emergent evaluation and learning processes, as well as related project tasks including planning, information gathering, documentation, analysis, sensemaking, communication and meeting facilitation. Current projects include a three-year developmental evaluation for a national foundation’s housing grantmaking for systems change within the context of racial equity; a learning community for a national foundation’s health equity in housing grantees; and an evaluation of a leadership cohort focused on racial healing. The Manager, Equitable Evaluation works closely with Success Measures staff and public health, evaluation, housing and communication consultants to carry out these project responsibilities and has extensive interaction with philanthropic and nonprofit client organizations.

Essential Responsibilities:

1. Provide strategic project management and direction for evaluation and learning processes including:
   • Participating in the strategy development, planning and scheduling for project meetings, interviews and work sessions with multiple stakeholders including foundations, grantees or program participants.
   • Overall project management, which includes creating and maintaining project schedules and timelines, managing project data and documenting learning meeting results and next steps.
   • Preparing summaries of project activities including synthesis of key insights, learning and themes.
2. Conceptualize, research and write memos, reports, summaries and other materials for evaluation and learning processes for various audiences, including:
   • Writing and editing thematic memos, interim and final reports.
   • Conducting project background reviews including document reviews and literature searches; preparing memos and presentations to share insights and learning for ongoing project work.
   • Developing diagrams or other visualizations of conceptual processes or policy and systems level factors.
   • Producing communication products such as PowerPoint presentations or reports on key learning from the evaluation processes.
3. Plan and support facilitation of collaborative learning processes with clients. This includes:
   • Assisting in the development of tools and artifacts to support learning processes including learning plans, visualizations of complex concepts or processes, learning logs, summaries of key themes, and creating multimodal ways to engage project partners.
   • Supporting “community of practice” learning cohorts through group facilitation of learning sessions, follow up to facilitated meetings, preparation of memos or documentation on session topics and the group’s learning.
   • Maintaining relationships with clients and stakeholders to better understand and meet their needs.
4. Plan and implement data collection and analysis for ongoing evaluation projects.
   • Leading planning for interviews and conversations with project stakeholders, field experts or project participants in a variety of sectors.
   • Developing interview protocols or other data-gathering tools and reviewing with evaluation team and stakeholders.
   • Conducting interviews or collecting other information and preparing summary or thematic analysis of results.

Nature of Work Contacts:

Success Measures team, including staff and consultants.
NeighborWorks® America Staff

Staff and leaders from foundations, national organizations, intermediaries, financial institutions, housing development and other community development organizations.

Fiscal Responsibilities: N/A

Required Minimum Qualifications:

1. Education: Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, urban planning, social services, public health or related fields; master’s degree preferred. Minimum of four years’ experience responsible for high-level research, project management, evaluation and planning or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Competencies, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
   • Demonstrated project management skills, including planning, monitoring and completing complex projects and facilitating related meetings.
   • Excellent listening and critical thinking skills including reflection and synthesis.
   • Excellent verbal and written communication skills including demonstrated ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely including creating rough drafts quickly, preparing high-quality final products of evaluation findings and conceptualizing visual concepts to convey information.
   • Demonstrated ability to communicate to a variety of audiences in multiple ways including visualization of core concepts, creative approaches and writing for different audiences.
   • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple work activities in a fast-paced team environment and consistently meet deadlines.
   • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others and successfully interact with people at all levels and of diverse socio-economic backgrounds both inside and outside the organization.
   • High level of accuracy and attention to detail in finished work.
   • Excellent organizational skills demonstrated across a range of program processes and procedures.
   • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, visualization/graphic applications; technology management for online engagement; aptitude for technology and troubleshooting a plus.
   • Excellent customer service skills required.
   • Ability to clarify assignments and expectations and work independently.
   • Maintain regular and timely attendance.
3. NeighborWorks America Staff are expected to demonstrate excellence in the following:
   • Sensitivity to racial, gender, sexual orientation and cultural differences
   • Effective, respectful, and timely communications with internal and external stakeholders
   • Listening effectively, seeks and accepts feedback
   • Effective teamwork
   • Analytic, thoughtful and strategic thinking
   • Considering the mission, objectives, and goals of NeighborWorks and demonstrating an understanding of the impact of her/his/their decisions and behavior on the organization
4. Technology: Microsoft Office Suite; Zoom or other virtual meeting technology

Preferred Qualifications:

Working Conditions:

1. Travel: up to 25%
2. Physical/Sensory Demands: Fast paced multi-tasking work environment

Please apply on our website here.