Program Manager - Impact, Data, and Evaluation Academy (IDEA)

Position Number: 008215 Department: Urban Institute (Adm) Employment Type: Permanent - Full-time Months Per Year: 12 Essential Duties and Responsibilities Lead and Conduct Engaged and Applied Research Manage and serve as principal investigator/investigator on multiple concurrent projects that involve research expertise. Primarily, this SRA will serve as the principal investigator and leader of the Impact, Data, & Evaluation Academy (IDEA), ensuring the effectiveness of the community capacity-building initiative. In addition to the duties identified below, the position is responsible for the development and revision of curriculum and other tools and resources that help build our communities' data and research literacy. Supervise and manage research teams Lead or assist in research proposal development. Conduct literature reviews. Develop metrics and measures. Collect secondary data as well as primary data for projects through surveys, interviews, and/or fieldwork. Perform statistical and qualitative data analysis. Observe and report trends in data/information. Lead and assist in project conceptualization & design (including budgets, timelines, and staff assignments), leading to the development of formal proposals for research funding. Coordinate with the institute's administrative support team on all pre- and post- award requirements of assigned research. Monitor and maintain research compliance of assigned projects, including requirements of the UNC Charlotte Institutional Review Board and data security. Make presentations to faculty members, community partners, community forums, and speaker series about conducted research. Provide technical support and consult on additional research projects. Engage with University & Community Partners Lead and maintain meaningful relationships with existing and potential community partners (governmental agencies and non-profit organizations) and university faculty/partners, particularly connected to research expertise and the management of IDEA. Identify and develop new relationships with community partners as the institute refines its research agenda and strategic direction. Participate in university and community forums and other engagement activities around research expertise. Represent the Urban Institute in university and community initiatives and functions, and when needed, represent senior administrators of the Institute. Build Team Research Capacity Identify research opportunities and funding sources for Institute research projects. Prepare grants and other proposals to support research and programming at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. Lead or assist on one or more overarching operational components, such as project monitoring guidelines or updating project summary dashboards in Smartsheet based on UI reporting needs. Lead or assist in the development and continuous improvement of the research and evaluation framework that guides UI research. Lead or assist in maintaining the quality and rigor of all UI research and resulting products. Assist in the development and maintenance of materials, policies, and practices necessary to make Urban Institute data, research, and research services accessible to community partners. Participate in review and constructive feedback of colleagues' research proposals, methodology, analysis, data visualizations, and final reports/presentations. Provide mentorship for RA I and RA II staff and/or assist junior staff members with building cross-campus mentorship connections. Proactively learn and update oneself and the team on local and regional policies that may impact the key research areas of the institute. Engage in continuous learning and professional development around research expertise, a variety of research methodologies, data visualization, supervision, effective communication, and project management. Minimum Experience / Education A PhD with 3-5 years experience or a Master's degree with 5-8 years of post-graduate degree experience leading and conducting social science projects A PhD or a Master's degree in the following fields: urban planning, sociology, social work, public health, education, geography, public policy, or other social science field Preferred Knowledge and Expertise Substantive knowledge and expertise in one or more of the following areas: Education, Housing & Homelessness, Public Health, Youth Development, Career & Workforce Development, Economic Development, Urban & Regional Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Welfare. Knowledge and expertise in one or more of the above areas, specifically in the Charlotte region context. Experience with maintaining relationships with community partners in the Charlotte region Substantive Methodological Expertise Ability to conduct and manage rigorous formative and substantive evaluations for community-based nonprofit and governmental agencies and initiatives, and experience using participatory processes as well as advanced qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques to determine program outcomes and impact. Ability to collect, analyze, and visualize secondary data using a variety of sources (local administrative data, Census data, and other federal and state data sources) and techniques (descriptive and inferential, spatial analysis, mapping). Experience with statistical analyses applied in social research, including exploratory analyses, hypothesis testing, spatial analysis, and multivariate analyses such as regression, ANOVA, and multilevel models. Preferred Skills Strong organizational as well as oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills Data visualization – Ability to convey data to a variety of audiences as well as use software like Tableau or R Shiny. GIS proficiency Must embody UI values of community, equity, humility, integrity, and quality Demonstrated success with coordinating and managing multiple social science research projects and competing priorities Demonstrated success with conceptualizing, planning, implementing, disseminating, and closing out projects independently Experience in facilitating meetings with community members, government officials, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders Experience with data collection and management, statistical and qualitative analysis, and reporting Experience supervising and managing research teams Track record of effectively translating and communicating complex research findings to a non-technical audience (oral and written communication) Track record of effectively working independently with minimal direct supervision Experience and proficiency in the use of SAS, SPSS, R, or STATA for program evaluation models, multivariate, and other complex analyses #J-18808-Ljbffr The University of North Carolina at Charlotte