Director of Impact Evaluation and Strategy

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

This department includes the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Collaboratory disseminates the policy and research expertise of the University for practical use by state and local government. A collaboratory is a center without walls in which researchers can perform their research without regard to physical location, interacting with colleagues, accessing instrumentation, sharing data and computational resources and accessing information in digital libraries in a collaborative manner.

The Director of Impact Evaluation and Strategy oversees the evaluation and reporting of the Collaboratory's impact in North Carolina by developing recommendations for investments and funding initiatives for the department. As a member of the Collaboratory leadership team, this position works independently to expand the Collaboratory's operations into a crucial new area of innovative research and strategic partnerships.

Key responsibilities include developing and implementing a rigorous, reproducible approach to evaluating the impact of funds distributed by the Collaboratory to state-wide researchers and for formulating annual strategic recommendations. Create and implement workflows, standard operating procedures, metrics and tools necessary for conducting longitudinal data collection and impact evaluation. By working closely with partners within UNC-Chapel Hill, the UNC System, North Carolina General Assembly ( NCGA) and other public and private sector organizations, this position improves the strategic management of Collaboratory resources, including appropriations from the NCGA, personnel efforts, intellectual property, and strategic partnerships.

Strategic partnerships are crucial to the department's mission of supporting research that benefits people of the State. The Director of Impact Evaluation and Strategy manages collaborative research initiatives reliant on long-term, mutually beneficial relationships among researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders. Additionally, the Director of Impact Evaluation and Strategy builds and maintains strong, collaborative relationships between the Leadership team and individuals across academic, government, community, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors.

Other duties include creating procedures for collecting, storing, and analyzing financial and performance data from various sources related to individual Collaboratory awards both historical and active as well as data on legislative appropriations, intellectual property, commercialization, and external research requests addressing pressing state issues. The position develops procedures for managing partnership data to assess and improve the effectiveness and impact of strategic research partnerships. Create quantifiable metrics from evaluation findings to define and demonstrate the Collaboratory's statewide impact, and produce reports for stakeholders and the public, along with recommendations for strategic partnerships and investments for internal review.

By leveraging a diverse array of innovative data sources to evaluate and quantify impact, this position advances the Collaboratory's mission of supporting research that directly benefits people in North Carolina.

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or comparable background in independent academic or instructional activities, will accept a relevant Bachelor's degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. This experience may be related to the direction/oversight of programs that focus the academic and research resources of a higher education institution towards community or regional issues.

PhD in Social Sciences or other field relevant to evaluation is required. Professional, hands-on experience in evaluation, data analysis, research-practice partnerships or strategic planning.

Strong planning, priority setting and project management skills. Ability to think strategically and employ a 'big picture' perspective to solve business needs while developing standard operating procedures, workflows, and tools. Employee must be proficient at visualizing data and creating impactful presentations and communication materials that effectively demonstrate evaluation outcomes/analysis to leadership and stakeholders.

Demonstrated ability to influence organizational strategy through the application or management of evaluation protocols, statistical techniques, or data-driven solutions. Proven experience in leading and managing research-practice partnerships or similar collaborative initiatives. Experience with managing multiple projects and resources simultaneously and delivering analytical solutions to both internal and external stakeholders.

Additionally, the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders from diverse fields, including researchers, university administrators, policymakers, and community members, is required.

Experience with providing program evaluation in a public organization. Ability to work autonomously with high accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness. Coalition, network-building skills, and effective public communication and presentation abilities is also preferred.

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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.