Research and Evaluation Specialist
Location: New York, New York
Job ID: 586845
Salary: $75,504 - $ 94,761
Situated within the Bureau of Planning, Program Integration, and Evaluation (PPIE), the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Analytics promotes data-driven and evidence-informed decision-making across DYCD. The Office works with all DYCD programmatic and central units; external evaluation firms; representatives of the CBO community and other City agencies and units; as well as other stakeholders. The Office translates evaluation, research, and analytics into actionable recommendations to improve organizational and program design and quality.
The Evaluation team within OPEA is responsible for managing the development of monitoring and evaluation indicators for the agency, supports outcomes development and tracking, and oversees evaluation projects completed by external evaluation firms, including approving research design and deliverables.
Reporting to the Director of Evaluation, the Research and Evaluation Specialist will:
- Commit to the agency’s mission of alleviating the effects of poverty and providing opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish, and help the agency operationalize its mission and vision using an equity lens in research and evaluation;
- Manage reporting and performance management metrics for DYCD programming, including community safety and anti-violence initiatives;
- Coordinate data sharing processes with relevant agencies (e.g., criminal justice and education agencies) and match data to programmatic data for performance monitoring;
- Inform and support data collection processes for DYCD programs, including new system development for community safety and anti-violence initiatives, in collaboration with IT;
- Conduct internal evaluation of DYCD programs, including community safety and anti-violence initiatives, utilizing implementation and outcomes data collected from providers, as well as data from other City agencies;
- Support the development of evaluation and monitoring tools for programs and create rubrics to strengthen DYCD staff’s understanding of indicators and accuracy of scoring;
- Conduct research (e.g., literature reviews, summaries and briefs of reports by external evaluators, experts, foundations, and advocates) on best practices, including for community safety and antiviolence programs;
- Develop and revise logic models and outcomes for DYCD programs to facilitate decision-making on investments and program refinements by the executive team;
- Coordinate and oversee evaluation contracts, including the creation of solicitations and task orders, coordination of communication between contractors and DYCD staff, and project management;
- Coordinate with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and external evaluators to participate in ongoing research studies related to community safety and anti-violence initiatives;
- Ensure external evaluators are abiding by best practices in evaluation, including confidentiality, participatory evaluation, human-centered design, etc.;
- Develop training and communications for DYCD and CBO staff to build capacity in using data, evaluation, and research for supervision, programmatic decision making, and strategic planning;
- Prepare summaries and reports of data analyses and research, presentations, testimony, memoranda, correspondence and other written material for hearings, oversight entities and the public;
- Present results of analytics, evaluation, and research findings and processes in writing and orally to multiple stakeholders;
- Participate in and conduct meetings with multiple stakeholders, including all DYCD units, external evaluation firms, representatives of the CBO community and other City agencies and units.
Minimum Qual Requirements
1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.
NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.
Preferred Skills
- Experience engaging with community stakeholders and conducting participatory, human-centered evaluation.
- Relevant program evaluation experience in community-based programming, especially in antiviolence and community safety programs.
- Experience defining and measuring outcomes leading to a collective impact.
- Experience communicating complex analyses to stakeholders and translating findings into actionable recommendations.
- Excellent project management and facilitation skills, including ability to develop and manage processes involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
- Familiarity with survey software (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Microsoft Forms), Excel, and Powerpoint.
- Direct program experience.
