EMERGE

The Opportunity: 

In the United States, only 25% of high-achieving students from low-income communities apply to the nation's most selective colleges and universities. At EMERGE, we believe that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Grounded in this belief, EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from selective colleges & universities across the nation. 

The Director of Data and Evaluation is a leader on the EMERGE program team and is responsible for building and improving upon EMERGE’s data systems and evaluation processes. The Director of Data and Evaluation will oversee the development and maintenance of a data infrastructure that is efficient, effective, and scalable as the organization grows. The role will oversee our CRM, major dashboards and reports, staff training related to data practices and requirements, data cleaning, data integrity and continuous improvement efforts, survey administration and analysis, system integrations and automations, and process and impact evaluations.

If you are a detail-oriented, curious, and collaborative individual who is a skilled data analyst and systems thinker and is passionate about advancing educational equity through a multifaceted data position, then we are looking for you! 
 
Start Date: June 2024

Reports to: Managing Director of Program Strategy and Innovation
 

The Role: 

 As a Director of Data and Evaluation you will spend your time in the following ways: 

Data System Management (30%)

  • Lead the development, maintenance, and improvement of EMERGE’s CRM system which houses all program-related data;
  • Collaborate with EMERGE program team and external consultants to improve upon CRM to fit EMERGE’s developing data needs – including building new features, creating new dashboards and reports, improving upon existing workflows, and regular data cleaning;
  • Manage integrations of EMERGE’s tools and systems (such as Microsoft TEAMS, Zoom, Mogli, GroupMe, etc) into CRM to create a seamless end-user experience;
  • Develop end-user trainings, playbooks, and guides to maximize buy-in and data integrity; and
  • Provide support to the program team for day-to-day troubleshooting and maintenance of CRM.

Program Evaluation Strategy & Tools (25%)

  • Stay atop of data trends, key indicators, external research, and industry standards of college access and success to design our program evaluation strategy and benchmarks;
  • Align evaluation practices to EMERGE’s theory of change to monitor longitudinal student progress as they move throughout the EMERGE program;
  • Design, refine, and implement evaluation tools, processes, questions, and timelines (surveys, attendance records, exit tickets, etc.) used to monitor student, staff, and partner progress toward goals;
  • Use best practices in process and outcome evaluation and data collection to improve existing tools for our target populations; and
  • Ensure successful implementation of evaluation tools in collaboration with program directors through staff training and progress monitoring.

Data Analysis & Reporting (25%)

  • Create reports and visual representations of EMERGE data for multiple contexts and stakeholders;
  • Organize and analyze data to create final evaluation reports for key phases of the EMERGE program (student recruitment through college graduation) that detail our methodology, contextual factors, core activities, and results;
  • Create dashboards and visualizations to support program staff in making real-time data-informed decisions to support student success;
  • Improve student and staff exit ticket reporting processes used for process evaluation and team performance reviews;
  • Design and oversee a formal impact evaluation in partnership with researchers to publish EMERGE’s impact (3-5 year goal).

Continuous Improvement (20%)

  • Share data insights, trends, questions, and interesting findings as part of program reflection conversations to drive strategic priorities and programmatic changes;
  • Design and provide training to program leadership on the use, manipulation, and analysis of interactive data visualizations to support a strong data culture;
  • Define and refine core methodologies related to our program model and strategic priorities based on EMERGE results, best practices, and external context.

The Person: 

Systems Builder 

  • You have a unique ability of synthesizing and organizing complex inputs to create systems that can be easily understood and used to produce the intended outcomes 
  • You are both a creator and a builder, and can move a vision from an idea to a system, product or process  
  • You are a self-starter who thrives in a start-up, virtual environment and is skilled at navigating change and ambiguity. You are inspired by the idea of building something from the ground up and creating the foundation for it to scale 

Analytical Mindset 

  • You have a strong ability to identify and interpret data to create compelling analyses that highlight opportunities and challenges in our work 
  • You bring a fierce curiosity about trends, patterns, and happenings in college access to this work and to this role. Your experience in program evaluation allows you to easily connect patterns to tell a story about what is happening at EMERGE and within college access more broadly 
  • You have a desire to know more, and your interest in this work and in this role reflect the type of person you are—one who thinks analytically and strategically, and one who investigates purposefully and thoroughly 

Ability to Draw Conclusions & Share Them In A Way That Drives Action 

  • You can take complex sets of information, disassemble them, and put them back together in ways that help stakeholders understand current realities
  • Your experience has taught you how to identify the most relevant information and how to present it in ways that motivate people to inquire, to challenge, and to act
  • You have developed ways of communicating with others about data that equips them with the information they need, and the confidence to speak about what the data represents. You are comfortable working with leaders at every level of the organization in this capacity

Skills Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree is highly preferred (Master’s Degree a plus) 
  • 5+ years professional experience in data management or program evaluation (working in the field of education is a plus) 
  • Strong, project management, organizational and time management skills with ability to prioritize and manage multiple diverse tasks with multiple deadlines in a high-energy environment.
  • Ability to maintain attention to detail and ability to work effectively under pressure and within deadlines.
  • Display strong interpersonal skills, highly collaborative, and the ability to create and maintain solid working relationships at all levels across the organization and externally.
  • Ability to maintain confidential and/or proprietary information.
  • Ability and internal desire to demonstrate a winning attitude and a strong work ethic in the performance of all job responsibilities.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office software applications and advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel 
  • Experience using Xano, Webflow, Salesforce, or other CRMs, web development, and data visualization software a plus

Physical and Working Conditions:

  • Open-office environment
  • Sitting at a computer workstation for extended periods of time.
  • Role requires walking, standing, hearing, and talking.
  • Ability to lift/carry and push/pull up to 50 pounds.

Who we are: 

At EMERGE, we live by our Core Values: 

  • Equity grounds us 
  • Diversity defines us 
  • Talent mobilizes us 
  • Meaningful relationships fuel us 
  • Results distinguish us 

Founded in 2010, EMERGE is a developmental, college access organization changing the life trajectories of thousands of students across the Houston area. Since its inception, EMERGE has grown from serving 14 students across four high schools, to serving over 1,600 high school students across five school districts. We also serve over 1,400 college scholars at over 100 selective colleges and universities across the country.

The EMERGE nonprofit is a partner to EMERGE Houston ISD, EMERGE Spring Branch ISD, EMERGE Spring ISD, EMERGE Aldine ISD, and EMERGE Klein ISD. 

As EMERGE’s impact has grown, our nonprofit team has grown to over 30 staff members. The staff includes our College Access Team, College Success Team, Strategy & Innovation Team, Finance, Operations & HR team, and Development Team. You will be joining an energetic, passionate team of individuals working to propel Houston’s top talent upwards and onwards.

What we offer: 

At EMERGE, we aim to enact our core value of “equity grounds us” within our compensation practices to ensure a competitive and equitable salary & benefits package for all employees.

To determine salary; we consider each candidate’s relevant experience, growth potential, and responsibilities within the role, as well equity across similar roles within the organization. The starting salary for this role is $80,000.

Benefits:

  • We offer Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
  • We provide Short-term and Long-Term Disability insurance, along with Life Insurance.
  • We offer Parental Leave
  • We have a 403b plan that employees can opt into.
  • Each employee has 28 Paid Time Off days for the year. EMERGE is closed for 18 holidays and 12 Wellness Fridays.
  • Eligible employees are awarded $500/year stipend for role relevant professional development opportunities.

Priority Application Deadline: May 1st, 2024

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, although submission before the priority deadline is highly encouraged.

%FOOTER_POWERED_BY%breezy