Sandy Hook Promise, Vice President, Research, Evaluation & Quality Improvement

ORGANIZATION 

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. Through its life-saving, evidence-informed Know the Signs prevention programs, SHP educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated or at risk of hurting themselves or others. SHP is a moderate, bipartisan organization that supports sensible policy solutions that address the human side of gun violence and make schools safer. 

SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.  

Commitment to Racial Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

SHP strives to ensure its culture and work environment reflect the values of race, diversity, equity, and inclusion (REDI) and is responsive to the views and issues of the diverse communities with which we live and work. SHP encourages individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to equity and inclusion to apply.  

To learn more about Sandy Hook Promise, please visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/. 

OPPORTUNITY 

Under the limited supervision of the Chief Programs Officer, the Vice President, Research, Evaluation & Quality Improvement is responsible for the development and implementation of a research, evaluation, and quality improvement strategy aligned to SHP’s theory of change, supporting the strategic objectives of the Foundation and the Action Fund. The VP will design and execute strategies that clearly demonstrate the impact of programs, policies, and movement-building, enable data-driven decision-making, and build the evidence base for what works in upstream violence prevention. This role will be responsible for ensuring systems and structures are in place to improve utilization, effectiveness, and impact. 

In collaboration with the Chief Programs Officer and Chief Advocacy Officer, the VP will establish a research, evaluation, and quality improvement function in alignment with the organization’s strategic priorities. As the SHP expert on evidence-building, outcomes, and impact, the VP will establish and provide leadership for SHP’s impact measurement framework and methodology and will serve as an essential part of expanding and deepening the research, evaluation, and quality improvement function to elevate and align programs and policy.

POSITION FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Outcomes and Impact Evaluation 

• Partner with the executive and senior leadership teams to establish evaluation and impact priorities for programs, policy, and movement-building aligned with SHP’s theory of change.  

• Create systems for high-quality management of a multi-year evaluation and impact roadmap and oversee implementation. 
• Establish a set of validated outcome measures for programs and policy and design a system for its implementation. 
• Lead development of an organizational plan to collect, integrate, analyze and visualize impact data for an array of stakeholders. 
• Establish organizational data collection standards, policies, procedures and training to support efficient, accurate and timely data tracking to ensure data quality and integrity. 
• Grow and strengthen SHP’s capacity and capability for evidence-based reporting. 
• Develop data visualization tools and resources to support field-facing teams in managing partnerships. 

Research 

• Collaborate with external stakeholders (academic institutions, other nonprofit organizations, research translation organizations, etc.) to design and implement a multi-year research agenda and publish original research that advances knowledge of effective strategies for upstream violence prevention. 

• Create systems for high-quality management of a multi-year research agenda and oversee implementation. 
• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with research staff in external organizations and academic institutions and monitor and evaluate emerging trends in education, mental health, and gun violence prevention research 
• Represent SHP in external thought leadership opportunities across sectors, including but not limited to K-12, Gun Violence Prevention (GVP), nonprofit, and higher education sectors. 

Quality Improvement 

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to establish a continuous quality improvement plan for programmatic and policy strategies and/or programs to translate evaluation learnings to improve existing interventions. 
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to cross-functional implementation of programs and policy objectives. Create systems for continuous quality improvement to include standards, processes, and procedures for improving interventions and services. 
• Develop continuous quality improvement tools and resources to support field-facing teams in managing partnerships. 

Organizational Leadership 

•  Work collaboratively across the Senior Leadership Team to engage all functions of SHP in the strategy and implementation of our shared research vision.
• Provide direction on organizational performance measures to ensure output and outcome measures aligned to the theory of change are tracked and analyzed effectively. 
• Recommend and provide direction on systems and structures that enable effective data collection, analysis, and reporting. 
• Support organizational revenue strategy by translating program and policy reach and impact evidence to support funding objectives. 
• Support annual planning processes leveraging quality improvement insights.

QUALIFICATIONS 

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Quality Improvement candidate will have:

• Minimum 8-10 years of applied research and leadership experience in nonprofit program assessment, outcome measurement, evaluation, research, and/or quality improvement. 
• Master’s degree+ in a relevant field, with training in research and evaluation methods, including but not limited to Education, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, or Psychology. 
• Strong knowledge of research principles, design and methodologies. 
• Experience designing and implementing outcome measurement systems in an organizational setting. 
• Expertise in social sciences and proven track record of producing research and translating to practice. 
• Strong writing, editorial, and presentation skills to effectively present complex information to diverse stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-functioning teams – direct reports and project teams – and influence across the organization. 
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Data analytics and visualization tools. 
• A successful track record of building evidence based strategies and translating that to business operations.  
• Relevant published research is a plus. 
• Ability to travel up to 20%

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position offers a competitive salary range of $147,000 to $150,000. SHP offers a competitive benefits package, including:

• Unlimited PTO
• Flexible schedules
• Paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Health, dental and vision
• Employer paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability
• 401K Match
• Professional development stipend
• Wellness and mental health support
• Employer Paid Employee Assistance Program

More details can be provided upon request.

For additional questions about this position or to speak with someone about your interest, please contact Mackenzie Jones at [email protected].