Job Summary:

The Center for Research Evaluation is an independent evaluation center housed at the University of Mississippi. We work with communities, universities and other mission-focused organizations to lead meaningful evaluations that enhance the impact of their work.

We are recruiting a full-time Senior Evaluation Associate to help grow our Higher Education evaluation portfolio. The Senior Evaluation Associate will design and manage evaluation and applied research projects from start to finish while building strong trusting relationships with our clients. The Senior Evaluation Associate will also apply creative and innovative evaluation designs to ensure that we deliver high-quality, technically sound, and useful evaluations for our clients.

Senior Evaluation Associates also contribute to building the Center's profile through proposal writing and grant development, and by contributing to CERE's outreach efforts such as capacity building workshops, social media, blog posts, academic publications, and other outreach activities.

Job Description:

We are looking for a Senior Evaluation Associate who is creative and eager to make an impact in Mississippi. We’re also looking for someone with outstanding skills in quantitative and qualitative research/evaluation methodologies and who has multiple years of experience with a wide range of evaluation approaches. The ideal candidate will be a creative, analytical thinker who can critically analyze an evaluation context and match client needs to evaluation methods, while finding innovative ways to answer important questions in unique circumstances. Our ideal candidate is also actively involved in the professional evaluation field (i.e., the American Evaluation Association, local affiliates, regional associations or other communities of practice).

As an organization, we want to make an evaluation as easy as possible for our clients. So, we’re looking for a Senior Evaluation Associate who has the people skills to build strong and trusting relationships; who can talk about evaluation findings to nontechnical audiences; and can also create simple reports that translate complex data into meaningful insights for busy clients. At CERE, our mission is to support meaningful social change, so we are looking for candidates who can facilitate data-informed conversations in support of that goal.

Our Senior Evaluation Associates will manage between 5-10 projects at any given time, so should be someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys managing multiple projects at one time. Senior Evaluation Associates also work independently and must be comfortable making evaluation decisions, managing projects, and working with clients without supervision.

Ideal candidates will have experience working with higher education professionals (faculty, upper administration, undergraduate and graduate students); leading or managing staff; conducting higher education evaluations and / or assessments; and conducting facilitation (data workshops, trainings, presentations, etc.).

Minimum Requirements:

• Possession of a Master’s Degree in a relevant field (e.g., Education, Educational Measurement and Statistics, Psychology, Social Sciences, Sociology, Public Health, etc.).
• At least 3 years conducting evaluations for paying clients/in a revenue-for-service organization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple projects at a time.
• Demonstrated ability to perform quantitative and qualitative design.
• Demonstrated ability to design a wide range of evaluation approaches.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to proposal development and grant writing.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Possession of a Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Evaluation, Measurement and / or Statistics.
• Demonstrated ability to work with higher education professionals.
• Demonstrated ability leading, training, and / or managing staff.
• Demonstrated ability conducting evaluation in higher education context
• Demonstrated ability conducting facilitation for a broad array of participants

To be considered for this position, please submit a complete application that includes the following materials:

• A current resume
• A cover letter that clearly describes: How and why you believe this role is a strong fit for your skills and career interests; The unique strengths and experiences you would bring to the role; What you hope to learn and gain during your time in the position
• A sample of your work (for example, an evaluation report for which you were the primary author or a comparable piece demonstrating your relevant expertise)