Description

Career Opportunity:

Director of Research

Organization Overview

We Are: Commonwealth Corporationis a quasi-public workforce development agency that strengthens the skills of Massachusetts youth, incumbent and unemployed/underemployed adult workers, and justice-involved individuals. CommCorp invests in and administers seven diverse workforce development programs and builds innovative partnerships with industry, education, and workforce organizations.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Director of Research to oversee a small team tasked with measuring, assessing, and communicating the impact and outcomes across CommCorp’s entire program portfolio:

We are seeking candidates who:

• Are passionate about public sector program effectiveness and eager to help improve workforce programming for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults across Massachusetts.
• Enjoy applying critical thinking skills to analyzing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data to tell stories about programs and program effectiveness.
• Like to think about process improvement as well as designing, implementing, and overseeing stellar operations.
• Enjoy managing, mentoring, and coaching junior staff (e.g. analysts and interns)

Reports to: President/CEO

Department: Research

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Work hours: 40 hours per week - Hybrid

Starting Salary: $100,000 - $110,000 Employer contributes 13.2% of gross salary to a 401(a)-employee retirement plan. (Vested 100% on day 1 of hire)

Key Job Duties and Responsibilities Include:

Oversee data collection from CommCorp’s grantees:

• Manage effective and efficient data collection from CommCorp’s grantees and partners.
• Collaborate closely with Program Directors and portfolio Vice Presidents to ensure seamless, customer-friendly processes
• Develop data collection tools, as well as data governance and storage policies, using best practices
• Continually improve data collection and reporting procedures to support program teams in grantee oversight and strategic decision-making

Lead program monitoring, evaluation, and reporting:

• Partner with Program Directors to analyze program outcomes/impact and their trends over time, supporting program teams to enhance program design and management
• Lead legislative and annual reporting for CommCorp’s programs
• Build and maintain executive level reporting dashboards, developing creative ways to highlight and visualize performance data in a simple way
• Oversee responses to data requests from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) and other state agencies.

Project manage a major database transition project:

• Plan for and lead a significant transition from the current database (Apricot) to a new one (Salesforce)
• Collaborate across the organization and externally to understand key considerations.
• Manage vendor/consultant contracts as relevant.

Oversee post-program impact evaluations:

• Develop and coordinate systems for post-program impact evaluations using unemployment insurance wage records.
• Manage the contract with the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
• Conduct quarterly wage record pulls and integrate DUA data with CommCorp data.

Write and publish about CommCorp’s programs and workforce development more broadly:

• Publish thought leadership, potentially in collaboration with other researchers/departments (e.g., Department of Economic Research), on interesting research questions and insights specific to workforce programming.
• Produce reports and visualizations (e.g., graphs, charts, maps) that diverse audiences can interpret.
• Conduct additional research such as literature reviews or policy analyses (e.g., annual STEM Report).
• Partner with CommCorp’s Marketing & Communications team to share the impact of our programs via articles and blog posts.
• Stay informed about best practices in workforce development and human services.

Manage research team:

• Manage and coach at least 1-2 research analysts currently focused on industry and youth/social justice portfolios.
• Potential to manage academic experts, contractors, or consulting teams in the future.

Minimum Qualifications

• People management experience: 5 years of people- management experience in a research, program evaluation, and/or data systems function, ideally with increasing responsibility.
• Project management experience: Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to manage complex projects, meet deadlines, and adapt to new data systems and technologies.
• Data presentation and visualization skills: Ability to translate complex data into accessible formats for leadership and program staff, ideally using visualization/reporting tools such as Tableau, Power BI, etc.
• Analytical and quantitative proficiency: Expertise in statistical modeling and survey methods, with proficiency in Excel (essential). Familiarity with additional analytical tools such as SQL, Stata, or R is highly desirable.
• Interpersonal skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to work with and manage diverse groups. Public speaking skills are highly desirable.
• Sector experience: Background in workforce development, education, youth development, human services, or related fields.
• Commitment to quality: Strong dedication to data quality and integrity, especially when handling confidential information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office: Including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

In addition, familiarity with labor market information (e.g., Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Massachusetts Department of Economic Research, Lightcast) is highly desirable.

Benefits

Excellent benefits package, including Health insurance (83% employer / 17% employee), medical, HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) (Employer pays first 75% of participant deductible expenses);Dental insurance (80% employer / 20% employee), vision, 12 paid holidays, 3 weeks accrued paid vacation per year, generous paid sick time, paid time off, Short-Term, Long-Term and AD&D Insurance, Life insurance up to 250k, Pre-tax parking and commuter benefits (debit card) and Health Flexible Spending Account (debit card). 

EEOC statement

Equal Employment Opportunity: Commonwealth Corporation is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Research suggests that qualified women and Black & Indigenous POC may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive at CommCorp to apply for this role. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at CommCorp:

As a leader in workforce development, Commonwealth Corporation is committed to having Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion embedded into the programs and services we offer, reflected in the people we impact and our workplace culture.

Successful candidate will be required to complete a CORI background check.

Qualifications