Judi's House/JAG Institute (JH/JAG) is the only free-standing organization in Metro Denver devoted solely to supporting grieving youth and families through comprehensive care, research, education, and advocacy. Since 2002, JH/JAG has supported nearly 12,000 individuals, and educated many thousands more, toward the vision that no child should be alone in grief.

From our earliest days, Judi's House prioritized a complementary relationship between research and practice. As a current New York Life Foundation grantee, our work with the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) seeks to raise awareness about the magnitude of childhood bereavement across the U.S. Utilizing this first-of-its-kind tool, we developed the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker initiative, working with partner organizations to better grasp the full spectrum of childhood bereavement across the nation.

Join our Evaluation and Research team as we continue to drive innovation and growth in the childhood bereavement field throughout Metro Denver, Colorado, and beyond.

JUDI'S HOUSE CORE VALUES:
Judi's House expects to achieve its vision by adhering to four core values: Compassion, Accountability, Courage, and Respect. Nothing is more important than having a team of people that incorporates these values and holds each other accountable for living this culture every day at Judi's House.

The Research Associate will contribute to a grant-funded effort to build the evaluation capacity of childhood bereavement agencies, empowering participating organizations to better serve bereaved families in their communities. The Research Associate will work on a small team supporting organizations across the country in implementing best practices in data collection, data utilization, and evaluation. The Research Associate should bring a general understanding of evaluation for community-based programs and needs assessments. The Research Associate must have a passion for asking questions and solving problems, be able to generate and run with ideas, and hold themselves to the highest standards of excellence. The Research Associate reports directly to the Director of Evaluation and Research and is a key leader in the Evaluation and Research Initiative, which aims to consider the effectiveness of programs and increase scientific understanding of the experiences and needs of grieving children and families. This position is funded in support of a grant through January 2024, with the potential of renewal funding to extend the term.

The start date for this position is April 1, 2023.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide proactive and responsive technical assistance (training, support, coaching, follow up) to selected childhood bereavement agencies in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative
• Collaborate and communicate with childhood bereavement agencies to devise data-informed strategies and recommendations to improve decision-making, implementation, process, and outcomes (e.g., logic models and evaluation plans)
• Develop/maintain agency relationships and external communications
• Support development of interactive workshops and group technical assistance sessions via Zoom with childhood bereavement agencies selected to participate in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative. Workshop topics: Initial evaluation preparation, data planning, implementing data collection, and data utilization.
• Develop understanding of available community data to assist childhood bereavement agencies in conducting needs assessments (e.g., American Community Survey, Judi's House Childhood Bereavement Estimate Model data - https://www.judishouse.org/cbem).
• Assist in building and facilitating an evaluation network for organizations participating in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative to support ongoing learning and information sharing, including an annual in-person meeting during National Alliance for Children's Grief symposium ( https://childrengrieve.org/).
• Gather and analyze data to determine impact of service offerings
• Support development of organizational standards around evaluation capacity building resources
• Adhere and contribute to workplans/timelines
• Contribute meaningfully to other Evaluation & Research Department projects, including:
• Track pre and post test survey administration for direct service programming
• Support development of evaluation infrastructure for direct service programming (e.g., logic models, data collection protocols and tools)
• Clean datasets and conduct basic analyses
• Develop creative solutions independently or as part of a team to optimize and solve in a way that facilitates project management
• Systematically track project work, documenting progress towards deliverables/goals, routinely updating relevant JH/JAG staff and leadership
• Contribute to written reports, background papers, program documentation and presentations
• Foster and actively engage in the culture of learning within JH/JAG: ask questions, engage in creative thinking, and collectively work toward achieving the full potential and impact of JH/JAG

Requirements, skills, and qualifications:

• Training in quantitative and qualitative research methods in an academic or other social science applied research context, often a master's degree with applied work experience or a bachelor's degree with multiple years applied work experience
• Experience with evaluation and capacity building efforts
• Understanding of research design and methods
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite and Zoom
• Highly detail-oriented, organized, and able to systematically track multiple factors simultaneously
• Experience translating findings to both non-research and research-savvy audiences
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and within a professional team environment
• A desire to support non-profit, mission-driven work is required

This position is mostly remote, with occasional onsite presence needed for all-staff meetings or other special events.

Compensation and Benefits

Judi's House offers a generous benefits package that includes major medical, dental, and vision coverage in addition to long-term disability, life insurance and 401k. Judi's House promotes work-life balance with our Paid Time Off program along with other leave policies. The hourly range for this position is $20.91 - $25.53.

Applicants are subject to a background check. We are an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.