The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Research & Evaluation (R&E) team seeks a curious, solution-oriented, and collaborative data analyst to join our team as an Impact Analyst.

The Impact Analyst will be responsible for leading impact measurement across a portfolio of programs, ensuring programmatic metrics align with enterprise-wide objectives and goals. They will also be accountable for regularly collecting, analyzing, and presenting internal and external data to inform strategic decision-making and identify marketplace opportunities for teams across the Y, including Marketing, programs, Community Hubs, and camps. As a member of the R&E team, the Impact Analyst will play a critical role in supporting efforts to build and enact an enterprise-wide impact data strategy that enables internal and external stakeholders to understand and be inspired by the Y’s story of impact.

The Impact Analyst will serve as a trusted thought partner for teams across the Y, managing efforts to evaluate and maximize impact at programmatic, community, and marketplace levels. Key activities will include designing, refining, and maintaining programmatic logic models; managing impact reporting, including data collection and analysis, for grants within assigned portfolio; maintaining and managing data activities and collaborations with programs and Community Hubs within portfolio; designing and updating data dashboards; and leading community data collection, analysis, and reporting.

The Impact Analyst will report directly to the Vice President of Impact Insights and Analytics and be part of the broader Growth and Engagement team, which includes the Y’s development, government relations, and brand engagement functions. They will collaborate regularly with other members of the Growth and Engagement team, ensuring that they have the insights they need to effectively communicate the Y’s impact to external stakeholders, including donors, elected officials, funders, and the broader marketplace. They will also support growing collaborations with the marketing and communications team to evaluate and understand the needs of the Y’s members and the communities the Y serves across Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

This is an ideal role for an analyst who is passionate about bringing others on the exciting journey of data insights—from collection to analysis.

Salary range for this position is $60,000-$70,000 per year with full-time benefits and opportunities to grow within the organization

Our staff is the Y's greatest asset. Our teams provide valuable skills, knowledge, and passion that is essential to the contribution and positive impact in our communities, which is why we offer Y employees numerous perks and benefits, including:

• Do meaningful work and contribute to the advancement of the YMCA vision by meeting the needs of the people in our communities
• Complimentary Family YMCA membership and an employee discount on select programs
• Career advancement opportunities - grow your career at the Y!

Scope of Responsibilities:

Lead the evaluation for programs in assigned portfolio, including management of data collection and analysis to support enterprise-wide strategy and programmatic plans

• Lead the creation and management of systems to collect, store, analyze and report on data collected to track intervention benchmark indicators and project outcomes 

• Build regular reports that include user-friendly data visualizations for funders, as well as internal and external stakeholders more broadly, to tell programs’ story of impact

• Manage and refine programmatic logic models, partnering closely with program leaders and staff to ensure alignment with current/future efforts and enterprise-wide strategy

• Collaborate with development and programs teams in grant application process, providing community and program-level data to support grant-writing and building out evaluation plans for grant proposals within portfolio

• Develop, manage and update project documentation such as the program evaluation plan, measurement framework, assessment timelines, attendance tracking, meeting notes, file management, etc. 

• As needed, provide training and technical assistance for data collection

• Work closely with key internal and external stakeholders, including consultants, to coordinate and manage data collection and analysis

• Manage contracts and relationships with evaluation partners 

Collect, analyze, and communicate data insights and findings to internal and external stakeholders

• Support the VP of Impact Insights and Analytics in determining what market insights are most needed across the enterprise, working in close partnership with programs and Community Hubs in the analyst’s portfolio

• Collect community-level data from external sources and generate reports and insights to inform decision-making across Y leadership, including programs, camps, Community Hubs, and Marketing

• Conduct literature reviews of existing research relevant to the Y’s programs and communities and present key insights to teams across the Y

• Develop compelling and usable data visualizations to tell the Y’s story of impact

• Support efforts (e.g., community assessments) to partner with communities to build understandings of their assets and needs, generating insights to drive the Y’s mission forward

• Conduct research reviews and landscape scans of relevant practices, presenting insights in an easy-to-use form for non-expert audiences

Support culture of learning around data

• Build tools and resources to support teams across the Y in using insights and analytics in their day-to-day work and strategic planning
• Identify opportunities for Research & Evaluation to support teams across the enterprise in using and interpreting data in their work, especially with attention to equity in data collection and analysis
• Supports the mission and vision of the YMCA of Metro Chicago, working to connect colleagues and communities to their purpose, potential and each other

Minimum and Required Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent in the social sciences, economics, humanities, public affairs, or another field concerned with social-behavioral data collection and analysis

• 2 years’ experience cleaning, analyzing, and manipulating large data sets (e.g., ACS data, using tools like Excel, R, and Python)

• 1 years’ experience designing, building, and analyzing surveys

• 1 years’ experience designing data visualizations, including geospatial data visualizations, for expert and general audiences

• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, including developing project requirements, developing and tracking key milestones, stakeholder management, and related project management skills

• Interest in equitable data collection and analysis practices

• Commitment to, and a passion for, the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s mission

• Continuous learner who leverages opportunities for learning and applies new knowledge and skills

• Proficient verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to clearly and concisely present ideas and concepts and tailor communication to multiple, non-technical audiences including team, customers, and other constituents.

Child Abuse Prevention: Supports the YMCA’s commitment to child abuse prevention by:

• Reporting any items that may provide a health or safety hazard to staff, members or guests to your supervisor
• Following all policies and procedures related to keeping children safe in our facilities and programs, including those related to the monitoring and supervision of children
• Reporting any suspicious behavior and violation of policy and procedures to your supervisor
• Completing all child abuse prevention training as required