Manager, Insights and Analytics

Position description

The Mellon Foundation (Mellon) seeks a curious, adaptive, and co-creative learning, research, and data professional to join its burgeoning Learning & Evaluation (L&E) team as Manager, Insights & Analytics (Manager, I&A). As part of the Office of the Executive Vice President, Programs, the L&E team supports Mellon, in collaboration with grantees and partners, to rapidly learn from, translate, and adapt strategies at the program area level, which are core to Mellon’s efforts to advance a more just society, enriched by the arts and humanities.

 

With a social sciences lens and an appreciation for the disparity surrounding available data and research that delves into the ways that arts and humanities enrich the human experience and the world, the Manager, I&A will support the Foundation’s ongoing learning, and the fulfillment of its mission and broader programmatic objectives. In this pursuit, they will take a lead in the identification, collection, rigorous analysis, and design of trackable data and measures for program and field assessment related to the Foundation’s own grantmaking processes and evaluations as well as publicly available datasets and research. Together with program, library staff, and the grants management team, the Manager, I&A will co-design meaningful and actionable information and predictive analytics that are communicated in visual and easily digestible forms.

 

The largest funder of the arts and humanities in the United States, Mellon supports innovative programs that address contemporary challenges in education and the arts. Located in New York City, Mellon’s campus is a diverse and vibrant community of experts committed to the Foundation’s vision and mission, rooted in the belief that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity and the belief that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. The Foundation makes grants in four program areas: Higher Learning, Public Knowledge, Arts & Culture, and Humanities in Place.

 

Additionally, the Foundation’s Presidential Initiatives led by Mellon President Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, a recognized thought leader on race, justice, the arts, and American Society, provides grantmaking that addresses some of the most pressing issues of the day. A historic $500 million-dollar commitment to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape by supporting public projects that reflect the breadth and complexity of American stories and communities will be fulfilled through The Monuments Project. An incredible $125 million is also being committed to Imagining Freedom Initiative and another $50 million to the Puerto Rico Initiative to strengthen the vibrant, cultural knowledge and memory ecosystems.

 

Since its founding, Mellon has provided partnership and financial support to a wide range of organizations in the US and around the world. In addition to widely acclaimed institutions, Mellon today supports a complex array of just communities and visionaries who unlock the power in arts and humanities to inspire critical thinking, build connection, and create the conditions where ideas and imagination can thrive. Mellon’s inclusive grantmaking is catalyzing innovative approaches to the work. As a leader in this space, Mellon is committed to the success of their grantees and understands the power of the stories and the truth that is uncovered and preserved. In an effort to fulfill its audacious mission, remain agile, and give voice to the achievements of Mellon and their grantees, the Learning & Evaluation team was created with an imperative to foster a culture of learning and reflection, consistently incorporating evaluation, research, and learnings throughout Mellon’s grantmaking utilizing responsive, iterative, equitable, and participatory frames.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Learning & Evaluation and working closely with L&E colleagues, the Manager, I&A will work across all areas of the Foundation, in collaboration with each program area and embedded research and strategic planning staff, as well as centralized library, grants administration, and communications staff. Together, they will enable responsive, data-informed decision-making at every level of the Foundation and help communicate the stories of Mellon, its grantees, and the power of social justice in the arts, culture, and humanities in ways that will resonate with executive and non-research audiences.

 

Ideal candidates will have a strong understanding of applied social sciences and data science including quantitative and qualitative methods and relevant analytical tools and data systems — demonstrating an aptitude for conceptualizing research and evaluation questions and offering actionable information from rigorous analysis of complex data in easily digestible forms (e.g., infographics, dashboards, PowerPoints). This person must lead with a natural curiosity and intuitively understand the implications of data, including identifying trends, outliers, and results that seem amiss. Compelling candidates will also demonstrate a solid understanding of and experience with designing and providing guidance in the application of appropriate mixed method evaluations and monitoring approaches that utilize the principles of Equitable Evaluation Initiative© and Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment. ­ Knowledge of data systems and at least one programming language for data collection, data analysis, and reporting will be highly valued, as well as fluency in manipulating and merging large external datasets into formats in which data is easy to monitor, extract, visualize, and share.

 

Self-initiating, detail-oriented, and intuitively a connector of people and information, the incumbent will welcome collaboration across teams and departments and exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and comfort in working with multiple demands, shifting priorities, and constant change. While no explicit content or sector expertise is strongly preferred, it would be helpful if candidates possess some depth of knowledge around one of Mellon’s core investment areas and possess experience working in collaboration with a kaleidoscope of organizations, consultants, and sector leaders who are mission adjacent. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are necessary. Strong verbal and written communications skills are absolute musts. A personal and professional commitment to inclusivity is vital to advancing the work and contributing to the Learning & Evaluation team.

 

 

Responsibilities: 

 

• Craft meaningful and actionable information from rigorous analysis of complex data that is communicated in visual and easily digestible forms, including dashboards, infographics, and PowerPoints. Understand the implications of data, including identifying trends, outliers, and results that seem amiss.
• Deliver strategic insights through the extraction, analysis, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data gathered from grantee reports, Fluxx, and secondary sources to inform strategic questions and deliver actionable analysis in a concise and visually engaging manner (e.g. PowerPoint, infographics, data visualizations).
• Oversee and/or support the design, monitoring, and application of third-party utilizing principles of Equitable Evaluation Initiative© and Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment.
• Work with Grants Management and Information Technology to ensure the capture, maintenance, and use of accurate, reliable, and usable data, as well as other projected needs to support strategic learning. This includes the creation of data tools and helping to determine use cases for data systems.
• Oversee the development, deployment, analysis, and use of data including but not limited to surveys, longitudinal, demographic and socioeconomic data.
• Produce consumable data tables that correctly apply survey weights to large data sets (e.g., NORC data).
• Design and execute research and evaluation tasks entailing data collection and analysis.
• Develop and manage a process to intake, prioritize, and deliver timely data analysis and consultation to Foundation staff and contribute to data governance efforts.
• Facilitate engaging sense-making sessions with staff, including the utilization of Emergent Learning© tools.
• Develop and maintain a data tool that incorporates qualitative and quantitative data that enables the Foundation to track progress towards its goals.

Qualifications

• Mastery of both quantitative and qualitative methods, including relevant analytical tools (e.g., relational databases, data visualization, and CSV/spreadsheet formats).
• Ability to determine the appropriate mix of methods to meet information needs including missing data, strong analytical skills, and the capacity to effectively use research and evaluation.
• Solid knowledge of evaluation and learning as evidenced through established networks, publications, or recognized accomplishments.
• Passion for the cultivation of a learning culture, including knowledge of organizational learning and development, and the ability to build trusting relationships that can facilitate vulnerability, learning, and change.
• Capacity to effectively use research and evaluation for learning and strategy development purposes.
• Ability to model the spirit of the department by utilizing learning tools, demonstrating agility, and manifesting an eagerness to learn with and from others while focusing on continuous improvement to processes, practices, and strategies.
• Fluency in at least one programming language (e.g., R, Stata), and have experience working with Census, IRS, and IPEDS data (or comparable large datasets).
• Knowledge of and experience with sector-wide data sources within Mellon’s program areas.
• Ability to maintain momentum while remaining flexible enough to pivot with broader changes and nimble enough to continue making progress within ambiguity.
• Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to establish a project plan with milestones, communication plans, and the timely delivery of final products.
• Excellent communications skills with the ability to utilize storytelling, data visualization, and other tools to illustrate change, motivate, and inspire.
• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to move groups from talk to action, utilizing Emergent Learning© and other tools to create shared meaning.
• Demonstrated knowledge of trends and initiatives in philanthropy such as Trust-Based Philanthropy and Equitable Evaluation Initiative©.
• Display comprehension of how philanthropy works including fiscal sponsorship and grantee capacity building.
• Excellent judgement, flexibility, curiosity, good humor, high energy level, modesty, and graciousness.
• Experience serving in an evaluative role related to one of the Foundation’s grantmaking areas is an advantage
• A master’s or doctoral degree in social science or a related field with 10+ years of professional experience in related field.

 

Application instructions

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