Posted on September 2, 2012

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Senior Associate, Evidence-Based Practice

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families. The Foundation distributes approximately $150 million annually in grants to organizations that help states, cities, and neighborhoods improve the life outcomes of these children and families.

Job Summary:

The Foundation is currently recruiting a mid-career professional with expertise in evidence-based program development, implementation and/or evaluation to join the Evidence-Based Practice Team within the Center for Effective Family Services and Systems.

The Evidence-Based Practice Team is focused on increasing the availability and utilization of evidence-based programs that improve outcomes for children and families in five key domains – education and skills attainment, emotional well-being, positive relationships, behavior, and physical health. We have found that evidence-based programs and practices that can be successfully implemented in public systems (such as child welfare and juvenile justice) and communities have been evaluated through a randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental trial without design flaws, demonstrate positive impact on child well-being outcomes, clearly define the population of focus, target risk and protective factors that theory and research link to positive outcomes and possess training materials and fidelity monitoring tools as well as information on the financial and human resources required for implementation.

The Senior Associate is a full-time, senior-level professional position at the Foundation. This position reports to the Director of the EBP Team and will play a leadership role in the foundation’s Evidence2Success project. Evidence2Success is a framework to guide public investment in proven programs for children and youth by strengthening partnerships among public systems, schools and communities. The Evidence2Success framework includes surveys of children and families to allow communities to benchmark and track trends in child well-being and the root causes that promote or impede children’s health and development. Communities also have access to an interactive online database of proven programs that have the greatest potential to meet children’s strengths and needs. Through coaching and technical assistance, communities will develop the capacities that they need to utilize the Evidence2Success framework, including the capacity to integrate multiple funding streams into a coordinated approach to finance and sustain evidence-based programs.

The Senior Associate will be responsible for coordination and provision of technical assistance to Evidence2Success demonstration sites, including technical assistance related to evidence-based program implementation. The Senior Associate will also support the Team’s grantmaking efforts.

Unit Specific Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as a project lead for Evidence2Success. This role involves supporting and preparing local site coordinators to successfully implement Evidence2Success responsibilities; assessing training and technical assistance needs in the site; and acting as an intermediary between the site and the TA/Training Team.
• Provide content expertise on evidence-based program implementation, EBP program fidelity monitoring, and EBP engagement strategies.
• Promote the foundation’s focus on evidence-based practice, communicating information to policymakers, target communities, providers, foundation supporters, and the general public.
• Support a grant evaluation process that focuses on evidence-based practice, soundness of project design, and adequacy of program evaluation and sustainability.
• Provide technical assistance to grantees, including conducting orientation sessions for new grantees, convening and leading workshops, and facilitating roundtable discussions.
• Establish collaborative working relationships with grantees so that opportunities for enhancement and/or midcourse modification can be made efficiently and effectively.
• Develop and monitor portfolio and grantee budgets based on sound accounting principles.
• Assist in establishing and maintaining positive relations with key contacts, leaders, public officials, residents, and organizations as required.
• Pursue opportunities to advance the goals of the EBP Team through a variety of methods and channels.
• Prepare written reports and program/policy analyses.
• Represent the foundation’s mission, principles, and work by participating in meetings, public presentations, and the preparation of written materials.
• Seek to use foundation resources in an equitable manner with regard to race, ethnicity, and gender.
• Demonstrate awareness and appreciation of the foundation’s mission, values, standards, principles, and programs.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Skills & Abilities:

• Experience in meeting facilitation, consultation, coaching and/or training at multiple levels.
• Experience working in community settings and/or with system leaders in child welfare, juvenile justice, schools, or mental health.
• Demonstrated ability in strategy development, work plan development, multi-tasking, and delivering quality work on time.
• Exceptional writing, public speaking, and presentation skills, including experience presenting complex subject matter to non-expert audiences and experience presenting strategic and complex information to high-level decision makers.
• Experience crossing boundaries of race, class, ethnic origin, and personal philosophy, and the capacity to work effectively with a broad range of constituencies.
• Willingness to travel throughout the United States.
• In-depth knowledge of evidence-based program implementation including staff selection, training, and coaching; staff performance evaluation; decision support data systems; and system-level policies necessary to support successful EBP implementation.
• Experience with recruitment and retention of target populations into evidence-based programs and/or experience building provider capacity to engage target populations.
• The ability to determine the feasibility of submitted proposals via review and analysis, applicant discussions, and site visits.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships in the field and to engage co-investors

Minimum Qualifications:

An acceptable candidate will possess a Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health or a related field and at least 7 years of experience in evidence-based program design, implementation, and/or evaluation with populations served by public health, human services agencies or public school districts; strong administrative and organizational skills to implement and oversee complex multisite projects; seasoned judgment, compelling communication skills, and sound interpersonal diplomacy to collaborate with a broad range of partners; and the proven ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a diverse interdisciplinary team.

Preferred Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess a PhD or equivalent degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health or a related field or a Master’s degree and at least 10 years of experience in management position in a public health, human services agency or public school district; demonstrated ability to impact front line practice of the public workforce or contracted providers in a manner that improves family engagement and inclusive decision making processes; demonstrated leadership in the redirection of human and fiscal resources from less effective costly services to proven prevention oriented programs and practices or proven community-based targeted treatment programs or practice.

Compensation:

This is an exempt position, meaning pay is on a salaried rather than hourly or daily basis. Starting salary is commensurate with experience and earnings history. A strong benefits package will be provided as well.

Application Instructions

To apply: Please apply online at www.aecf.org/careers.aspx.
Maxine Norris, HR Recruiter
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
701 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21202