Posted on July 6, 2012

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Data and Research Manager

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is advancing the common good in our region by providing help today in ways that strengthen tomorrow. Our work ensures that children are ready to learn when they enter school, stay engaged in learning and graduate able to compete, and are nurtured by families that have the financial stability to support both their basic needs and future success. No other single organization has the scope, expertise and influence to bring together hundreds of human services agencies, government, businesses, private foundations and dedicated volunteers around a common vision of creating maximum impact and achieving long-lasting results.

Why United Way?

We all want to have the greatest possible impact on our community and the issues that we care about. Join the movement. Through United Way, you unite your hopes and strengths with others to accomplish more than any of us can alone.

Thrive in 5

Thrive in 5 is Boston’s citywide movement to ensure that children of all races, ethnicities, incomes, abilities and languages have the opportunities and support they need for success in school and beyond. Launched in 2008 by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Thrive in 5 achieves its mission by partnering with families, early education and care providers, health providers, and others to build community capacity to support school readiness, strengthen the quality of existing services, expand and create new programs and initiatives to meet demand, and measure progress to ensure accountability. Thrive in 5’s role is to unite the individuals and organizations that address young children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive wellbeing so they may develop into healthy and successful students and citizens.

ORGANIZATIONAL & POSITION OVERVIEW:

Thrive in 5 is a public/private partnership between the City of Boston (City) and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Merrimack Valley (UWMB). Housed at UWMB, the Thrive in 5 Executive Director reports to the UWMB Vice President of Community Impact. A cross-sector multi-disciplinary Leadership Council oversees and supports the Thrive in 5 agenda and activities. The Thrive in 5 organizational structure consists of two divisions; a community or place-based strategies division and a policy and systems change division. The Data and Research Manager is part of the policy and systems change division but has responsibility for the data and research needs of both divisions.

NAME AND TITLE OF POSITION

The Data and Research Manager will report to the Executive Director of Thrive in 5 or designee and work in collaboration with the other Thrive in 5 and United Way staff to create, implement, and drive the data, research, and evaluation-related aspects of Thrive in 5’s work. The current city-wide school readiness strategies of Thrive in 5 are described below and each strategy has underlying data and research components for which the Data and Research Manager will be responsible:

• Boston Children Thrive (BCT) – Thrive in 5’s signature place-based initiative currently in five neighborhoods (Allston/Brighton, Dudley, East Boston, Fields Corner and the South End/Lower Roxbury) that engages and empowers parents and builds community capacity to create and sustain the neighborhood conditions necessary for children to enter school ready for kindergarten;
• Ready Educators – Efforts within Boston’s formal early education and care community to help providers/programs move into and up the MA Department of Early Education and Care’s (MA EEC) Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and to support professional development opportunities for early education teachers and providers; and
• School Readiness Pipeline – A universal child development screening initiative that will provide a citywide picture of young children’s development and school readiness at ages 2, 4 and upon kindergarten entry.

Thrive in 5 Annual Indicators

In its founding School Readiness Road Map, Thrive in 5 established indicators of progress that it would report on each year. These can be found at: www.thrivein5boston.org. Annual reports were issued in 2009 and 2010 while any additional Indicators reports are pending a review of these indicators, the data needed to support them, and recommendations for any revisions. The Data and Research Manager will be responsible for undertaking this review.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the liaison to the UMASS Boston Center for Social Policy evaluators on their analysis of and reporting on the data being collected through the “swipe card” technology.
• Oversee the implementation of the Boston Children Thrive “Swipe Card” system. In coordination with the Director of Community-based Strategies, work with the swipe card vendor and BCT Hub agencies to implement the technology and establish the data collection protocols.
• Lead the implementation of the School Readiness Pipeline. In the first year, this will include designing and leading a process to gain community buy-in to this work; working with data collection partners and researchers to ensure validity and reliability of the data being gathered; investigating and establishing protocols that respect the legal implications of sharing data; building the infrastructure to collect, aggregate, and analyze data; and reporting on the data collected.
• Work with Thrive in 5 and UWMB staff on a plan to integrate the data collection and other related strategic components of the School Readiness Pipeline with data collection and related strategic components of Boston Children Thrive.
• Work with Thrive in 5 and UWMB staff to provide the technical assistance regarding the data needs and outcomes measures for the Ready Educators Strategies.
• Undertake a review of the Thrive in 5 indicators of progress from the School Readiness Road Map, the data needed to support them, and recommendations for any revisions to those indicators. Collect, analyze, and report on the Thrive in 5 annual indicators. Oversee the Data Analysis and Research Team (DART) of Thrive in 5.
• Work with community leaders, families, Thrive in 5 partners, and others as needed to support the on-going work of identifying community needs; prioritizing those needs for future investment; analyzing alternative school readiness/healthy child development strategies; supporting the development of effective programs/initiatives based on empirical and community research to address the targeted systemic social problems facing families, children, and communities.
  
• Working with the United Way Community Impact staff, ensure availability of information on current community needs and resources, and demographic trends relevant to emerging issues in the human service system in Boston.
  
• Ensure the analysis and synthesis of available information to support policy and investment decision-making.
  
• In partnership with United Way and Thrive in 5 research and development staff, identify opportunities for revenue generation, such as grants, contracts, and other funding sources, to support new activities or to augment current activities.
  
• Participate in Thrive in 5 and UWMB internal and external meetings as required.
  
• Work in partnership with other Thrive in 5 staff to align work across impact areas.
  
• Seek opportunities for collaboration and partnership to leverage and maximize Thrive in 5’s return on investments and impact in the community.
  
• All other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Relevant Master Degree preferred. Minimum of 3-5 years experience in program evaluation, data analysis, human services, education, family support, child development, community organizing, or related areas
  
• Excellent analytical ability and problem-solving skills; experience with moderately complex mathematic modeling approaches
  
• Familiarity with data management systems
  
• Extensive experience in outcome measurement and evaluation; and documented use of, and success in, using data to manage programs
  
• Demonstrated ability to work within a community setting with diverse populations, including community groups, elected and non-elected policy makers, business persons, professional staff, volunteers and families
  
• Ability to convene multiple partners, build consensus and collaborate on efforts that produce specific deliverables and demonstrable outcomes
  
• Ability to meet aggressive deadlines and handle multiple priorities
  
• Familiarity with child development, early childhood education, and child outcome data issues
  
• Strong knowledge of the communities within Thrive in 5’s service area (City of Boston)
  
• The ability to connect with key stakeholders and interest groups and earn the respect of the community-at-large
  
• Team builder who can also work as a member of a team in a collaborative environment
  
• Strong communication skills including group facilitation, presentation, listening, and writing skills
  
• Commitment to excellence and to the mission of Thrive in 5

Application Instructions

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD FORWARD A RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO:
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Human Resources Coordinator,
51 Sleeper Street,, Boston, MA 02210. Fax: 617- 624-9114
email: humanresources@supportunitedway.org
For information on additional opportunities, please access our Web Site at www.supportunitedway.org

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is committed to hiring individuals who reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.