Description

Who We Are    

Kaye Implementation & Evaluation, LLC was established in 2012 to conduct research and evaluation in the service of children, youth and families. We are a growing team of dedicated professionals with training and experience in the social services and social science. Our team is committed to supporting our partners to advance practice and outcomes through high-quality implementation, research, and evaluation.

What We Do     

We partner with social service organizations and members of their communities to support programs to reach their intended outcomes. We help our partners to explore needs and identify solutions, build evidence about their intervention models, and/or gather data about how to improve implementation and outcomes. Our collaborative approach includes:

• Listening to our partners to understand context and the organization’s goals.
• Identifying rigorous and innovative methods that meet our partners’ needs.
• Discussing evaluation and implementation strategies with partners and making decisions together about how best to achieve their goals.
• Valuing and actively seeking multiple perspectives and expertise—including lived and learned expertise.
• Integrating implementation, research, and evaluation practices that are culturally responsive and equity focused.
• Working alongside partners throughout project and study design, execution, interpretation, and reporting to ensure that all implementation and evaluation activities are grounded in relevant context and responsive to partners’ needs.

Our Partners        

Kaye Implementation & Evaluation partners with agencies and organizations that reflect diverse communities across the country. Our partners have included: federal, state, and local government agencies; national and local foundations; organizations that provide training and consultation to advance evidence-informed or promising practices; and community-based child and family serving agencies.

 
Our Team Approach             

We strive to provide our employees with opportunities to grow, explore, and excel in a virtual, flexible, team-oriented workplace. We work together to deliver accessible and innovative evaluation services to our partners that exceed expectations and add value to their work with children and families. Employees work independently and as part of a virtual team that meets in person on a periodic basis. We value life outside of work and are committed to supporting the wellness of our team in addition to improving the lives of others. We strive to be a challenging, rewarding, and fun work environment that encourages curiosity and initiative and rewards teamwork and a commitment to grow and learn.

The Position: Senior Research Associate

KI&E is seeking a versatile and highly skilled Senior Research Associate to join our team. We are looking for an eager, curious, and collaborative team member that is dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth, and families through the use of data, research, and program evaluation.

Senior Research Associates at KI&E typically lead multi-disciplinary teams assembled to conduct implementation and intervention research/evaluation studies that meet the unique needs of each client. A Senior Research Associate is usually assigned to multiple teams and often serves as the principal investigator.  They may lead entire projects and/or design and lead components of projects led by other team members. The Senior Research Associate also serves as the lead methodologist in one or more areas for the company, develops the technical skills of team members, develops and manages new business opportunities, and nurtures client relationships. The Senior Research Associate shares accountability for high-quality work with the project team, seeks and shares the expertise and wisdom of colleagues, and is capable of producing exceptional work when working independently.

The most qualified candidates for this position will be well-versed in mixed methods evaluation; demonstrate mastery of quantitative methods, particularly when using messy child welfare administrative data; possess knowledge of federal efforts to build evidence for prevention programs; have previously engaged persons with lived experience in program evaluation; and have performed implementation and effectiveness studies of programs and practices designed to prevent child maltreatment or improve outcomes for children and families engaged with the child welfare system.   

The Senior Research Associate will play a pivotal role in designing and performing rigorous and useful evaluation of social service programs and supporting high-quality implementation. Specific responsibility areas include:

• Approaching project partners and participating communities with humility, respect, and a commitment to understanding their perspectives, and supporting KI&E team members to do the same.
• Closely collaborating with team members, partners, and intended users throughout the life of a project.
• Effectively communicating with project team members, partners, and collaborators.
• Leading the methodological design of implementation and intervention research/evaluation studies to answer questions in a way that is rigorous, while meeting the needs of partners and the communities they serve.
• Selecting methods and measures, designing and testing research instruments, and developing, implementing and monitoring study plans.
• Overseeing study procedures to ensure research integrity.
• Building the capacities of team members and partners to collect, analyze, interpret, and use data.
• Developing and testing (e.g., cognitive, usability, psychometric) instruments and data collection procedures.
• Performing and/or facilitating data collection, entry, and/or transcription.
• Proposing, selecting, and facilitating implementation of secure data transfer and storage solutions.
• Preparing and managing data files for analysis, including linking multiple data tables using common identifiers.
• Maintaining detailed data documentation (e.g., codebook, data biography, metadata, syntax) throughout the data management and analysis process to ensure the replicability of all results.
• Assessing data quality and determining strategies to maximize data integrity.
• Performing rigorous sampling techniques, including constructing statistically equivalent matched comparison groups.
• Contributing to sound qualitative analyses (e.g., thematic analysis) and conducting or supervising quantitative analyses (e.g., descriptive, inferential, predictive) to answer questions of interest.
• Presenting data in easy-to-interpret tables, charts, graphs, exhibits, and infographics for diverse audiences.
• Collaborating with team members to develop clear and user-friendly professional reports, articles, and presentations that are designed to help our partners and their stakeholders understand and apply meaningful findings.
• Reviewing final deliverables to ensure quality, completeness, and accuracy.
• Ensuring that all project deliverables are completed on time and meet or exceed expectations.
• Developing and leveraging professional networks to disseminate work with KI&E and/or generate new partnerships.
• Leading and contributing to proposals for new projects or funding.

 
This is a full-time remote position with occasional travel (approximately 4-8 trips per year) to participate in team and project meetings and to deliver local and national presentations. The anticipated salary range for this position is $110,000 - $135,000 with employee benefits.

Kaye Implementation & Evaluation values diversity and lived experience. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status under applicable law

Requirements

This Job is Ideal for Someone Who is…   

•     Mission-driven – finds purpose and meaning in research/evaluation that helps people
•     Collaborative – strives for individual and team success
•     Curious – eager to learn, grow, and explore
•     Analytical – applies critical thinking and research skills when solving technical and complex problems
•     Detail-oriented – can focus on the details of work and keep the bigger picture in mind
•     Intentional & Precise – enjoys the scientific process and excels when rigorously applying it
•     Adaptable & Responsive – thrives doing work that is dynamic and evolving
•     Organized – able to structure and prioritize tasks
•     Conscientious & Gracious – approaches both research and relationship building with humility and warmth
•     Savvy – able to deftly navigate competing priorities and multiple interests

Minimum Qualifications for Senior Research Associate   

•     Graduate degree in social work, sociology, psychology, public health, public policy, or a related human services or social science field
•     5 or more years of experience conducting research/evaluation and performing responsibilities that will be expected of this position—including 3 or more years leading studies
•     Demonstrated expertise leading research and/or evaluation with populations served by the child welfare system
•     Strong interpersonal skills, including a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain working relationships with team members, partners, and stakeholders
•     Demonstrated experience supporting the development and growth of team members
•     Demonstrated ability to independently lead implementation and effectiveness studies from design through execution and final deliverables
•     Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to convey and make accessible complex research findings and to develop clear, visually compelling reports for diverse stakeholders
•     Demonstrated proficiency conducting analyses, including:

o Analyzing survey data, including calculating scale scores, calculating and applying sample weights, testing internal consistency, and assessing and accounting for missing data

o Using statistical software, preferably Stata, to prepare and manage analysis files by linking multiple tables using common identifiers, writing syntax for analysis, conducting quality assurance checks, performing descriptive and inferential analyses

o Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in a mixed methods study

•     Demonstrated expertise using data visualization to present user-friendly information
•     Demonstrated expertise presenting study findings in easily consumable and useful publications, products, and/or other media to meet the needs of target audiences
•     Proven organizational, project, and time management skills
•     Ability to work on multiple projects effectively, both independently and collaboratively with a team
•     Demonstrated ability to generate new projects/funding through competitive proposals or through extensions of work with previous funders/clients
•     Demonstrated ability to ensure research integrity and perform quality assurance of research/evaluation procedures and deliverables
•     Knowledge of child welfare research, systems, programs, policies, and federal monitoring
•     Strong commitment to a collegial workplace

Desired Qualifications for Senior Research Associate        

•     PhD or doctoral degree in social work, sociology, psychology, public health, public policy, or a related human services or social science field
•     Lived expertise as a service provider, child, youth, parent, or caregiver engaged with child welfare services, including child protection, family preservation, foster care, kinship care, group care, adoption, independent living or related services
•     Experience performing program evaluation with public and/or private human service agencies
•     Experience with study co-design and participatory evaluation approaches that elevate and include the perspectives of persons with lived experience
•     Demonstrated familiarity with qualitative research designs and methods, and use of qualitative analysis software (preferably Dedoose) to prepare and manage qualitative analysis files.
•     Demonstrated expertise applying theories, frameworks, and research methods supporting the implementation of programs and services
•     Demonstrated expertise conducting culturally responsive and equitable research/evaluation in ways that seek input and share decision-making with intended users
•     Experience exploring issues of overrepresentation, disparities, bias, and inequity
•     Demonstrated ability to teach and coach others to conduct and use evaluation
•     Experience performing supervision and supporting professional growth and development
•     Experience performing studies under contracts with funders
•     Familiarity with the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse and the CFSR process
•     Experience performing analyses using child welfare administrative data sets; for example, experience with CFSR statewide indicators, CCWIS, SACWIS, NCANDS, and/or AFCARS

To apply, visit https://www.kayeimplementation.com/jobs and follow the instructions under Current Openings.