Director/Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research

Director/Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research 

Full time (1 FTE), salary and benefits

San Rafael, CA

Salary: $100,000-150,000 

The mission of Mount Tamalpais College is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and college preparatory program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison; to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated people; and to foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression. Mount Tamalpais College is a national leader in providing quality higher education opportunities to incarcerated people and in expanding access to higher education within California’s prison system and nationwide. In recognition of our work the organization was awarded the 2015 National Humanities Medal by President Obama.

Mount Tamalpais College is currently in a period of tremendous growth. After twenty years of operating a robust higher education extension site degree program at San Quentin, the organization is seeking independent accreditation. This new college will be one of the first of its kind, a world-class college serving  solely incarcerated students. 

The Director or Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research works to ensure institutional effectiveness and support continuous improvement. In collaboration across the Mount Tamalpais College (MTC) community, this position will develop and oversee a comprehensive integrated system of external and internal research and data collection and analysis for purposes of assessment, evaluation, and planning in support of educational effectiveness and student success. This position will also provide leadership for and coordination of external research initiatives in partnership with other organizations or individual researchers. In addition, this position will serve as the institution’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO). 

We welcome applicants from mid-early to advanced career stages, and we are open to adapting title and salary accordingly.

This position has four main areas of responsibility:

Institutional Effectiveness 

The Director or Chief of Institutional Effectiveness & Research collaborates  across the institution to ensure institutional effectiveness and support continuous improvement. The person in this role will: 

• Continuously integrate data, analyses, and reporting into  a coherent and dynamic system of shared institutional knowledge and information. 
• Proactively utilize research, assessment, and evaluation to inform key institutional goals, identify problems and solutions, enhance decision-making, and instill and ensure effective practices.
• Propose, develop, and evaluate innovative programs and/or approaches that are consistent with MTC’s priorities and goals and that will further the institution’s quality, sustainability, and leadership in the field of higher education. 
• Collaborate with the Registrar to provide accurate and timely institutional reporting to internal and external constituencies. 
• Collaborate with, and provide training to, academic, student support, and administrative divisions on assessment, evaluation, and the application of data and research findings. 
• Keep current on changes in higher education accountability, student learning and student success, and institutional effectiveness; determine implications for the institution, disseminate this knowledge, and apply it to evaluation, planning, and decision-making. 
• Represent the institution in areas related to institutional effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders.
• Integrate educational effectiveness and student success metrics and findings into institutional effectiveness and strategic planning efforts for the purposes of continuous improvement. 

Educational Effectiveness and Student Success

Reporting to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO), the Director or Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research ensures educational effectiveness and student success through identifying, developing, and otherwise facilitating learning outcomes assessment; program evaluation, review, and development; and pedagogical, curricular, and co-curricular innovations that will further contribute to MTC’s leading position in the higher education in prison landscape. 

Through sustained collaboration with the CAO and the academic affairs and student affairs teams, the person in this role will: 

• Engage staff and faculty in student learning assessment at the course and program level to address academic progress, student learning outcomes, personal enrichment goals, and other identified student success outcomes to promote continuous improvement. 
• Coordinate the assessment of various student services’ activities, including: 

- Library 

- Tutoring 

- Study Hall 

- Learning support 

- Advising 

- Workshops 

- Co-curricular programs and activities

• Establish and facilitate Program Review processes to assess, refine, and improve program practices of the college preparatory and college program.

External Research 

In partnership with the Chief Academic Officer, the Director or Chief of Institutional Effectiveness & Research provides leadership for and coordination of external research initiatives in partnership with other organizations or individual researchers. The person in this position will:

• Assist in the development, design, and implementation of external research projects that complement and extend the on-going internal research agenda of the college program.
• Provide support to external research initiatives designed to assess and analyze MTC’s program and impact, including facilitating data access and coordinating site-visits and related data collection activities. 
• Provide regular updates to program staff on external research projects and other external research activities related to evaluation.
• Serve as an intellectual leader and program representative by attending professional meetings and conferences related to higher education and prison research, building relationships with potential external partners, and educating the research community about prison higher education.
• Helping to develop best practices for researcher-practitioner partnerships in the prison higher education space.
• Integrate external research metrics and findings into educational and student success initiatives, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning processes for the purposes of continuous improvement. 

Accreditation

The Director or Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research serves a key role in the leadership and coordination of resources and data for institutional accreditation, and is the Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). The desired attributes and job description for the ALO are available here.

Furthermore, through a holistic, collaborative approach with all other MTC staff, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research also: 

• Supports the planning for and facilitating of evaluation for grant-funded initiatives and activities, and 
• Furthers MTC’s national leadership of, and continued outreach and service to, the field of higher education in prison.

Qualifications 

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible higher education leadership experience, including management of personnel, collaboration with key constituents, and development of programs and services. 
• Demonstrated experience proactively utilizing data, research, and information to identify and make recommendations for institutional effectiveness. 
• Demonstrated leadership in the meaningful and actionable assessment of student learning and success outcomes. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of the current landscape of American higher education and student success initiatives. 
• Current knowledge of federal and state higher education policies, issues, regulations, and trends. 
• Knowledge and experience in supporting underserved adult learners with a focus on equitable opportunities for access and achievement. 
• Application of best practices in data-informed decision making and fostering student success. 
• Ability to manage projects in detail and simultaneously see the big picture; experience accomplishing goals within a specified timeframe and budget. 
• Demonstrated experience effectively supervising personnel. 
• Commitment to MTC’s mission and proven ability to work with diverse communities. 
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, with the ability to shape complex information into presentations that are understandable to diverse audiences.
• Ability to effectively work with internal and external institutional constituencies at all levels, including the board, faculty, staff, incarcerated students, and external stakeholders. 
• Comfortable spending extended periods of time working inside San Quentin State Prison, and working with a diverse adult student population.
• Master’s degree in relevant research-based discipline; Doctorate strongly preferred. 

Compensation and benefits

Mount Tamalpais College offers competitive compensation, flexible work policies, and a collaborative work environment. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, and the full cost of each plan is covered by Mount Tamalpais College. We also offer vacation and holiday pay, as well as opportunities for professional development.

How to apply

Please submit your cover letter and resume to hiring@mttamcollege.org with “Director/Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

We seek candidates who share a commitment to MTC’s mission. We especially encourage applications from candidates of diverse socio-economic backgrounds; and/or who reflect the cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of our student body; as well as people directly impacted by incarceration. We welcome applicants who are LGBTQ and/or gender diverse. 

Statement of non-discrimination

Mount Tamalpais College provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.