Chief of Research and Evaluation

Chief of Research and Evaluation

Full time (1 FTE), salary and benefits

San Rafael, CA

Salary: $150,000-170,000

The mission of Mount Tamalpais College is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive liberal arts Associate of Arts degree and college preparatory program, free of charge, to people incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; 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 higher education opportunities to incarcerated people, and in advancing access to such programs within California’s prison system and nationwide. In recognition of our work, the organization (then the Prison University Project) was awarded the 2015 National Humanities Medal by President Obama.

In 2022, after facilitating the college program at San Quentin in partnership with Patten University for nearly 20 years, the Prison University Project transformed into Mount Tamalpais College – the first independent, accredited, liberal arts college dedicated solely to serving incarcerated people.

The Chief of Research and Evaluation is a relatively new position that has evolved with MTC’s continuing growth as an independent institution. Over the last several years, MTC has built out key infrastructure and systems to support internal data collection, analysis, and reporting related to institutional effectiveness and the assessment of student learning. In this next phase of growth, the Chief of Research and Evaluation will oversee those functions, but will also lead the development of MTC’s externally-facing research agenda, ongoing data collection efforts, research governance processes, and core practices.

This work will include design and implementation of both qualitative and quantitative longitudinal research that examines the impact of MTC on student participants, in particular in the realms of long-term educational attainment, professional development, social and economic wellbeing, civic engagement, and mental and physical health. It will also explore impacts on key stakeholder groups and institutions, including, for example, students’ family members and social networks, college faculty and staff, the prison and its personnel (including staff attitudes and wellbeing, social climate, and operations), public policy, civil society, media narratives, and public opinion. Much of this work will entail extensive collaboration and/or partnerships with other organizations, institutions, state agencies, and individual researchers.

This is a hybrid role (i.e., some remote work is possible) but also requires extensive, regular presence at the MTC office as well as inside San Quentin.

Most broadly, the Chief of Research and Evaluation will be responsible for developing and maintaining an integrated vision and systems for all research, evaluation, and assessment practices across the entire college, and supervising and/or collaborating with staff who are charged with carrying out specific areas of this work. This will require managing requests and collaborations with external researchers; facilitating data sharing with external agencies, including CDCR; overseeing human subjects research protections and data security protocols; producing research outputs that educate and inform both internal and external audiences; and ensuring all research practices are rigorous, responsible, and responsive to the needs of key stakeholders, including and especially students and alumni.

Key responsibilities of the position include the following:

Institutional Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement

• Continuously integrating data, analyses, and reporting into a coherent and dynamic system of shared institutional knowledge and information.
• Proactively using research, assessment, and evaluation to inform key institutional goals, identify problems and solutions, enhance decision-making, and instill and ensure effective practices.
• Collaborating with the Academic and Student Affairs team to provide accurate and timely institutional reporting to internal and external constituencies.
• Keeping current on changes in higher education policy and practice, including in accountability, student learning and student success, and institutional effectiveness.
• Representing the institution in areas related to research and institutional effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders.
• Integrating educational effectiveness and student success metrics and findings into strategic planning efforts, to support continuous improvement.

Educational Effectiveness and Student Success

• Identifying, developing, and facilitating learning outcomes assessment; program evaluation, review, and development; and pedagogical, curricular, and co-curricular innovations.
• Engaging 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.
• Assessing academic and student services programs and activities including: library services, tutoring, learning supports, and advising.
• Overseeing implementation of Program Review processes to assess, refine, and improve program practices of the college preparatory and degree programs.

Research and Scholarship

• Partnering with the President and Chief Academic Officer to develop, design, and implement ongoing and limited-time data collection protocols to support the college’s core research agenda.
• Leading and/or partnering with external organizations on research initiatives that explore compelling, relevant questions related to MTC’s programs, community, and areas of expertise
• Establishing ongoing data sharing processes with state and local agencies to secure administrative data on key student outcomes, including recidivism, employment, and educational attainment
• Keeping college staff informed about and engaged in MTC’s research activities and working with staff to ensure accurate data collection and reporting
• Making intellectual contributions to the broader field, i.e., through publications, public speaking, at professional meetings and conferences, and other contact with the larger scholarly and practitioner communities
• Developing and documenting evidence-based practices for researcher-practitioner partnerships in the field of higher education in prison and beyond
• Partnering with the Chief Academic Officer/Provost on integrating research metrics and findings into educational and student success initiatives, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning processes for the purposes of continuous improvement.

Accreditation

The Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research partners with the Accreditation Liaison Officer ( ALO) to support the college’s ongoing accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Desired Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant research-based discipline required.
• Experience with both qualitative and quantitative research design, data collection, and reporting
• Minimum of five years of leadership and/or supervisory experience, including management of personnel and collaboration with diverse constituencies
• Experience proactively using data, research, and information to advance institutional effectiveness and/or other programmatic and policy goals
• Knowledge about the current landscape of higher education and student success initiatives in the U.S., including familiarity with key federal and state higher education policies, issues, regulations, and trends (helpful but not required)
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously
• Exceptional skill in time management and prioritization
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
• Capacity to present complex information in a manner accessible to lay audiences
• Ability to work effectively with MTC’s diverse internal and external institutional constituencies including faculty, students, trustees, prison administrators and staff, funders, policymakers, and other external stakeholders
• Comfortable spending extended periods of time working inside San Quentin
• Commitment to MTC’s mission

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 here. You may direct any questions about the position to hiring@mttamcollege.edu with “Chief of Research and Evaluation” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

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.