Associate Director

Job Title: Associate Director, OutcomesAI

Reports to: Senior Director, OutcomesAI

Salary: $100,000

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Project Evident exists to help organizations harness the power of evidence to achieve greater impact. We provide a comprehensive platform of tools, resources, and services that support state and local education agencies, nonprofits, and funders in improving their measurement, evaluation, and reporting of results while strengthening their ability to act on this evidence.

We strive to be a trusted partner to practitioners, funders, and other stakeholders committed to achieving stronger, more meaningful, and equitable outcomes. Our vision is for all communities and individuals to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. We believe in the power of data and evidence to drive social and racial justice, and we are dedicated to advancing a next-generation evidence ecosystem that is actionable and impactful.

We live our mission through our values, specifically:

• Practitioner Focused - We center on practitioners and ground our work in their needs and contexts. We help practitioners strengthen meaningful and equitable outcomes for the communities and individuals they serve and lift their work so that funders and policymakers can better understand and support it.
• Committed to Learning, Inclusion, and Transparency We are frank, honest, and compassionate with our colleagues, clients, funders, and stakeholders. We seek input and feedback from various voices and share our learnings openly with others. We recognize that evidence is not immune to the inequities in our society. We strive to understand the context in which we operate and to uphold the principles of belonging, dignity, and justice through our work.
• Smart, Warm, Approachable and Productive -
  • Smart - we strive to find practical, implementable solutions
  • Warm - we bring an attitude of heart and positivity and work through discomfort
  • Approachable - we keep open and curious minds, welcoming differing viewpoints and valuing the ideas and experiences of our partners.
  • Productive - we hold ourselves accountable to the goals and timelines we set with our colleagues and partners, and course correct as needed
• Oriented to Actionable Evidence—We work with partners to build and use relevant and timely data and evidence to continuously learn, improve, and make meaningful, equitable, and cost-effective decisions for ourselves and partnering organizations.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Director, OutcomesAI (OAI) will work closely with other team members, nonprofit executives, staff, and consultants to translate research to action, develop content, and provide individual and cohort services to support Project Evident’s work for nonprofit organizations and their funders in our OAI and Evidence for Outcomes portfolios. Reporting to the Senior Director of OAI, the Associate Director will be responsible for ensuring the growth, learning, and success of these initiatives through high-quality client-facing delivery, project management, and business development. A productive, creative, and practitioner-centric leader, this role will make meaningful contributions to the objectives and key results of nonprofit services through the OAI and Evidence for Outcomes portfolios, ensuring that lessons learned in each engagement inform the work of the other. The Associate Director will represent the organization externally and contribute to Project Evident's knowledge development and field building as requested, including traveling to select conferences throughout the year.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Engagement Management & Delivery (60%)

• Serve as project lead to deliver 1:1, 1:some, and 1:Many (i.e., cohort-style) engagements, responsible for projects that are on time, on budget, and high quality as measured by success criteria, including an NPS score of greater than .7.
• Manage additional critical aspects of engagements, including creating and managing project plans; defining work streams; structuring and executing analyses; delegating responsibilities to leverage full team and consultant expertise; deploying existing tools, resources, and frameworks to ensure high-quality deliverables; and providing actionable feedback to client and project team members.
• Facilitate and support meetings, small cohorts, and larger communities of practice as needed (both in-person and virtual formats).
• Incorporate program best practices and process improvements to strengthen the overall OAI program and support internal learning, establishing strategies for future plans.
• Work with the team and consultants to develop digital and non-digital content such as white papers and case studies, and create tools and resources that can be used for multiple engagements and shared more broadly; i.e., codification of product innovations in support of repeat execution, and provide training sessions to help advance team skills and build consistency.
• Identify and nurture relationships (e.g., with clients, practitioners, field leaders), influencing the success of current and future work
• Partner with the Senior Director, OAI to co-develop plans and help set, meet, and adjust performance targets for the OAI practice and participate in continuous improvement efforts to strengthen practice and support learning; sharing with other team members to ensure learnings are incorporated for future plans.

Business Development (15%)

• Independently generate new leads and secure resources that are aligned to individual revenue goals tied to practice OKRs.
• Support the design, development, and delivery of high-quality grant proposals or contracts for new work.
• Collaborate with Project Evident colleagues to develop pipeline opportunities in line with strategic and impact objectives that will benefit both OutcomesAI and other practice areas .
• Pursue opportunities for public speaking and other ways to build awareness, advance field building, and generate leads.

Staff Management (25%)

• Attract, develop, coach, supervise, and retain high-performance team members, providing and receiving actionable and productive feedback, and empowering others to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance. Identify learning and growth opportunities for OAI staff and coordinate these opportunities, as appropriate, with other relevant stakeholders.
• Embody Project Evident’s values and performance behaviors to help build and strengthen a culture of belonging and accountability.
• Play an active role as a contributing member of the management team

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s preferred.
• Experience working with diverse communities in strategic planning, data and evaluation, and a deep commitment to equitable outcomes.
• 8+ Years of experience working in the nonprofit or education sectors and in a consulting or technical assistance context.
• 5+ Years of experience in data science/technology adoption, leading high-performing teams, and delivering project and client engagements in education or workforce settings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

We are also looking for candidates who have:

• Using ML/AI to drive higher business performance or program outcomes.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a proven ability to write and copyedit clear and concise narratives and presentations.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities, comfortable in an entrepreneurial environment with fast deadlines.
• Demonstrated problem solver and active listener who seeks clarification, asks questions, and surfaces solutions.
• Demonstrated experience managing clients and client projects.
• Experience managing projects, processes, and teams, and proven ability to work under tight timelines, accurately assess problems, and develop solutions.
• Demonstrated experience creating and effectively executing work plans, processes, and documentation that help to streamline and codify existing practices.
• Impeccable attention to detail and extremely high standards for accuracy.
• Self-starter able to independently research and consolidate information, including technical documentation and policy.
• Commitment to high performance culture, participation in giving and receiving feedback, and belief in continuous and self-improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects; ability to effectively prioritize time and tasks.
• Experience working effectively with multiple stakeholders who may have evolving priorities.
• Ability to interface with diverse staff and partners in various domains.
• Experience and comfort working virtually.
• Experience with and high degree of proficiency using common cloud-based productivity tools, e.g., Google Docs, Office 365, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Asana.

SHARED COMMITMENTS

We seek candidates who share the following and are fully committed to Project Evident’s theory of change and aligned with our Next Generation of Evidence principles.

• Belonging and Accountability. We value and respect one another while holding each other accountable for delivering outcomes. We grow and reward superb talent.
• Strong Learning and Problem Solving Orientation. We insist upon the ability to learn and grow from mistakes, seek clarification, listen and ask questions, identify problems and surface solutions, and help others do the same. We don’t sit in uncertainty.
• Grace Under Pressure. We don’t sit with ambiguity; we are quick to adjust, adapt, and respond with a high level of maturity and empathy.
• Intrinsically Motivated. We care deeply about the mission and working with practitioners to deliver better, more meaningful, and equitable outcomes for students and communities.
• Disagree and Commit. We are fans of rigorous debate, and then we align to support effective implementation.
• Act with dignity and assume the best intent. We recognize that not all of us will use the right language, but we are working towards the same goal. We strive to avoid blame and drama.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Virtual Team Collaboration – Ability to work effectively in a remote environment with team members across multiple time zones. Regular availability is expected between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM (ET).
• Workload Flexibility – Expected to work 40-50 hours per week, with fluctuations based on client and organizational demands.
• Travel Requirements: 30% - Travel is required to meet the organization's needs.
• Hybrid Position with regular presence in Boston, preferred locations include New England and Mid-Atlantic.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to sit, talk, and listen for extended periods, up to 8 hours daily.
• Requires fine motor skills, including continuous typing for up to 4 hours.
• Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 30 pounds.

WHY JOIN PROJECT EVIDENT?

We hope you're excited about the possibilities of working at Project Evident! To support you in bringing your best self to work, we offer:

• Comprehensive Benefits – Generous medical, dental, and vision plans, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, and life and disability insurance.
• Flexible Time Off – Unlimited vacation days, Summer Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and organizational-wide closure from December 25 to January 1.

About Project Evident

Project Evident harnesses the power of data, evidence, and technology to achieve greater impact. We believe that by empowering practitioners to drive their own data and evidence building while also strengthening the surrounding ecosystem, we can increase the number of effective solutions in the social and education sectors and scale them faster, ultimately producing stronger, more meaningful, and more equitable outcomes for students and communities.

Project Evident is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce committed to a culture of belonging and accountability.