Senior Program Manager, Impact & Evaluation

About Oakland Promise:

Oakland Promise is available to young learners (from newborns to college students) and their families who reside in Oakland. OP offers every child financial resources, educational programming, mentorship, and a supportive community to help them and their families, to seek out and thrive in higher education and the career of their choosing. The mission of the Oakland Promise is to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle to college and career achievement. The Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), College Access, and College Completion. Our program strategies touch the lives of children and families in early childhood (ages 0-5), elementary, middle and high school; and culminate in multi-year scholarships and support for students in college.  

About the programs: 

The Brilliant Baby (BB) program supports children’s early healthy development and school-readiness by setting up College Savings Accounts (CSAs) for babies, offering financial coaching and early learning resources to parents and caregivers, and building a supportive community for the whole family.  Brilliant Baby supports parents’ early expectations for their child’s educational success.

Oakland Promise Kindergarten to College (K2C) helps K through 5th graders in Oakland think of themselves as college-and career-bound individuals. We provide scholarships, as well as technical support and incentives to families who open a family-owned college savings account. Additionally, we provide program support to build a college- and career-going identity within students, which includes Cal Day, college visits, family and student workshops, scholarship celebrations, and more.

College Access serves both middle and high school students in Oakland’s district and charter schools! Our vision is to support all students in accessing a clear and solid path to post-secondary educational experiences that lead to a variety of career options – 2-year, 4-year, and vocational or technical programs. Our goal is to offer integrated programming to students and families that targets the elimination of structural and cultural barriers to intergenerational social mobility. 

College Completion supports college and CTE students with scholarships and persistence support and equips students with social and emotional support through mentoring, peer advising, counseling, retreats, and scholarship distribution. Oakland Promise designs holistic educational programming to create a culture of career and college preparedness in students, families, and educators, so we can dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland public schools.

About the role: 

Under minimal supervision, the Senior Manager is responsible for supporting impact and evaluation projects. The Senior Impact & Evaluation Manager is a highly motivated, self-starting, and detail-oriented individual who will ultimately elevate the impact of our program services for our youth and families. This position requires someone who has strong research, organization, evaluation, planning & execution skills, the ability to navigate competing priorities and strong communication skills. This individual should thrive in a team-oriented environment.

The Impact & Evaluation team has short and long-term goals to support each of our four programs and cross-functional departments in their data management and outcome tracking activities, and also develop and execute our overall organization-wide evaluation strategy. The team will use data to inform decision-making and tell stories of Oakland Promise’s impact on our students and families. An important function of the Senior Manager is to assist the Director in bringing outcome tracking in alignment with organizational strategic priorities, funder accountability measures, and our promise to the Oakland community.

Primary Responsibilities:

Evaluation Management

• Lead evaluation project planning and execution under guidance of the Director of Impact
  & Evaluation, collaborating with organizational consultants and OP teams
• Synthesize information to ensure everyone involved in the project is clear on
  next steps (what, who and by when)
• Use data to drive outcomes and measure and communicate program impact
  both internally and externally
• Ensure outcomes and metrics are in alignment with our strategic plan and
  accountability measures, including those linked to our Children’s Initiative
  funding
• Lead and execute research design, data collection, and data analysis activities
• Collaborate with Data Coordinator to present data and impact in a way that is
  digestible to different audiences
• Serve as a resource and support for OP staff on data and evaluation needs
• Synthesize literature on best practices and content area related to our programs
• Provide guidance and assistance on data tracking and evaluation as needed
• Collaborate with Communications team to update website and other external
  communications with accurate data and impact measures
• Build new systems and document internal and external processes for
  implementing new evaluation strategy

Team Leadership

• Schedule and create agendas for team meetings and cross-program meetings
• Document and create new systems as new cross program alignment occurs
• Draft communications with external stakeholders
• Join regular meetings with internal and external stakeholders as needed

Other

• Support in program reporting (for grants, newsletter, etc.)
• Support with overall Oakland Promise events
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, Master’s Degree preferred
• At least 5 years of experience in applied social science or education research and/or program evaluation  
• Experience building relationships and leading across lines of difference.
• Strong leadership, management, thought partnership, and interpersonal skills 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience with both internal organizational communications and external relations
• Ability to organize, manage and work with large teams in multiple departments
• Strategic planning and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritize important tasks over others 
• Ability to analyze and compile a large amount of data and come up with conclusive results
• Ability to develop and execute data collection and evaluation plans
• Experience supporting and partnering with an organizational leader to achieve goals
• Passion for the OP’s mission and commitment to supporting a diverse, inclusive, transparent, and equity centered organization.
• Experience managing multiple calendars and scheduling for teams
• Ability to interact effectively with diverse groups
• Ability to work independently and take initiative
• Ability to work flexible schedule (required to work some evenings/weekends for OP events)

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with Salesforce or other CRM systems and statistical analysis software such as SPSS, Stata, R, and Excel  
• Familiarity with data visualization software and techniques
• Some direct experience working with children, families and community
• Knowledge of and connections to Oakland communities 
• Experience conducting evaluation research in a nonprofit context
• Bilingual: English & Spanish or Cantonese (additional languages appreciated)

Compensation and Benefits:

• Full time exempt position
• Hiring range for this role is $ 80,000 to $ 85,000 based on skill sets and experience.
• Oakland Promise offers a competitive benefits package, which includes dental / health/ vision, paid vacations and sick days and a 401k match up to 3%.
• Oakland Promise currently has a hybrid work policy.
• The ability to learn and grow within a supportive team environment.
• An opportunity to network and interact with leaders in the community. 
• Some evening and weekend hours may be required

Application Process: 

We are looking for candidates with availability to start immediately and encourage you to apply if you are interested in and qualified for the position. The deadline to submit your application is August 21, 2023.

To apply:

Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter to [email protected] with “CPO, Senior Impact & Evaluation Manager – [Your Name]” in the subject line. Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. Currently, Oakland Promise staff are working in a hybrid model, with some work being done remotely and some work being done in the office or at specific locations in or around Oakland. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza #430, Oakland, CA 94612. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement.

Oakland Promise is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.