Position Summary 

The Senior Manager, Impact and Evaluation ensures the Science Center's programs are nationally leading, transformative, and relevant, and that their impact is measured and shared with rigor and clarity. This role owns the organization-wide framework for defining, collecting, analyzing, and communicating program impact across innovation, entrepreneurship, STEM education, workforce development, and inclusive economic growth. 

The Senior Manager is a strategic partner from the earliest stage of funding conversations through final reporting. They work alongside the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and Government Partnerships, to develop compelling proposals, while working with Principal Investigators (PIs) and program leads to build evaluation plans, logic models, and theories of change that are rigorous, ambitious, and built for long-term success. 

The Senior Manager will lead an initial audit of what data the Science Center collects today, will build and maintain the organization’s impact database, and will conduct an annual evaluation of Science Center programs. They coordinate closely with the Grants Manager while leveraging support personnel to design surveys and collection tools that monitor grant performance and meet reporting obligations. 

The Senior Manager works across the organization to translate raw data into key insights and a compelling, evidence-based narrative of how the Science Center drives change. They partner with Marketing and Communications to tell the Science Center’s story, with program teams to communicate the impact of their programs, and with the Grants team to pursue new funding and meet reporting requirements. Their work produces content that technical partners and the general public can both understand, for use in grant reporting, internal and external communications, and leadership materials. 

Essential Functions 

Funder Engagement and Pre-Award Evaluation Design 

• Partner with the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and Government Partnerships, in early-stage funding discussions; listen actively to what funders expect in terms of impact, outcomes, and evaluation expectations. 
• Shape the impact strategy for new opportunities from the outset, aligning proposed outcomes with Science Center strengths and positioning programs as national models in their field. 
• Work with PIs and program leads during pre-award to develop evaluation plans, logic models, theories of change, and key output and outcome metrics. 
• Draft and review evaluation sections, data management plans, and impact narratives for proposals to federal agencies (e.g., NSF, NIH, EDA, DoD), state agencies, and foundations. 
• Scope and budget evaluation activities, including when to use internal capacity versus an external evaluator. 

Performance Evaluation and Data Integrity 

• Lead an initial audit of all Science Center programs: what data is collected today, how it is collected and stored, at what cadence is it collected, and where new measures can further strengthen the Science Center's impact story. 
• Establish an organization-wide impact measurement framework with common definitions, core indicators, and shared metrics that roll up across departments. 
• Recommend high-value metrics grounded in program operations, balanced with staff capacity and diverse participants ranging from students to startup companies. 
• Develop data collection protocols, data dictionaries, and standard procedures; train staff on data entry and quality expectations. 

Program Data Ownership and Organizational Stewardship 

• Design, build, and maintain a program data dashboard that serves as the single source of truth for all program data at any point in time. 
• Clearly document the update cadence for each data source (e.g., quarterly, semester, annual) and the owner responsible for data contributions. 
• Keep the dashboard current on a calendar-year cycle and fully updated ahead of the annual report. 
• Partner with IT and vendors on data systems, integrations, and tools (e.g., CRM, survey platforms, visualization software). 

Grant Performance Monitoring and Compliance Coordination 

• Design surveys and data collection instruments to monitor grant performance against funder requirements and approved evaluation plans. 
• Partner with the Grants team across the full award lifecycle, from identifying opportunities where Science Center impact data makes a strong case, to collecting performance data on schedule and integrating it into funder reports. 
• Review award terms for evaluation and reporting obligations; set up tracking for performance measures and deadlines, specifically multi-year grants involving longitudinal research and post close-out evaluation requirements. 
• Ensure data practices follow award terms, privacy requirements, and human subjects protections, including IRB review where applicable. 

Annual Program Evaluation and Continuous Improvement 

• Conduct annual evaluation of Science Center programs using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods (surveys, interviews, focus groups, administrative data, and comparison data where feasible). 
• Evaluate both education programs (e.g., K–12 STEM and workforce training) and economic development programs (e.g., startup support, capital access, job creation, and regional growth). 
• Share findings with program leads and leadership with clear, actionable recommendations; support continuous improvement cycles. 
• Build feedback loops that bring participant and community voice into program design and improvement. 
• Manage relationships with external evaluators and research partners as needed, including scopes, budgets, and deliverables. 

Impact Narrative and Communications 

• Develop a compelling, evidence-based data narrative of how the Science Center supports change in the region and beyond. 
• Work with program leads and departments to produce one-page program impact memos for use as collateral with external funders. 
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to turn evaluation findings into stories and key messages for the annual report, website, campaigns, and media; support Advancement and leadership with data for presentations, board materials, and funder briefings. 
• Translate complex findings for distinct audiences, from federal program officers and peer reviewers to community partners and the general public. 

Non-Essential Functions 

• Attend relevant workshops, conferences, or professional groups (e.g., American Evaluation Association) to maintain current knowledge of evaluation methods and impact measurement standards. 
• Represent the Science Center at convenings and in sector conversations about measuring innovation, workforce, and economic development outcomes. 
• Adhere to the UCSC's security guidelines and ensure appropriate handling of sensitive information. 
• Facilitate and attend relevant staff meetings to promote communication and execution of goals. 
• Complete special projects specific to the function of the department or as directed by the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and Government Partnerships; Senior Vice President, Innovation & New Ventures; and CEO. 
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of position expectations. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

1. Demonstrated experience designing and conducting program evaluations, including developing logic models, theories of change, evaluation questions, and mixed-methods data collection plans. 
2. Practical program leadership experience and the judgment to recommend metrics that are meaningful, realistic, and feasible for staff to collect. 
3. Ability to evaluate both education programs (STEM, K–12, workforce training) and economic development programs (entrepreneurship, startup support, capital access, job creation). 
4. Working knowledge of federal evaluation and reporting expectations, including NSF and NIH proposal requirements (e.g., evaluation plans, broader impacts, data management plans) and performance reporting under federal awards. 
5. Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills; proficiency with survey design and administration and data analysis tools. 
6. Experience building dashboards and data visualizations (e.g., Airtable) and managing data systems such as CRMs. 
7. Exceptional writing and storytelling skills: able to produce rigorous evaluation content for federal reviewers and clear, human, plain-language impact stories for funders and the public. 
8. Active listener and trusted advisor who can translate funder priorities into actionable evaluation plans and build buy-in with PIs, program leads, and external partners. 
9. Familiarity with research ethics, IRB processes, and data privacy standards for handling participant and personally identifiable information. 
10. Strong organizational and project management skills; comfort managing multiple programs, reporting cycles, and deadlines at once. 
11. Ability to work collaboratively across departments in a matrixed environment and to train and support staff in data practices. 

Experience, Education, and Licensure 

Minimum Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in program evaluation, impact measurement, applied research, or program management in a nonprofit, higher education, research, consulting, or economic development context. Documented experience designing and leading evaluations and reporting outcomes to funders.  

Preferred Experience: Experience contributing evaluation plans to successful federal proposals, particularly NSF and/or NIH. Background in an evaluation consultancy, university research center, or sponsored programs office. Experience evaluating STEM education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, or regional economic development initiatives. Experience leading or managing programs, with direct responsibility for setting and tracking program metrics. Familiarity with impact frameworks and standards. Experience managing external evaluators and building organization-wide measurement systems. 

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree required; master's degree or terminal degree preferred (public policy, public health, education, economics, sociology, research methods, evaluation, or related field).