Location: Remote telecommute

Division: Operations

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Start Date: ASAP – position open until filled

Position type: Full-time, exempt

Who We Are

Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ) is a national advocacy organization that aims to replace ineffective criminal justice system policies with what works to keep people safe. We represent diverse crime survivors as well as people living with old records as key public safety stakeholders. ASJ brings our members together with state leaders and coalition partners to win reforms that stop cycles of crime, reduce costly incarceration, and make communities safer. We support a range of shared safety reforms, including crime prevention, community health, rehabilitation, economic mobility, and trauma recovery. The organization's work hinges on smart advocacy strategies to change laws and budgets, and deep power building to ensure public systems are accountable to victims of crime and people with old records from the communities most harmed by incarceration and violence, and the least helped.

Recently, the Alliance for Safety and Justice moved from a fiscally sponsored project to becoming a national independent 501c3 organization. As we grow our internal operations and external impact, we are looking to become a lasting and sophisticated advocacy institution with staying power for generations to come. 

Who You Are

The Measurement, Evaluation, Learning, and Implementation (MELI) Department is a new department at ASJ with a goal to formalize and strengthen ASJ’s recurring evaluation and impact assessment efforts.

The MELI Manager is someone who is passionate about systems change and using evidence-based evaluation and learning as a vehicle for that change. As the MELI Manager, you will support organizational change and development processes through a policy/advocacy frame. Under the guidance of ASJ’s Chief Operating Officer, you will lead the build out, launch, and management of our new MELI Department. 

To do this, you will partner with colleagues across ASJ, as well as external consultants, to identify the most important evaluation metrics for each part of the organization and formalize the process by which ASJ engages in regular evaluation. The Manager’s primary responsibilities include serving as the lead staff for evaluation and continuous improvement projects by determining and implementing evaluation best practices; co-creating and maintaining measurement and assessment tools; leading data collection, entry, and analysis; co-creating learning systems and infrastructure; and providing actionable solutions that refine and grow our strategies.

What You Bring

You are someone who upholds the highest ethical and legal standards when handling sensitive data; can work in a “start-up” culture and help develop foundational data management infrastructure; communicate effectively across multiple stakeholders and levels of staff; and understands, through work and/or lived experience, the negative impacts of the criminal justice system on vulnerable communities and is able to translate this into trauma-informed practices. In this way, you understand and embody the connection between service-oriented evaluation and community healing. In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to help shape the legacy and identity of our organization, while working alongside mission-driven leaders dedicated to creating lasting change.

What You Will Do

Evaluation Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Identify and develop the organization’s main evaluation and impact metrics and create the formalized, recurring processes through which these metrics will be measured 
• Train staff on their current impact following initial assessment to provide guidance on strengths, learnings and opportunities; bring staff into a formalized evaluation process to advance efficiency through developing learning systems and processes
• Socialize new models with staff and members; manage their implementation and evaluate success
• Ensure ASJ’s Management Team is thoughtfully trained on measurement, evaluation, and learning processes models that advance ASJ’s goals and strategic plan

Collaboration, Communication and Coordination

• Oversee communication efforts with ASJ staff and partners to understand evaluation needs and ensure that proper data collection procedures are in place in collaboration with ASJ’s Systems, Tools & Tech (STT) and Research teams
• Identify and manage external evaluation and research partners; leverage their support and thought partnership to support internal activities and the development of the MELI department
• Collaborate with key staff and external evaluation partners to examine data findings in support of continuous improvement efforts and to determine best practices and strategies for conducting evaluation activities
• Partner with internal teams to interpret and share data to support data-driven decision-making regarding programmatic improvements

Data Management, Dissemination, and Reporting

• Lead and manage the development and refinement of survey instruments and other evaluation measurement tools
• Manage MELI data entry, cleaning, coding, analysis, and reporting of surveys and other evaluation measurement tools in collaboration with staff and consultants
• Support org-wide data collection and tracking practices in collaboration with ASJ’s STT department and Management Team 
• Closely collaborate with ASJ divisions and their departments to track program reach, implementation fidelity, and program sustainability information 
• Support the development of progress reports for division leadership, the Management Team, partners, and funders, as needed
• Contribute to grant proposals, staff presentations, and reports, as identified
• Disseminate evaluation findings to internal and external audiences through dashboard charts, summaries/reports, infographics, presentations, data immersion sessions, trainings, and other meetings/discussions

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Experience working with diverse communities and a demonstrated commitment to ASJ’s values, including criminal justice reform, shared safety solutions, and social and racial justice
• Commitment to employing an intersectional lens during all tasks and projects
• 5+ years’ experience conducting organizational and program evaluations and overseeing data collection, management, analysis and reporting, integrating data technology systems, developing, refining, and utilizing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative tools
• 3 years’ experience working in nonprofit or policy/advocacy setting 
• Excellent attention to detail; exceptional abilities to problem solve, plan, and prioritize, as demonstrated in past experiences
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment managing evaluation projects from conception to completion
• Technology and software related skills preferred, including experience with data analysis, data visualization, and survey software
• Experience developing data tracking and monitoring systems and processes
• Highly effective time management and project management skills; a self-starter, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively across multiple teams
• High level communication skills and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships internally and externally and maintain stakeholder engagement while representing the mission, values, and voice of ASJ

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Have direct experience with the criminal justice systems and/or direct experience with the unique nature of a mission-driven organization
• Advanced training in program research and evaluation or data analytics
• Familiarity with policy change, organizing, and systems change evaluation and conceptual frameworks
• Experience managing and coaching staff, partners, and consultants
• Data Analytics/Data Science certification 
• Advanced skills in Google Sheets and Salesforce

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Some travel may be required
• Requires use of a desktop, laptop, or video display terminal
• Ability to communicate, receive and understand information through oral and written communication and proofread and check documents for accuracy
• Requires communicating information with co-workers, stakeholders and/or the public; reading correspondence, instructions and/or technical documents; writing correspondence and/or reports and filling in forms

Compensation and Benefits

We care deeply about our staff wellness. ASJ offers a competitive benefits package including health/vision/dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, a robust 403(b) retirement match, generous paid time off, a professional development stipend, and more. The salary range for this role is $90,000 - $105,000, and will be offered commensurate with experience. 

To Apply 

Applications should be submitted via the posting link on ASJ’s jobs page. Please submit a cover letter indicating your interest in ASJ, the role, and your related experience, your resume, and 3-4 professional references.

The Alliance for Safety and Justice is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from people who are systems impacted, women, people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.