Qualitative Research and Reporting Manager

Job Description

CEO regularly leverages research to tell the story of our work. Through analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, we deepen our perspective, and learn as much as we can about the communities we serve.

Just as importantly, we use reports to hold our organization’s programming accountable for meeting our goals. Finally, wherever possible we want to bring research findings back to community in accordance with Philadelphia’s vision for equitable engagement.

The primary responsibility of our Qualitative Research and Reporting Manager will be to lead efforts to describe and promote our work, mostly using written reports.

The Manager will present our research findings to various audiences, and ensure those communications include extensive detail about our successes and challenges.

This position will also be responsible for bringing in broader research context relevant to our empowerment and opportunity programs.

The Manager will work to highlight those insights at various stages in our project workflow : writing memos, reports, presentations, and literature reviews.

We aim to promote programing and policy change that takes economic inequalities and racism seriously, while also responding as nimbly as possible to the latest internal and external research.

In addition to formal research products, the Manager will be responsible for liaising between different stakeholders with investments in these stories about our work.

To do this, they will work closely with the Racial Equity team to support community engagement initiatives and ensure we communicate clearly, compassionately, and in ways that promote racial equity.

These engagements will be with residents, research subjects, policymakers, and various other audiences.

To illustrate, a special focus will be on one of the city’s newest initiatives, the Neighborhood Community Action Centers.

These District-level-offices present an exciting opportunity for CEO staff to gather the stories and narratives from within specific Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

This Manager will sit at the nexus of that effort, helping distill these stories for key stakeholders. By bringing these narratives together, their analysis will support honing CEO’s strategy, gathering and disseminating data more efficiently, promoting our policy advocacy work, facilitating grant applications, and ongoing improvement of program implementation.

Reporting to the Director of Research and Evaluation, the Qualitative Research and Reporting Manager will lead the Research team’s qualitative data collection.

This Manager will develop systems, procedures, and policies for qualitative data management within the organization. Using Survey Monkey, video / audio recording, and other research tools, the Manager will execute or oversee crucial data collection methods for both grant-funded and city-funded initiatives.

This position will distill other people’s research, as well as writing our own reports based on both qualitative and quantitative data.

Subject area expertise in anti-poverty initiatives is desired, as well as methodological experience working on qualitative research projects.

A successful candidate will be able to accurately contextualize CEO programs based on survey data, focus groups, and 1-1 interviews.

Thus, helping to tell stronger and clearer stories about our clients and our work.

Essential Functions

Applying Qualitative Research Methods

• Organizing, storing, and analyzing organizational data
• Compile (or find) lit reviews that provide context for our community empowerment initiatives
• Design and implement surveys, discussion guides, and interview scripts for various data collection efforts
• Develop best practices for qualitative research protocols and give feedback on other teams’ research and data collection initiatives
• Complete metadata documentation during qualitative research processes
• Code transcripts and interview notes.
• Design survey and research questions that prioritize equity and accessibility concerns
• Create and facilitate training for other staff on coding and qualitative research methods

Reporting, Negotiating, and Communicating Between Key Stakeholders

• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data in reports and memos
• Provide support for departments and staff using data and outreach platforms
• Procure and manage incentives that compensate research participants for their time.
• Present research findings to various audiences, including policy-makers, funders, and community members.
• Manage external evaluating relationships ( research partners)
• Establish data sharing rules and reporting expectations for partners, including writing and modifying Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)s that govern these collaborations

Expanding City’s Research Capacity

• Lead group and one-on-one training workshops to introduce qualitative data management skills
• Establish and maintain strong relationships across City departments and external partners to support program reporting and delivery
• Support integrations with the city’s person-level databases (IDEA as well as other city data)
• Other duties as assigned

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Driven by thoughtful, quality, and detail-oriented processes, project output, and client / team interactions.
• Demonstrates ability to manage projects, estimate timelines, rework a project approach based on unforeseen challenges, work well under pressure, and set / meet reasonable deadlines.
• Values protecting research subjects and client’s private information, understands the relevant privacy laws, and has ability to faithfully implement related security policies.
• Ability to explain technical concepts to general audiences, explain the logic behind research decisions, craft compelling narratives about data, write and speak clearly, and cultivate effective communication among team members.
• Ability to work with a variety of people and personalities, listen and ask questions to identify new inquiry opportunities, and cultivate strong relationships to ensure seamless collaboration and continued project support.
• Ability to see opportunities, navigate barriers, be self-directed, and problem-solve solutions that enhance the City’s deliverables, processes, and practices.
• Understands the relationship between data and narrative and acts strategically to ensure that data and evaluation are appropriately informing and being informed by narrative.
• Eagerness to communicate data-driven insights with diverse audiences, including low-income clients, community-based organizations, elected officials’ staff, faith communities, students, volunteers, and the public.
• Excitement about working on mixed methods projects that leverage qualitative and quantitative data in sophisticated ways.
• Familiarity of research concepts like sample size, bias, measures of variance and uncertainty, and the differences between descriptive and causal analysis.

Qualifications

Required

• Excel, word, and PowerPoint skills
• Demonstrated understanding of connections between qualitative data, program evaluation, and public policy
• Experience managing projects, particularly projects that require collaboration across different groups or teams.
• Experience developing data visualizations consistent with the principles of inclusive design
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• 3-4 years of related work experience which should include both : Experience working with diverse stakeholders and in different community contextsExperience working in government, social services, policy research / advocacy, or a related field

Preferred

• Experience working qualitative research software such as Dedoose or Nvivo.
• Familiarity with applied research designs especially formative / process-oriented program evaluation
• Experience in managing proprietary and sensitive data
• Community organizing or political campaign experience

If you feel ready to complete the duties of the position, despite not possessing every listed qualification, CEO still encourages you to apply.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None initially, but as assigned

Other Specialties, Certifications, Physical Requirements, and Work Conditions

Regular, predictable attendance is required. Our team is currently hybrid with both virtual and in-office days, however the position can opt to come in the office each day if desired.

If the city changes policy on this, the new hire will have to comply with the new policy, including up to 5 days a week in-office.

• This position operates in an office setting and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines
• Exertion of physical strength to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects up to 10 pounds. Work involves sitting most of the time.

Walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties

• Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire
30+ days ago