Evaluation Specialist

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD:
A collaboration between the City of Cambridge and Cambridge Public Schools, the mission of the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is to connect the Cambridge early childhood ecosystem, align early childhood services and information, and advocate for and advance the needs of all young children, their families, and the early childhood workforce. The vision for this work is that every child and family in Cambridge has access to high quality early care and education experiences. As a result, all children enter school ready to thrive academically, physically, socially, and emotionally and continue to do so through third grade and beyond.

ABOUT THE ROLE:
The Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for managing the Cambridge Office of Early Childhood’s entire body of research and assessment work. This includes managing and evaluating data in each of the office’s key functional areas and serving as a liaison to the district and city’s data specialists and external evaluators. The Evaluation Specialist will report to the Executive Director.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The specific duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Serve as a leader and internal expert on research, data, and evaluation measures for the Office of Early Childhood.
• Key contributor in the development and implementation of data collection procedures and systems to help evaluate for quality and impact in all areas of the work.
• Maintain data systems to ensure the integrity of all data and evaluation reports, and briefs for accuracy and quality.
• Develop reports, impact briefs, and presentations to tell the Office of Early Childhood’s impact to stakeholders and the broader community.
• Provide support in the development of new strategic planning that includes data and results as well as identifying new areas of need.
• Provide support in the preparation of grant proposals/applications to federal, state, and private agencies.
• Serve as the liaison with external evaluators, city, district, and community partners.
• Act as point of contact for all data requests.
• Stay informed about best practices in data collection and evaluation strategies within the field of early childhood education.
• Actively engage in and support the Department’s Race and Equity Initiative.

 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology, Social Sciences, Statistics or related field. Master degree preferred.
• Previous experience with data coordination, management, and analysis, preferably in the area of early childhood education.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to take initiative, work independently and manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Systems thinker who can connect daily tasks to larger systemic priorities and future improvements.
• Exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to develop and use tracking systems and databases.
• Ability to build strong working relationships and effectively communicate with team members.
• Excellent communication, problem solving and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, highly organized and detail oriented.
• Knowledge of Cambridge community is an asset.
• The City of Cambridge’s workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse. Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS, WORKING CONDITIONS, WORK FLEXIBILITY AND ACCOMODATIONS:

• Work indoors is in a professional office setting.
• Ability to travel to meetings within the City.
• This position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City’s new Telework Policy, depending on operational needs.
  
  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.