Job Description

The Assistant Director for Assessment & Evaluation will support assessment and evaluation across three core areas within the Martin Institute for Public Good: (1) leading the design and implementation of a mixed-methods evaluation plan for the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN), a national, multi-institutional initiative; (2) supporting the Managing Director in developing and maintaining assessment infrastructure for the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI); and (3) providing assessment and evaluation support and guidance for Martin Institute programs and initiatives as needed. The position also will also teach two courses annually in the Educational Studies Department.

The role strengthens data-informed practice across the Institute by producing high-quality analysis, reporting, and evaluation tools that inform program improvement, institutional learning, and external accountability.

The Assistant Director for Assessment & Evaluation is part of the Martin Institute for Public Good team and reports to the Managing Director of the Institute for all administrative and programmatic responsibilities. For teaching responsibilities within the Educational Studies Department, the Assistant Director reports to the Chair of the Educational Studies Department.

This is a four-year, fixed term appointment supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education There may be opportunities for longer-term employment following the term of the grant.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Evaluation: Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN)

• Design and implement a mixed-methods evaluation plan (formative and summative) for the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN), a multi-year national initiative involving approximately 100 colleges and universities over 4 years.
• Develop evaluation tools, data collection protocols, and reporting systems to assess program effectiveness, participant outcomes, and institutional impact.
• Produce regular analytic reports and synthesis briefs to inform project leadership, funders, and participating institutions.
• Collaborate with the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) and partner campuses to ensure consistent implementation of evaluation protocols across sites.

Institute Assessment Infrastructure for the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI)

• Support the Managing Director in developing and sustaining a scalable infrastructure for the multi-institutional administration of the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI).
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis following PSRI administrations.
• Prepare institutional-level and cross-institutional reports, dashboards, and data visualizations to inform campus improvement efforts.

Institute-Wide Assessment and Evaluation

• Provide assessment design, methodological guidance, and evaluation support for all Martin Institute programs and initiatives.
• Develop shared assessment frameworks and metrics aligned with Institute learning goals and strategic priorities.
• Support grant reporting, external evaluations, and accreditation-related documentation as needed.

Teaching (Educational Studies Department)

• Teach two courses per academic year in the Educational Studies Department.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will be an experienced and collaborative assessment and evaluation professional with strong skills in applied research, data analysis, and program evaluation in educational or mission-driven organizational settings.

Required qualifications include:

• Master’s degree in education, higher education, public policy, social sciences, program evaluation, statistics, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in program evaluation, institutional research, assessment, or applied social science research.
• Experience designing and implementing quantitative and/or qualitative research or evaluation studies.
• Strong skills in survey design, data collection, and data analysis.
• Proficiency in analyzing and interpreting data using statistical software (e.g., R, SPSS, Stata, Python, or similar tools).
• Experience working with complex datasets and producing reports for varied audiences, including non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional or cross-institutional environments.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience in higher education assessment, institutional research, civic engagement programming, or educational program evaluation.
• Experience with multi-site or network-based evaluation projects.
• Familiarity with mixed-methods evaluation approaches and developmental evaluation frameworks.
• Experience teaching or facilitating learning in higher education contexts

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position includes occasional travel to partner institutions involved with the Deliberative Citizenship Network. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required.

Information about how to submit an application can be found at https://employment.davidson.edu.