Associate, OMG Center for Collaborative Learning

Posted by on April 14, 2014

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
OMG CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE LEARNING (“OMG”)

THE POSITION: ASSOCIATE
REPORTS TO: DIRECTOR
LOCATION: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

THE ORGANIZATION OMG is a $5 million independent nonprofit evaluation and philanthropic services firm based in Philadelphia. Formally established as a nonprofit 501(c)3 in 1988, OMG (Organizational Management Group) has maintained a strong focus on public policy issues and has evolved into an expanding professional practice funded largely by foundations and social sector organizations. A large portion of OMG’s evaluation services consists of national-level multi-year initiatives that include multiple sites and require complex strategies and programs. Our philanthropic services include serving as the National Program Office for New Connections, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and managing grant-making for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Capacity Building portfolio.

Services
Through evaluation and philanthropic services, OMG serves as thought partners on some of the most pressing social change efforts in our country, including addressing educational and health disparities, building thriving communities, and tackling institutional and systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. We leverage insights gained from evaluations and research to determine which programs are working best, and why, and then help our partners refine their efforts for maximum impact. Through our philanthropic services, we manage programs, shape, and implement best practices to drive change in the social sector.

Areas of Focus
OMG works in the following areas:
– Postsecondary Access and Success
– Pre-K to 12 Education
– Children, Youth, and Families
– Asset Development
– Community Health
– Civic Engagement in a Digital Age
– Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
– Leadership and Organizational Capacity

And brings the following cross-sector expertise:
– Partnerships, alliances, networks, and coalitions for collective action
– Place-based investments
– Program and portfolio scale
– Data systems and uses for decision-making
– Culturally responsive evaluation
– Leadership with diverse perspectives
– Evaluation training

Some representative funders and clients include the Aspen Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Career Ladders Project (California), the Council on Foundations, the D5 Coalition, the Lumina Foundation, the Strive Network, and Summer Search.

More information about OMG can be found at http://www.omgcenter.org.

THE POSITION
The successful candidate will have a deep commitment to OMG’s mission of accelerating and deepening social impact. The individual will bring strong mixed methods evaluation and research experience, as well as experience aligned with one or more areas of our work. As an integral member of our evaluation team, the associate will have a range of responsibilities, including:

– Assisting in all stages of program and evaluation design and implementation
– Participating in qualitative evaluation: developing interview and focus group protocols; setting up and conducting site visits, interviews, and focus groups
– Developing participant and organizational surveys
– Conducting quantitative data collection
– Cleaning and preparing quantitative data files for analysis
– Conducting a range of statistical analyses
– Engaging in various stages of the production of proposals, memos, briefs, presentations, and reports (including conducting literature searches; synthesizing findings; preparing figures, charts, and tables; writing; fact-checking and documentation)
– Managing relationships and communications with external partners
– Assisting in general project support, including scheduling meetings and interviews
– Participating as an active member of organizational committees and contributing to thought leadership and organizational development
– Traveling for projects, as required

OMG is deeply interested in and committed to diversity along racial, ethnic, and gender lines; we are actively seeking an individual who can offer broader perspectives to our organizational thinking and culture.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE
– Master’s degree in social sciences preferred. Consideration will be given to candidates with a Bachelor’s degree and strong evaluation and research skills.
– Background in one or more of the following substantive areas: community development, education reform, asset building, health and human services systems, and organizational development
– Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, including:
o Knowledge of design methods in the social sciences
o Experience conducting qualitative research, including participatory evaluation, thematic analysis, case study and meta-analysis,
o Experience cleaning quantitative data (merging, creating new variables, recoding)
o Experience with a variety of quantitative analyses (descriptives, correlations, ANOVA and linear regression)
– Advanced knowledge in Microsoft applications; Internet research; qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo; survey platforms such as Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, or QuestionPro; and statistical programming languages such as SAS, SPSS, Stata, or R.
– Excellent analytical skills and problem solving capability
– Strong writing and oral communication skills
– Ability to take initiative; establish collaborative interpersonal relationships; and contribute to overall project and organizational goals
– Ability to set priorities and effectively manage multiple tasks and project activities
– Comfortable working in a team-oriented environment
– Ability to travel nationally, as needed.

COMPETENCIES / ATTRIBUTES
The successful professional will have or be:
– Intellectual talents and curiosity to succeed in a rigorous environment
– Drive for excellence, along with high professional standards
– Deeply committed to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
– Self-starter with the ability to navigate ambiguity
– Project management skills to successfully engage in complex, multi-year evaluation assignments
– Proven ability to work well in an entrepreneurial environment
– Ability to work well as a member of a small team
– Energetic, collaborative, flexible, communicative professional style
– Excellent oral and written communication skills
– Demonstrated integrity and humility in work style
– Strong work ethic
– A sense of humor and collegiality

COMPENSATION
OMG Center offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience, and an attractive employee benefits package.

To apply, send a letter of interest, including salary requirements, and current resume to associate@omgcenter.org. No direct email or phone inquiries will be considered at this stage of recruitment.

Candidate reviews will occur on a rolling basis.

OMG is an equal opportunity employer.