The Mellon Foundation (Mellon) seeks a curious, adaptive, and co-creative learning, research, and data professional to join its burgeoning Learning & Evaluation (L&E) team as Manager, Insights & Analytics (Manager, I&A). As part of the Office of the Executive Vice President, Programs, the L&E team supports Mellon, in collaboration with grantees and partners, to rapidly learn from, translate, and adapt strategies at the program area level, which are core to Mellon’s efforts to advance a more just society, enriched by the arts and humanities.
With a social sciences lens and an appreciation for the disparity surrounding available data and research that delves into the ways that arts and humanities enrich the human experience and the world, the Manager, I&A will support the Foundation’s ongoing learning, and the fulfillment of its mission and broader programmatic objectives. In this pursuit, they will take a lead in the identification, collection, rigorous analysis, and design of trackable data and measures for program and field assessment related to the Foundation’s own grantmaking processes and evaluations as well as publicly available datasets and research. Together with program, library staff, and the grants management team, the Manager, I&A will co-design meaningful and actionable information and predictive analytics that are communicated in visual and easily digestible forms.
The largest funder of the arts and humanities in the United States, Mellon supports innovative programs that address contemporary challenges in education and the arts. Located in New York City, Mellon’s campus is a diverse and vibrant community of experts committed to the Foundation’s vision and mission, rooted in the belief that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity and the belief that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. The Foundation makes grants in four program areas: Higher Learning, Public Knowledge, Arts & Culture, and Humanities in Place.
Additionally, the Foundation’s Presidential Initiatives led by Mellon President Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, a recognized thought leader on race, justice, the arts, and American Society, provides grantmaking that addresses some of the most pressing issues of the day. A historic $500 million-dollar commitment to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape by supporting public projects that reflect the breadth and complexity of American stories and communities will be fulfilled through The Monuments Project. An incredible $125 million is also being committed to Imagining Freedom Initiative and another $50 million to the Puerto Rico Initiative to strengthen the vibrant, cultural knowledge and memory ecosystems.
Since its founding, Mellon has provided partnership and financial support to a wide range of organizations in the US and around the world. In addition to widely acclaimed institutions, Mellon today supports a complex array of just communities and visionaries who unlock the power in arts and humanities to inspire critical thinking, build connection, and create the conditions where ideas and imagination can thrive. Mellon’s inclusive grantmaking is catalyzing innovative approaches to the work. As a leader in this space, Mellon is committed to the success of their grantees and understands the power of the stories and the truth that is uncovered and preserved. In an effort to fulfill its audacious mission, remain agile, and give voice to the achievements of Mellon and their grantees, the Learning & Evaluation team was created with an imperative to foster a culture of learning and reflection, consistently incorporating evaluation, research, and learnings throughout Mellon’s grantmaking utilizing responsive, iterative, equitable, and participatory frames.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Learning & Evaluation and working closely with L&E colleagues, the Manager, I&A will work across all areas of the Foundation, in collaboration with each program area and embedded research and strategic planning staff, as well as centralized library, grants administration, and communications staff. Together, they will enable responsive, data-informed decision-making at every level of the Foundation and help communicate the stories of Mellon, its grantees, and the power of social justice in the arts, culture, and humanities in ways that will resonate with executive and non-research audiences.
Ideal candidates will have a strong understanding of applied social sciences and data science including quantitative and qualitative methods and relevant analytical tools and data systems — demonstrating an aptitude for conceptualizing research and evaluation questions and offering actionable information from rigorous analysis of complex data in easily digestible forms (e.g., infographics, dashboards, PowerPoints). This person must lead with a natural curiosity and intuitively understand the implications of data, including identifying trends, outliers, and results that seem amiss. Compelling candidates will also demonstrate a solid understanding of and experience with designing and providing guidance in the application of appropriate mixed method evaluations and monitoring approaches that utilize the principles of Equitable Evaluation Initiative© and Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment. Knowledge of data systems and at least one programming language for data collection, data analysis, and reporting will be highly valued, as well as fluency in manipulating and merging large external datasets into formats in which data is easy to monitor, extract, visualize, and share.
Self-initiating, detail-oriented, and intuitively a connector of people and information, the incumbent will welcome collaboration across teams and departments and exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and comfort in working with multiple demands, shifting priorities, and constant change. While no explicit content or sector expertise is strongly preferred, it would be helpful if candidates possess some depth of knowledge around one of Mellon’s core investment areas and possess experience working in collaboration with a kaleidoscope of organizations, consultants, and sector leaders who are mission adjacent. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are necessary. Strong verbal and written communications skills are absolute musts. A personal and professional commitment to inclusivity is vital to advancing the work and contributing to the Learning & Evaluation team.
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