Director, Research and Analysis Save

Who We Are: 

1 in 4 Dallas children are growing up in poverty.  At CPAL, we are working to reduce the child poverty rate by 50% in a single generation. We operate as an unofficial R&D department for Dallas, rethinking how data can be integrated into public systems, community programs, and neighborhood life to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.  Guided by evidence, we focus on impactful strategies aligned with five 'big bets' for driving economic mobility in our community:  Benefits Delivery, Maternal Health, Housing, Criminal Justice, and Safety.

Three key principles underpin CPAL’s approach: 

• Design for scale:  Child poverty is a problem of massive scale and requires the magnitude of government resources to fund solutions of equal scale. CPAL brings together the leaders of nine Dallas public agencies with a collective annual operating budget of over $10 billion to align local resources and take collective action on promising interventions.
• Center on evidence: CPAL develops and applies evidence-based outcomes frameworks on child poverty alleviation programs. Data is used to determine where to develop interventions and to evaluate if those interventions are working. CPAL equips our partners and community leaders to use data so they can make better decisions.
• Power with community expertise: By empowering community based organizations, residents, families, or frontline teams with tools, resources, and access to leaders, CPAL builds a broad coalition for sustainable efforts to combat child poverty.

Overview of Position and Project Scope:

• At CPAL, data is central to everything we do. We bridge information gaps by delivering actionable data to families, partner organizations, and local government. As the Director, Research and Analysis, you will lead and execute data and applied research initiatives at CPAL while also maintaining hands-on technical involvement in projects. CPAL would like a visionary leader with forward thinking problem modeling skills to drive actionable initiatives.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Direct and execute applied research projects from conception to completion.  
• Able to work across multiple research areas related to economic mobility including CPAL’s 5 big bet areas
• Lead technical analysis and research methodology design
• Perform complex data analysis and validate team findings
• Translate research insights for diverse stakeholders
• Collaborate with community partners and research institutions
• Manage and mentor research team members
• Role will report to the Chief Executive Officer while project deliverables are cross matrixed 
• Ideally looking for a candidate in the Dallas metro area (hybrid onsite 2-3 days per week).  If not in Dallas, a candidate willing to travel to Dallas at least once per month initially and then once a quarter.  

Qualifications: 

Must Haves

• 8+ years of experience with research projects with some of those years as a manager or lead preferred
• Experience leading applied research projects while maintaining technical proficiency
• Strong technical analysis skills and experience with research methodologies
• Able to communicate complex findings to non-technical audiences
• Ability to scope, design, and execute high-quality research initiatives
• Lead research team and develop team skills 
• Ideally looking for candidates with exceptional Excel skills along with Python and SQL experience
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred

Compensation, Benefits, and Work Environment:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Retirement savings plan with employer match
• Generous paid time off and holidays

Alotten, a strategic talent management company, has been retained by the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) to assist with recruiting for a Director of Research and Analysis.