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Location: Remote
Reports to: President

Position Overview

The Senior Director of Research & Evaluation will serve as Upwardly Global’s senior leader responsible for strengthening and evolving the organization’s impact measurement, research agenda, and learning culture. Building on UpGlo’s existing theory of change, organizational KPIs, and established impact framework, this leader will guide the next generation of measurement, ensuring our approach reflects our new organizational strategy and captures the full complexity of our work across Direct, Connect, and Talent portfolios.
This role will update and operationalize our Theory of Change; refine and expand our enterprise metrics; incorporate culturally responsive frameworks; and develop new methods to measure outcomes, long-term economic mobility, and systems-level change. The leader will also guide research on workforce, immigration, and AI trends and chair an internal steering group, ensuring insights flow into program design, product development, and organizational strategy.
The ideal candidate is a sophisticated, strategic measurement leader who can translate data into action, guide cross-functional partners, and strengthen UpGlo’s position as a field-leading voice on immigrant workforce integration.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Measurement, Learning & Adaptation

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to executive and program leadership, helping the organization rigorously determine what we should measure, why it matters, and how those insights can meaningfully shape program design, product decisions, and organizational priorities.
• Update and evolve Upwardly Global’s existing Theory of Change to reflect organizational strategy, shifts in the labor market, and emerging service models.
• Refine and expand current organization-wide KPIs and impact measures, ensuring clarity, alignment, and relevance across Direct, Connect, and Talent lines of work.
• Embed equity-minded and culturally responsive evaluation frameworks, ensuring measurement practices recognize diverse experiences, minimize bias, and reflect our mission.
• Lead the design of new methodologies to assess outcomes, long-term career mobility, employer partnership value, and systems change.
• Develop organizational learning routines, including dashboards, synthesis documents, quarterly reviews, and cross-team learning forums that connect evidence to decision-making.

Research & Evaluation

• Lead a proactive research agenda focused on workforce, immigration, economic mobility, and AI-driven shifts, translating insights into actionable guidance for program, product, and IT teams.
• Design and oversee mixed-methods evaluations to understand program effectiveness, user journeys, employer outcomes, and long-term impact.
• Manage external evaluation partners as needed, including scoping, research design, and synthesis.
• Produce timely, accessible findings to support fundraising, board reporting, and public communications.

Research Steering Group Leadership

• Chair an internal research steering group, convening internal and external experts to analyze sector trends, labor-market shifts, employer needs, and the role of AI in shaping opportunity.
• Translate insights into recommendations that influence coaching models, employer engagement, content development, and product/platform enhancements.

Data, Analysis & Technology Partnership

• Manage and mentor the Director of Data & Analysis, providing strategic guidance and professional development.
• Work closely with the Salesforce team to evolve data architecture, collection tools, and analysis capabilities.
• Partner with program and product teams to ensure data collection is equitable, user-centered, and aligned to learning goals.
• Ensure all measurement and research practices uphold ethical data standards, including transparency, consent, equitable data use, and responsible handling of sensitive information.
• Oversee data privacy practices in collaboration with IT and Salesforce teams, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and alignment with UpGlo’s commitment to protecting jobseeker and partner information.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Program leaders to integrate insights into program design, service delivery, and content development.
• Collaborate with Product & Technology teams to align research and evaluation with digital platform development and new AI capabilities.
• Provide data and research insights to Development and Communications for donor materials, public storytelling, and impact reporting.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of experience in research, evaluation, impact measurement, or applied social sciences.
• Demonstrated experience evolving theories of change, measurement frameworks, and organizational KPIs in similar organizations.
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, including culturally responsive and equity-minded evaluation practices.
• Ability to translate complex analysis into actionable insights for a broad range of stakeholders.
• Experience supervising staff and leading cross-functional working groups.
• Experience with Salesforce
• Experience managing external evaluation firms or consultants.

Preferred

• Background in workforce, immigration, economic research, or the future of work.
• Experience with AI- and technology-driven labor-market trends.
• Prior leadership in a complex nonprofit or social innovation environment.
• Experience partnering with product/tech teams on data strategy or user research.

Attributes of a Successful Candidate

• Strong systems thinker able to evolve frameworks while maintaining practical clarity.
• Equity-minded leader who integrates anti-bias approaches into research and measurement.
• Skilled communicator who can influence strategy through data storytelling.
• Collaborative partner with credibility across programs, data teams, and executive leadership.
• Curious, analytical, and excited to innovate as the field and organization evolve.

Salary Range Disclaimer
The base salary range represents the low and high ends of the Indeed salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The listed range is just one component of Upwardly Global's comprehensive total compensation package for employees. Benefits include a paid time-off policy, a hybrid or remote work schedule, medical/dental/vision insurance, short-term disability insurance, life insurance, and a retirement plan with employer match.

Salary Range Transparency: $135,000- $150,000
Upwardly Global is deeply committed to building a workplace where inclusion is not only valued but prioritized. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment.

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Upwardly Global is deeply committed to building a workplace where inclusion is not only valued but prioritized. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment.