Manager, Research (Chicago / Hybrid)

Description

Work. Serve. Thrive.

Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in peoples' lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.

Feeding America is the nation's largest charity and the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Learn more about Feeding America here .

This is a hybrid position based out of Feeding America's Chicago office location . At Feeding America, we believe in offering a flexible work environment. Employees can be in the office an average of 2 days a week (when not travelling for work) and work from home on other days. Employees also have access to a 30-day "work anywhere" program during the course of each calendar year that can be combined with PTO and / or holidays.

The Opportunity

The Manager , Research manages key research projects and processes for the Feeding America National Organization (FANO) with the goal of better understanding people and places facing hunger and informing decisions that lead to better outcomes for the people we serve. This includes supporting enterprise learning and thought leadership goals, and leading research design, analysis, and strategic dissemination of research insights.

Compensation

Here at Feeding America national organization, equality is central to our mission and is an integral part of our compensation policies and structures. As such, we maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges. You can expect us to offer the best salary up front based on these clearly defined pay practices with little room for negotiation. We make exceptions for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees have the opportunity to progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.

Salary Range : $83,000 - $88,000 Based on Experience.

Benefits : A comprehensive list of benefits available to full-time employees can be found here .

Responsibilities :

• Directs and manages the production of complex research projects (e.g., the annual Map the Meal Gap study, Food Access Measurement Framework, systematic evidence reviews, multi-site Initiative Evaluation & Impact programs, Consumer Insights research, etc.), including the initial planning and design, the execution of data collection and analysis, and translation of insights for FANO, member food banks, and / or external audiences.
• Defines scope, goals, and deliverables of projects in collaboration with the Research & Innovation Leadership Team, Technical Advisory Group, and other stakeholders. Incorporates Feeding America's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion foundation into all research and evaluation activities and projects.
• Identifies and manages project plans, including timelines and milestones using appropriate tools, and project teams, including coaching, reviews, delegation of work, and contractor and consultant assignments, in a timely and clear fashion.
• Provides input and support to guide the prioritization and integration of departmental strategy into the active research and programmatic approaches that align with Feeding America's mission and organizational goals.
• Collaborates with other FANO departments to influence organizational strategies, practices, program initiatives, and public awareness.
• Creates and manages the dissemination of research insights through translational materials such as reports, research briefs, evidence reviews and interactive dashboards, to convey the findings of research activities conducted by Feeding America.
• Creates and manages the dissemination of research tools, digital platforms, and data collection processes for the network to use, such as Service Insights, the Feeding America Client Survey (FACS), and Monitoring, Initiative Evaluation & Impact, Food Access Measurement Framework, and Learning tools.
• Provides comprehensive, multifaceted support and technical assistance to food bank members to drive the development of local-level data collection, research design, evaluation, and policy analysis capability.
• Establishes a high standard for data quality, data sharing policies, standardization of metrics, and transparency of data collection methods used in research and evaluation.
• Provides strategic counsel to the Research & Innovation Leadership Team on budget management for key research projects and coordinates the execution of activities during the annual budget and reforecasting processes.
• Manages external advisor / research vendor relationships, including development of contracts, billing, confidentiality and data ownership protocols, work plan development and monitoring of progress and success in completing deliverables.
• Presents at network engagements, learning conferences, policy forums, and other events on key research topics.

Required Experience and Qualifications :

Required Leadership Competencies :

Feeding America's goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage all individuals, including those from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger, to apply.

Feeding America participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.