Director, Research and Evaluation

Liliʻuokalani Trust•Honolulu, HI

About The Position

The Director of Research & Evaluation leads the Liliʻuokalani Trust’s Research & Evaluation team and establishes an organization-wide culture in which research and evaluation inform strategic, tactical, and operational decisions. Reporting to the Managing Director, Impact, Data, & Evaluation, the Director sets the direction of the Trust’s research and evaluation agenda, develops the team, and oversees research, assessment, and evaluation work to ensure it is rigorous, culturally grounded, and useful to decision makers. The role aligns this work with the Trust’s strategic plan, cultural practice framework, and organizational priorities, and supports sharing knowledge and learning with the broader community. The Director oversees a diverse portfolio of research, assessment, and evaluation projects; establishes methodological, ethical, and data-quality standards; and develops and updates evaluation tools. The role provides methodological leadership and responsive evaluation partnership to programs, supports program-cycle reflection and data-informed planning, and advises leaders on research and evaluation implications of strategic decisions and emerging opportunities. The Director also contributes to organization-wide reporting, strengthens responsible data practices in collaboration with data and technology teams, and builds research and evaluation capacity across the Trust. Externally, the Director represents the Trust in research and evaluation matters, develops partnerships with universities and other organizations, communicates findings accessibly, and contributes to the advancement of knowledge about Native Hawaiian wellbeing through publications, presentations, professional associations, and partner engagement as appropriate. The position manages the team, budget, contracts, and external consultants, and contributes to other assignments that support organizational results.

Requirements

Doctoral degree including advanced study of social science research and/or evaluation methods, or a master’s degree with 12 or more years of equivalent experience.
Seven to ten years of progressively responsible, directly related research and evaluation experience, including leadership of developmental evaluations.
Five or more years of supervisory experience leading research, evaluation, or other knowledge-work teams.
Five or more years of facilitative leadership and mentorship training and experience.
Experience managing budgets, contracts, and external consultants.
Experience presenting to and advising executive leadership and boards.
Cultural knowledge and skills to work respectfully and effectively in a Hawaiian-serving organization and with local communities.
Expertise across the social science research and evaluation process, including study design, developmental evaluation, data-collection tool and method design, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and responsiveness to research context.
Knowledge of culturally grounded and Indigenous research and evaluation methodologies.
Ability to build relationships across an organization and provide responsive evaluation, data, and learning support across diverse staff, program areas, and changing priorities.
People leadership skills, including hiring, coaching, developing, and holding teammates accountable.
Understanding of adult learners and coaching strategies.
Effective oral, written, and visual communication, including the ability to translate complex findings for executive, community, and external audiences.
Advanced project and portfolio management skills, including the ability to oversee a diverse portfolio and manage projects to timely completion.
Strategic leadership: ability to set direction, align work with organizational priorities, and prioritize effectively under resource constraints.
Tolerance for ambiguity, emergence, and divergent work; systems thinking, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills.
Expertise in, or ability to quickly acquire, knowledge of the needs, programs, or services being researched or evaluated.
Demonstrated alignment with the Trust’s stated competencies, including compassion, lifelong learning, excellence, courage, pono, responsibility, effective communication, relationship-building, teamwork, capacity-building, and respect for Hawaiian history, culture, and values.

Responsibilities

Develop the vision and direction for research and evaluation in collaboration with the Managing Director, aligning the work with the Trust’s strategic plan, cultural practice framework, and organizational priorities.
Lead the design and implementation of the Trust’s research and evaluation agenda, identifying high-priority questions for current and future decision-making.
Develop and oversee the annual Research & Evaluation deliverables workplan, set priorities, and allocate team resources.
Oversee a portfolio of research, assessment, community assessment, and evaluation projects at strategic and tactical levels.
Establish and maintain standards for evaluation methods, data collection tools, research ethics, and data quality, including culturally grounded and Indigenous approaches.
Lead development and updates of evaluation and assessment tools.
Lead, supervise, and develop the Research & Evaluation team, including Senior Manager(s) and other teammates; recruit, hire, and onboard staff; and contribute to staffing plans.
Assign teammates to Trust locations and programs and ensure consistent, high-quality evaluation support across locations.
Set performance expectations, provide feedback and coaching, and conduct performance reviews.
Manage the Research & Evaluation budget, contracts, and external evaluation consultants and partners.
Foster a team culture of learning, collaboration, curiosity, and continuous improvement.
Oversee evaluation work and provide methodological guidance to evaluators and program teammates.
Ensure programs receive responsive evaluation partnership, including support for assessment, program evaluation, and data-informed decision-making.
Participate in and, when appropriate, lead program-cycle review and reflection with relevant teams.
Partner with program and operations leaders to analyze and interpret data from varied sources and strengthen program and service planning and delivery.
Partner with program leaders to clarify community needs, interests, and assets; clarify goals and objectives; examine alignment between needs, goals, and offerings; and review evaluation results and support interpretation.
Lead evaluations of organization-wide collaborations and systems-change initiatives.
Partner with data and analytics teammates to develop accessible decision-support tools such as dashboards, reports, and information graphics.
Contribute to regular organization-wide reporting and to program-cycle and annual reports, including analysis of strategic indicators, outcomes, evaluation findings, results, impact, and lessons learned.
Collaborate with program, data, and analytics teammates on data collection, analysis, and review to help ensure reports are accurate, timely, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Advise Trust leadership on research and evaluation implications of strategic decisions, new initiatives, and emerging opportunities.
Collaborate with data, analytics, and technology teammates to strengthen data governance, data integration, and responsible data use.
Build research and evaluation capacity among leaders, frontline teammates, and other professionals so they can conduct, interpret, and apply findings.
Develop the Research & Evaluation team’s capabilities in research, evaluation, facilitation, and project leadership through professional development and mentorship.
Represent the Trust in research and evaluation matters with external partners and researchers.
Share relevant, accessible information to help external decision makers apply research and evaluation to decisions affecting Native Hawaiian wellbeing, including supporting community-based organizations and local collaboratives.
Communicate research and evaluation results clearly and accessibly.
Develop and sustain partnerships with universities, research institutions, and other organizations serving the Hawaiian community and broader public.
Lead the Trust’s contributions to knowledge about Native Hawaiian wellbeing through publications, presentations, professional associations, and partner meetings, as appropriate.
Accept new assignments, help team members, learn new skills, and contribute to improved team and organizational results.