Evaluation Scientist

NATIONAL NETWORK OF PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTES•New Orleans, LA

About The Position

Overview: The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is the official organization representing over 40 public health institutes in more than 30 states spanning all ten Department of Health and Human Services regions. Public health institutes are nonprofit organizations that improve the public's health by fostering innovation, leveraging resources, and building partnerships across sectors, including government agencies, communities, the health care delivery system, media, and academia. NNPHI and its member institutes work together to implement public health policy and program initiatives throughout all 50 states. NNPHI also serves as the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training – NCCPHT. The NNPHI mission is to support national public health system initiatives and strengthen public health institutes to promote multi-sector activities resulting in measurable improvements of public health structures, systems, and outcomes. NNPHI’s vision is innovation-fostering public health institutes across the nation collaborating to improve population health. NNPHI collaborates with its member public health institutes and a wide range of national, state and local partners to support public health initiatives. NCCPHT supports nationwide collaboration to build a sustainable and coordinated network of Regional Public Health Training Centers nationwide that work together in co-creating, modernizing, standardizing, and distributing evenly to all communities and Tribes quality training, tools, and resources that advance the nation’s public health workforce throughout all fifty states, tribal communities and five US territories. Additional information about NNPHI’s program areas and collaborative efforts with public health institutes is available at www.nnphi.org. Position Summary: The Evaluation Scientist is responsible for leading and/or assisting other scientists with the development of evaluation investigations or analytic study projects and carrying out those projects. They also provide technical expertise in the application of evaluation and analytic methods to all portfolios at NNPHI. They will work within the Evidence to Action (E2A) portfolio, our full-service research and evaluation services team, to advance the overall strategic mission of the portfolio and organization. The Evaluation Scientist will work towards operating as a recognized expert in evaluation within NNPHI, leveraging that expertise to enhance NNPHI's reputation with members and existing clients and sponsors. As part of this work, they will develop and maintain deep, specific institutional knowledge and expertise of new and existing members’ culture, organization, and issues, especially as relates to evaluation or specific technical areas.

Requirements

Masters’ degree in public health, social sciences, or health systems research or equivalent and five years’ experience post-graduate conducting evaluation projects.
Demonstrated expertise in program evaluation, including:
Logic model development
Evaluation plan development
Evaluation framework selection
Proven experience conducting various types of evaluation (formative, process, outcome, and impact).
Experience managing both qualitative and quantitative data including coding qualitative data, statistical analysis, and translation and dissemination of evaluation findings.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively on a team and with diverse external partners.
Demonstrated project management and organizational skills, especially with time-sensitive work.
Ability to compose reports, presentations, and written communication in an organized, logical, and concise manner.
Demonstrated expertise in qualitative research, such as interview and focus group guide development; open, axial, and selective qualitative coding (NVivo); operationalizing constructs and codebook development; case study development; or CDC Success Story methodology.
Demonstrated expertise in quantitative research, such as: quantitative survey design, development, and administration (Qualtrics); survey data reporting; operationalizing constructs; descriptive statistics (SPSS); or measurement selection and development.
Program evaluation
Multi-site evaluation
Thematic analysis
Content analysis
Ethnography
Grounded theory
Literature reviews
Recommendations
Needs assessment
Environmental scans
Journal articles and presentations
Program evaluation theory and practice
Health equity and social determinants of health
Bridging public health and health care
Use of AI in evaluation
Public health systems, infrastructure, and workforce
Understands clients’ and colleagues’ needs and concerns; responds promptly and effectively; customizes services and products as appropriate.
Collaborates with others; acknowledges others' contributions; works effectively with individuals of different cultures and gender; willing to seek help as needed. Influences and resolves differences across organizational boundaries: gains support and commitment from others even without formal authority; resolves differences by determining needs and forging solutions that benefit all parties; generates enthusiasm; promotes collaboration and facilitates teamwork across organizational boundaries.
Analyzes issues and problems systematically, gathering broad and balanced input; draws sound conclusions and translates conclusions into timely decisions and actions.
Open to new ideas; shares own knowledge; applies knowledge in daily work; builds partnerships for learning and knowledge sharing.
Gains consensus and collaborates across NNPHI programs and with network members and partners; explains complex concepts in layman's language; communicates with all levels of management and staff, establishing straightforward, productive relationships; treats all individuals with fairness and respect, demonstrating sensitivity for cultural and gender differences; shows great drive and commitment to NNPHI’s mission; maintains high standards of personal integrity.
Conducts secondary analysis of existing data for frequencies, communications, communications products, indicators, etc. Manages the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data; organizes and maintains NNPHI databases as appropriate.
Makes things happen; is proactive; balances “analysis” with “doing”; sets high standards for self; commits to organizational goals.

Responsibilities

Provide responsible, competent technical advice to project and operations management.
Support and may lead, preparation, presentation, and submission of grant and contract proposals.
Develop and monitor project budgets.
Organize and manage all statistical, analytic, and data management aspects of successful evaluation projects.
Synthesize information from external sources (literature, unstructured data gathered by external groups) to ensure programs are operating on the cutting edge of public health. This may include systematic reviews, meta-analysis, abstraction-based grounded theory, text-to-data abstraction, etc.
Provide leadership for data-driven story-telling (data and evidence translation)
Expand NNPHI’s and E2A’s technical and subject matter presence through presentations at technical conferences; authoring journal articles, reports, blogs; etc.
Consult with NNPHI staff on the planning and conduct of evaluation studies, in the analysis of data, and the interpretation and presentation of findings.
Participate in multiple research projects with a minimum of supervision, operating within time and budget constraints.
Manage internal relationships and resources to achieve project deliverables in within a “team culture.”