Head of Insights & Impact - Austin, TX

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation•Austin, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is seeking a Head of Insights & Impact, based in Austin, Texas, to lead and unify its enterprise Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, Analytics, Data Science, and Enterprise Data Platform functions. This leader will report to the Head of Finance & Operations and will set the direction for the Insights & Impact function, lead a high-performing team, and ensure Programs has the evidence and infrastructure it needs to deliver measurable, long-term impact. The ideal candidate understands that data is only valuable when it helps people make better decisions, take stronger action, and improve outcomes in the communities we serve. This person brings a customer-centric mindset, technical fluency, and leadership presence to navigate the intersection of evidence, technology, strategy and human motivation into an operating model that works at enterprise scale. The Head of Insights & Impact will own the Foundation's insights and impact function end-to-end—and be responsible for evolving it based on the Foundation's needs. This is fundamentally a partnership role: Programs drives the business and sets the strategic direction; Insights & Impact partners alongside by providing expertise and leadership to build the best possible evidence, data, and tools for that direction. That means this leader and their team will get out into the field alongside Programs and their partners — understanding the environments grantees and communities operate in, so that measurement and technology genuinely serve the people using them, not just the enterprise reporting on them. Effective use of AI and analytics will be critical to Insights & Impact supporting the Foundation's next chapter. This leader will start from a clear question: what does Programs need to make, execute, and track great decisions—and how do we build an organization capable of delivering it?

Requirements

12+ years of progressive leadership spanning analytics, impact measurement, evaluation, data science, and/or digital transformation.
Have led multidisciplinary teams across Analytics, Data Science, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Enterprise Data, and know how to build enterprise strategies that integrate all four with modern data platforms and AI.
Designed KPIs and measurement systems that teams actually want to use—metrics that motivate action, not just compliance.
Understand the intersection of human behavior and measurement, and build your best work by getting close to Programs and the partners and communities they serve.
Think holistically about how evidence, data, human effort, and technology connect, and have built organizations that put advanced analytical methods to work on complex challenges.
Build high-functioning, multidisciplinary teams.
Demonstrated success leading teams across analytics, data science, evaluation, and enterprise data.
Create environments where technical experts and evaluators do their best work together, and where accountability is paired with genuine development.
Comfortable synthesizing complex information into clear priorities and action plans.
Analysis for its own sake is not satisfactory—want to know that findings actually change what the Foundation does next, for the people it serves.
Strong technical fluency in data architecture, governance, cloud-based analytics platforms, and AI-enabled technologies.
Understand how these tools can strengthen philanthropy, and are equally committed to making them work in practice.
Genuine commitment to evidence-driven impact.
Bring humility, curiosity, and resilience to your work, along with a deep commitment to using evidence to create pathways out of poverty for underserved communities.
Experience in public sector, technology, social impact, or management consulting is highly valued.
Deep knowledge of impact measurement, evaluation, analytics, and enterprise data strategy.
Exceptional leadership and people management, with a track record of developing strong, multidisciplinary teams.
Strong outcomes orientation—builds systems for continuous learning and adaptive, evidence-informed decision-making that reflects what motivates the people using it.
Outstanding executive communication and storytelling, able to distill complexity for senior leaders, Boards, and diverse audiences.
Comfort with data architecture, governance, cloud-based analytics platforms, and AI-enabled technologies.
Highest standards of integrity, stewardship, and accountability.

Responsibilities

Determine Enterprise Insights & Impact Strategy: Define and execute the strategy for the Insights & Impact function—analytics, AI, evaluation, and enterprise data—in service of Programs' priorities and the Foundation's goals.
Build an integrated operating model that connects evaluation, analytics, data engineering, and program strategy, with Programs' priorities as the starting point.
Partner with Program and executive leadership to ensure their strategic planning and investment decisions are strengthened by strong evidence and data.
Spend meaningful time with Programs and their partners to understand real operating environments, beneficiaries’ needs, incentives, and constraints – ensuring strategy and measurement reflect the realities of the people they're meant to serve.
Serve as a trusted thought partner to Programs on partners' organizational performance, emerging trends, and opportunities to increase impact.
Lead Evidence, Learning & Analytics: Lead enterprise Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning across all portfolios.
Develop clear frameworks for outcomes, impact measurement, and evidence generation—designing KPIs that motivate the teams who use them, not just track outputs.
Translate evaluation findings and analytical insights into clear, actionable recommendations that support Programs' grantmaking and strategic decisions.
Define and advance the analytics roadmap, including executive reporting, portfolio reporting, predictive analytics, and decision-support tools.
Advance Data Science, AI & Innovation: Develop the Foundation's approach to data science, machine learning, and AI—with practical applications in predictive analytics, causal inference, natural language processing, and geospatial analysis—to strengthen impact measurement and learning.
Champion AI utilization to improve knowledge discovery, evidence synthesis, portfolio analysis, and strategic decision-making.
Lead Enterprise Data Platform Strategy: Establish the long-term vision for enterprise data and governance, ensuring the platform is trusted, secure, scalable, and aligned to decision-making needs.
Align investments in data engineering, architecture, governance, and AI with Foundation priorities.
Partner with Technology to modernize the data environment and enable self-service analytics, enterprise reporting, and efficient AI utilization.
Lead and Develop the Team: Lead an integrated team across MEL, analytics, data science, AI innovation, enterprise data, engineering, and governance.
Develop and mentor high-performing, multidisciplinary staff, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, technical excellence, humility and genuine care for one another and the communities we serve.