Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Specialist

YOUTH ALLIANCE • Hollister, CA

5d

About The Position

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Specialist is instrumental to Youth Alliance’s efforts to sustain its mission. A key member of Youth Alliance’s impact team, the MEL Specialist is passionate about YA’s mission and can act as a data storyteller whose framework for justice is assets-oriented and systems-oriented to craft narratives about our impact to advance Youth Alliance’s transformational work. The MEL Specialist is flexible, detail-oriented, and can connect with and summarize programmatic data. This position involves managing data collection, warehousing, analysis, and reporting. Essential qualities include organization, time management, prioritizing and the ability to handle a complex, varied workload, support data-driven decision making and improve operational efficiency and organizational impact. Serve as the liaison between the organization’s leadership team to ensure the availability of impact and business insights data needed to report on our impact, ensure quality assurance, and support compliance efforts. The MEL Specialist ensures there are clear and effective business processes and relationships with other teams across the organization that impact data, learning culture, and contract management. Act as the “data champion” for organization-wide data analytics and help answer important funder questions about YA’s impact by collaborating with teams. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer & Director of Development & Initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience and a minimum of 2 years of data, analytics, reporting, or administrative experience.
• Passion for the mission of Youth Alliance and belief in upholding organization’s core values
• A passion for educational and racial justice with a strong commitment to social justice, economic justice, and youth empowerment.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues of culture/ethnicity/race, gender, sexual identity, class/SES and immigration status
• Results driven – i.e., number of members/leaders, campaign victories, visibility.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a team player and foster collaboration in environments with racial, ethnic, language, immigrant status, and economic class diversity.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication/writing skills and the ability to interact professionally with a wide range of people (i.e., staff, colleagues, members, and external partners)
• Ability to read and interpret documents and procedure manuals and to write routine reports.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail in the performance of administrative tasks
• The ability to work in a fast paced environment efficiently, meet deadlines, and achieve goals.
• Excellent problem-solving, organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency in training and facilitating meetings and cross functional communication.
• Oral and written fluency in English – able to communicate across different literacy levels.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate information so that it is useful to people with various learning styles, backgrounds, and life experiences.
• This position requires flexible hours as some meetings and program activities may occur outside of normal office hours, on weekends, and in various locations within and outside the County.
• Reliable transportation with valid CA driver’s license, current insurance, and clean DMV record. Driving and travel is required for this position (i.e., to YA facilities, outreach locations, etc.)
• Ability to obtain CPR/First Aid certification and mandated reporter training.
• Ability to pass DOJ/FBI background check and TB test (or provide required documentation).

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency with G-Suite applications, Mac OS, Windows, and data systems
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and/or Google Sheets strongly preferred, with demonstrated ability to build, maintain, and optimize complex formulas and functions for data cleaning, analysis, reporting, and impact measurement. This includes multi-sheet workflows, automated calculations, and analytical tools such as nested logic, QUERY, ARRAYFORMULA, INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP, pivot tables, dashboards, conditional formatting, and error handling.
• Experience using task management systems, like Trello or Asana
• Experience working in a CRM, such as Network for Good, DonorPerfect, Salesforce, or similar
• Oral and written fluency in the Spanish language – ability to interpret and provide translation.
• A willingness to make a 2-3-year commitment
• Ability to work with online data collection tools (e.g. Survey Monkey, JotForm, Google Forms).

Responsibilities

• Data Management, Analytics, Measurement & Impact
• Acquire and maintain detailed knowledge and understanding of YA and its programs.
• Oversight of Youth Alliance’s Member (client/participant/volunteer) and Donor Database.
• Assist in developing, managing, and implementing program data evaluations, tools, and systems to collect, analyze, and interpret continuous learning and quality improvement efforts.
• Lead the Outcomes and Evaluation team by researching best practices in the field for continued programmatic growth.
• Contract management & compliance by coordinating the collection of, analysis, and reporting of grant/contract requirements.
• Assist with the development of new ways to explore, report, and interpret quantitative and qualitative information.
• Actively engage in program impact monitoring to identify best performance and quality improvement practices.
• Ensure that data is collected on a timely basis, regular reports and information on progress are distributed, and make recommendations for future improvements based on the data.
• Provide clear and concise presentations and reports to help drive-data driven decision making
• Revise and update surveys and instruments needed to ensure most accurate program outcomes for all aspects of programs and services
• Conducts extensive data entry, cleaning for data integrity, and analysis
• Create and manage reports, dashboards & data visualizations for ad hoc, recurring and yearly reporting analyses including board and funder reports, contracts or compliance, or internally.
• Design, create, test and deploy reports and dashboards in Caspio for programs and management to review and analyze their portfolios, pipeline, audiences, campaigns, and overall performance.
• Analysis to include time-series, segmentation/cohort comparisons, and impact analysis.
• CRM & Data Architecture
• Catalog, maintain and improve CRM data model along with other data stores critical for operations, data analytics, and data analysis.
• Work with vendors and other internal data specialists to ensure CRM data is mapped to key systems, data stores, and reporting tools.
• Manage Salesforce/YA database loads and provide data quality reports and dashboards to ensure CRM is up-to-date, integrations are healthy, and user data entry is valid.
• CalAIM & CCAH ECM/CS Billing
• Support YA’s integration with CalAIM services, including:
• Assisting with Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports (CS) billing processes.
• Supporting compliance documentation, billing reconciliation, and internal workflows.
• Assisting in the development of internal systems, processes, and documentation related to ECM/CS and Parent Education programs.
• Supporting staff preparation, workflows, and reporting requirements aligned with DHCS, CCAH, and CalAIM expectations.
• Cross Team Collaboration
• Serve as CRM data subject matter expert for programs, members, funders, and donor data
• Extract, transform, and standardize raw data for summarization and presentation
• Collaboratively create dashboards and visualizations, test hypotheses and develop recommendations for action
• Evaluate changes that could affect data and communicate impacts to other teams as necessary e.g. youth programs, development team.
• Support the Fundraising/Development Team as needed (eg., donor reports, dashboards, etc.).
• Develop new ways to gain insight from data to inform decision making and new tools and modes of data sharing and visualization to best communicate needs, trends, opportunities, and impact.
• Training
• Onboard and Train users on how to use the database, prepare reports and analyze dashboards/impact.
• Train users on data dictionaries, data standards, and analytics.
• Proactively identify essential changes to business operations to ensure CRM and data is reliable.
• Adept technical writing skills for training manuals or operational guides.
• Administration & Compliance
• File and track member, program data, funders and prospects, ensuring Youth Alliance has up-to-date reporting and stewardship data.
• Manage and maintain the electronic and hardcopy institutional giving files.
• Collect and coordinate internal compliance data with auditors and other departments.
• Supports and maintains accreditation requirements.

Benefits

• Healthcare insurance options, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance policy, FSA (flexible spending account) and more!
• 11+ PTO Days, 11 Holiday Days
• YA provides 2 additional "rejuvenation days" in December
• Professional Development Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Yearly Staff Retreat/Team Building, Staff Appreciation events, and other YA Events.
• Customize your Work Schedule (dependent on supervisor approval based on positional and departmental needs)
• Opportunity for Employee Referral Bonuses

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level