Minneapolis, MN, USA
With more than 200 employees spread throughout more than 28 states, Child Trends is a nonprofit, unbiased research organization with its main office in Rockville, Maryland. It offers insightful and useful data on the health of children, youth, and their families. To improve choices and policies regarding programs supporting children, families, and adolescents, legislators, funders, educators, and service providers in the United States have depended on our data and analysis for more than 40 years.
Child Trends is dedicated to recruiting, promoting, and keeping employees with a wide range of backgrounds in order to further our goal of enhancing the chances and quality of life for children and young people, particularly those who are most disadvantaged due to the legacy of past and present institutional discrimination.
As a team, we envision a world in which a child’s social identity—be it race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other—never determines how that child will fare in life. With this in mind, we approach every aspect of our work, and we encourage professionals who share our commitment to apply. Currently, the team is looking for a seasoned technical assistance specialist for a senior-level position to support Child Trends’ continued growth in technical assistance. The individual in this position will collaborate closely with senior staff members on the education team and throughout the organization to develop and cultivate new technical assistance work that aligns with the team’s mission.
This position would further serve as a mentor to more junior staff and would be charged with helping to develop junior staff’s research and proposal skills. This position is remote, but may opt to work out of either our Minneapolis, MN or Chapel Hill, NC offices, if desired.
This is an exciting position ideal for someone looking for a supportive, team environment in which to build a line of work and focus a national discussion on topics important to the education, health, and development of children. The successful candidate has extensive prior experience providing technical assistance at all levels of the education system (states, local education agencies, schools), particularly in the context of U.S. Department of Education funded technical assistance centers. The successful candidate also has experience leading and winning federal and foundation proposals. The successful candidate is entrepreneurial but enjoys working in strong teams and has management or supervisory experience. Finally, the successful candidate has subject matter expertise related to the education team’s broad foci. They will understand and apply an equity and positive youth development lens through all elements of their work.
Typical Duties and Responsibilities:
- Serves as the project director on one or more federally funded technical assistance centers.
- Leads successful proposals for large federal technical assistance contracts or cooperative agreements.
- Develops relationships with external clients and partners and conducts reconnaissance research ahead of potential bids.
- Serves as a mentor and supervisor for more junior staff.
- Interprets and effectively presents results; writes final reports, research briefs, and executive summaries and presents results to clients, other researchers, policymakers, or practitioners.
- Prepares papers for presentations and publications. Audiences may be researchers, policymakers, or practitioners.
- Supports Child Trends’ best-place-to-work environment and participates in organizational events and meetings.
Qualifications:
- Extensive experience providing research-based technical assistance, particularly in the context of U.S. Department of Education funded technical assistance centers.
- M.A. or equivalent in a related field (e.g., education, psychology, human development, criminology, sociology, public health, demography).
- Commitment to applying an equity lens throughout all work.
- Experience serving in a project management role for federal contracts.
- Demonstrated ability to write successful proposals to private and public funders.
- Demonstrated ability to manage technical assistance projects effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively and grow client relationships.
- Experience effectively managing research and technical assistance staff.
- Experience working in education policy or governance is desirable, but not required.
- Excellent oral and written communication.
- Desire to grow (or continue to build) a line of technical assistance practice.
- Desire to shine as a national thought leader improving the lives and prospects of children and youth.
Please note that this position is contingent upon funding.
Locations:
Flexible Remote Work; Child Trends’ offices are based in Rockville, MD; Chapel Hill, NC; Minneapolis, MN.
Many Child Trends staff work remotely, and while we are set up to hire remote staff in many states, we are not yet operating everywhere in the US and do not have any overseas operations.
We are currently approved to hire full-time staff in AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI, and WV. The organization will require time to assess additional set up requirements (e.g., employment and tax law) for locations outside of areas where we are currently approved to hire.
Individuals who would like to work from areas outside of the currently approved states, if offered the position, should indicate this preference as early as possible in the application process.
Benefits:
For all full-time and part-time
employees who work a minimum of 20 hours per week,
- we offer generous vacation + sick leave + paid holidays;
- optional individual/domestic partner/family medical, dental, and vision benefits effective first day of employment;
- optional pet benefits;
- pre-tax reimbursement funds (FSA, HSA, Commuter);
- life insurance; short/long term disability, basic life and AD&D coverage paid for by Child Trends;
- paid family leave;
- paid bereavement leave;
- professional development and tuition reimbursement allowance;
- and 403(b) retirement plan with immediate vesting and Child Trends contributions after 1 year of employment.
How to Apply,
- Please follow the “ apply ” link to submit your operation.
- When asked by the system to upload capsule, please upload one document that includes your capsule, cover letter, writing sample, functionary or unofficial reiterations, and contact information for three professional references.
- Accouterments must be combined into one document in order to be uploaded. If you have any difficulties with this process please telegraph the requested accoutrements to reclamation( at)childtrends.org and make sure to source the position in the subject line.
- No phone calls please!
