Description
University at Albany - Senior Data Literacy & Evaluation Specialist - Youth Justice Institute
About University at Albany:
Established in 1844 and designated a University Center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University at Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service engages a diverse student body of approximately 17,000 students in nine schools and colleges across three campuses.
Located in Albany, New York, New York State's capital, the University is convenient to Boston, New York City, and the Adirondacks.
Job Description:
To help lead the efforts of YJI's newly established Youth, Family, & Communities Toward Success (Y-FACTS) Center, the New York State Youth Justice Institute (YJI) is seeking to hire a Senior Data Literacy & Evaluation Specialist.
About the New York State Youth Justice Institute (YJI):
The YJI's work focuses on providing training, technical assistance, research, and evaluation support to youth justice-related state agencies, local partners, and others who provide direct services to youth under 25. Our approach to justice encompasses the continuum of care (from prevention to reentry), is rooted in racial/ethnicity, gender, ability, and geographic equity, and honors youth voices. Our team's expertise draws on trained social scientists and data scientists from diverse academic backgrounds; practitioners with experience in multiple fields and systems that impact youth; and professionals with lived expertise in the justice system.
Established in 2017, the YJI is a partnership between the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services and the University at Albany. Housed on the University's downtown campus, the YJI is institutionally situated within the Division for Research and Economic Development, is led by an Executive Director, and has grown exponentially in recent years. Learn more about us here.
About the Youth, Family, and Communities Toward Success (Y-FACTS) Center:
The NYS Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (JJAG) has approved funding to establish a new Youth, Family, and Community Toward Success (Y-FACTS) Center within the YJI. The Center's mission is to provide data literacy and evaluation support to organizations that deliver preventative or justice-related services for youth, especially in the communities served by the upcoming inaugural Transformative Youth Justice Hubs (Hubs). Among other tasks, this position's incumbent will provide oversight and support to these Hubs, which have a total operational budget of $4M. Anticipated activities to be performed by the Center's staff include creating standardized metrics of youth success, equity, and prevention in a collaborative and participatory manner; providing guidance on data infrastructure efforts; improving data literacy and best practices to allow for informed decision-making in the service of youth and families; and supporting the Hubs in creating an innovative learning community of practice where resources and knowledge can be shared.
About This Position:
This full-time position is based in Albany, NY, at the YJI.
The Senior Data Literacy & Evaluation Specialist will report to the YJI's Executive Director and work collaboratively with YJI staff and students.
They will participate in cross-institutional networking at the systems and community levels.
The successful candidate is entrepreneurial, leverages opportunities in unusual contexts, copes well with ambiguity, and is comfortable working in a dynamic team setting.
Primary Responsibilities:
Faithfully implement the Center's vision through the following activities:
- Develop data literacy curricula: Design and create training materials, workshops, and online modules tailored to different audiences, covering data basics, data analysis techniques, and data visualization tools.
- Deliver data literacy training: Facilitate workshops and presentations to educate relevant stakeholders on how to read, interpret, and analyze quantitative data and trends relevant to their roles; and how to collect qualitative data beyond anecdotes and present it compellingly.
- Data visualization training: Teach relevant stakeholders how to effectively present data using charts, graphs, and other visual elements to communicate insights clearly and drive action.
Promote awareness of data quality issues and share best practices for data collection and management contingent on contextual resources and needs.
Promote the creation of a data-driven, evidence-based, and/or research-informed culture that builds stakeholders' capacity to fulfill funding obligations, pursue grant opportunities, and demonstrate the impact of their work in an objective manner.
Work with different stakeholders to identify data needs, tailor training programs, and assess the impact of data literacy initiatives.
Prepare reports and other manuscripts for publication and/or presentation.
Functional and Supervisory Relationships:
Supervises the following positions: Two advanced doctoral students
Job Requirements:
- Strong communication: Ability to explain complex data concepts in a clear and accessible manner to a diverse audience.
- Data analysis: Understanding of basic statistical methods and data analysis techniques that can be deployed in real-world use case scenarios.
- Data visualization proficiency: Expertise in using data visualization tools like Tableau, Flourish, Power BI, or Excel to create impactful visuals.
- Instructional design expertise: Demonstrated experience developing engaging and effective training materials for lay audiences.
- Participatory approach to research: Demonstrated experience in designing qualitative or quantitative research that is participatory.
- Evaluation expertise: Proven process and outcome research evaluation record ranging from project design to implementation and dissemination.
Requirements
Required Qualifications: (
- MA or MS degree in Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, Sociology, Public Policy, or a related field
- 10 years of relevant full-time professional experience in data-rich environments, including work with non-profits or community organizations.
- Experience working with web-based survey tools (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey), virtual conference applications (e.g., Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams), data analysis (Stata, SPSS, NVivo), and visualization software (e.g., Tableau, Flourish).
- Demonstrated experience:
- Conducting evaluation research, particularly in New York State.
- Working in or with government agencies and/or the nonprofit sector.
- Developing training curricula and other relevant materials related to data literacy.
- Demonstrated substantive knowledge of juvenile justice and emerging adulthood research and policy in the United States, with an emphasis on community justice, prevention, and/or participatory research with justice-involved individuals.
- Demonstrated knowledge of best practice literature, evidence-based programming, implementation science, and data narrative, as evidenced by publications and other disseminated outputs.
- Demonstrated ability to respond effectively to multiple assignments and priorities supporting multiple projects and activities.
- Strong organizational and time management skills, oral and written communication skills, and advanced interpersonal and relationship-building skills working in a team environment.
- Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role
- Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community
Preferred Qualifications (qualifications preferred above and beyond the minimum qualifications):
- PhD in Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, Sociology, Public Policy, or a related field,
- A minimum of seven years of relevant full-time professional experience (post-PhD conferral).
- Strong commitment to social justice and demonstrated research record focused on equity in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender, and/or SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression).
Working Environment:
Typical office environment
Special Notes: This position is funded by a grant and is expected to continue through at least 2028, with the possibility of an extension. While classified as a temporary position, the initial appointment period will be for one year, with potential appointment extensions contingent on funding and program needs. Temporary assignments may conclude earlier or be extended at the employer's discretion.”
Working at the University at Albany has state benefits that exceed salary alone. There are personal rewards, including comprehensive health and retirement plan options, including participation or continuity in the NY State Retirement System, for eligible employees. We also focus on creating and sustaining a healthy mix of work, personal, and professional pursuits - all in an effort to support your work-life effectiveness. Visit our benefits website to learn about our benefits packages, which may include time towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
