Director w/Experience in Social Research and Evaluation

About Us
Community Solutions (communitysolutionsinc.net) is a small but powerful community development and public health consulting and technical assistance agency that impacts diverse communities such as neighborhoods, healthcare systems, human service providers, and foundations - to name a few. Our influence lies not in bricks and mortar, but in people, programs, organizations, and systems. We understand that any community can only succeed when its members have the tools, resources, strategies, and partnerships in place to allow them to be nimble, be bold, and be excellent. Community Solutions combines the unique talents of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds: public health, public system reform, fund development, public policy, human services, and non-profit management to achieve results for the people we serve.

Our team members come together with the common commitment to help organizations that serve diverse communities strengthen their work through organizational development, grassroots engagement, and collaborative problem solving. We delight in the dual directional learning that occurs between our team and the communities with which we work.

We specialize in:

  • Program/Organizational Development
  • Project Management
  • Evaluation
  • Strategic Planning
  • Facilitation/Convening
  • Fund Development/Grant Writing

Our Culture and Values
Community Solutions brings together individuals that each have significant expertise and experience to work collaboratively toward shared goals. While employees will have many opportunities to work on projects individually, most projects are shared among multiple team members. At Community Solutions, we know that we work better together and encourage everyone to continually engage co-workers as thought partners and collaborators. We aim to maintain a culture of mutual respect and understanding, autonomy, accountability, and growth. We consider each team member a piece of the Community Solutions puzzle and value their unique perspective and contribution to the work.

We hold space for all values, ideas, and beliefs. We hold each other accountable and expect team members to meet deadlines (both internal and external) with high quality products and services. Finally, we are committed to learning and growth at Community Solutions, both at the individual and organizational level, which will make us better consultants, community members, and people.

Our team values:

  • Accountability
  • Authenticity
  • Collaboration
  • Community
  • Creativity
  • Equity and Anti-Racism
  • Inclusion
  • Integrity
  • Reflection
  • Respect
  • Quality

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Community Solutions strongly encourages people from underrepresented groups to apply. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Position Description
Strong candidates for this position will have a passion for equity and evaluative learning - supporting colleagues and clients with using data to co-create change in communities. They will also be an experienced project manager and trusted teammate.

Responsibilities:
Integrate the Community Solutions Theory of Change into the work and into who we are at Community Solutions.

  • Prioritize equity and inclusion internally and externally.
  • Approach projects as opportunities to influence and shape practices in organizations, institutions, and systems for large scale cultural change.
  • Serve as a role model for Community Solutions team.
  • Represent Community Solutions to clients, partners, and the community.
    Develop and implement project workplans.
  • Lead project teams in project-related tasks and activities and provide coaching and support to team members.
  • Ensure that all project deliverables are developed on time and are of high quality.
  • Convene project team members regularly to coordinate activities (document progress, action items, and next steps).
  • Identify potential challenges to successful project completion and work with appropriate members of the Community Solutions team to resolve.
    Provide project status updates to full team.

Design and lead research projects in collaboration with team members and clients that employ applied research methods including:

  • Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
  • Coordination, communication, and collaboration with research subjects, community members, and partners
  • Statistical and graphical analysis of data
  • Data visualization, summarization, and presentation

Collaborate with the leadership team in the guidance and oversight of key projects.

  • Provide regular project status updates to leadership team around progress, potential challenges, timelines, team performance, etc.
  • Identify and communicate opportunities to enhance collaboration and team performance on project implementation and organizational operations.
  • Work with the Vice President of Operations and the Vice President of Strategy to identify project team members, team member roles, and allocated hours.
  • Work with the Vice President of Operations to ensure that workplans are developed and project management tools and systems are used consistently.
  • Work with the Vice President of Strategy to support coaching and professional development of project team members.

It is expected that a Community Solutions Director will have:

  • Strong project management skills, including the ability to create and manage work plans for complex projects.
  • Ability to lead collaborative project teams: delegate and oversee tasks, provide support and coaching to team members, and seek additional resources, guidance, or help for the team, as appropriate.
  • Proven expertise/experience working with diverse populations, informal leaders, grassroots community organizations.
  • Authentic respect for and ability to come into and work alongside community.
  • Ability to effectively coordinate the work of a diverse team of contractors and staff who are engaged in multiple components of a program in person and remotely.
  • Commitment to learning new things, sharing ideas and information with others, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and appreciating that there are many ways of knowing and understanding the world around us.
  • Ability to ask insightful questions and develop and deploy strategies for answering them.
  • Critical and creative thinking to be able to contribute meaningfully and/or lead the design and implementation of research projects.
  • Competency in and experience using software and tools commonly used in research activities (e.g., statistical analysis, geospatial analysis, analytics/visualization/business intelligence, data collection tools).
  • Demonstrated experience in social research, participatory action research, program evaluation, performance management, or related fields.
  • Strong facilitation skills.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Comfort with virtual platforms and communication structures.
  • A strong work ethic and a sense of accountability to our team members, clients, and communities impacted by our work.
  • Ability to adapt in the moment. Our clients come from dynamic, ever-changing environments and we must be able to be flexible to meet their needs.

Location
The Community Solutions office is located in downtown Indianapolis at 10 S. New Jersey, Indianapolis, IN 46204. This is not a remote position.

Benefits
Community Solutions provides the following benefits:

  • $300 monthly tax-exempt stipend to cover healthcare premiums and other qualified expenses through a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Account (QSEHRA)
  • Four-day work week (Monday-Thursday)
  • 28 PTO days per calendar year (includes holidays, sick, personal, and vacation time)
  • Voluntary retirement plan with 3% company match with no vesting period
  • $500 annual professional development allocation

Submissions
Please submit your cover letter, including your salary requirements, and resume to Sarah Ziegler (Sarah@communitysolutionsinc.net) by Sunday, June 18th.