Senior Lead Evaluation Training and Technical Assistance

NEBRASKA CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FOUNDATION:

Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF) is a nonprofit created to support children, young adults, and families with the overall goal of giving our state's children what they need to thrive. We do this by building strong communities that support families. Our mission is to create positive change for Nebraska's children through community engagement, and we believe in a Nebraska where all children will have the resources and support to thrive.

SUMMARY

The Senior Lead of Evaluation Training and Technical Assistance, in partnership with the Director of Communities and Collaboratives Evaluation and the Managing Director, will lead efforts to strengthen evaluation capacity across NCFF-supported Community Collaboratives connected to the Statewide Prevention System. This role focuses on building community skills and confidence in data collection, data quality, evaluation literacy, and the meaningful use of data for continuous improvement. The Senior Lead will work directly with Community Coordinators, Central Navigators, and Collaborative leadership to provide hands-on training, coaching, and technical assistance designed to improve consistency and capacity in evaluation practices statewide.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide direct training, coaching, and technical assistance to Community Collaboratives to strengthen evaluation capacity, data collection practices, and data use for continuous quality improvement.

• Build and maintain dashboards, data visualizations, and reporting tools that support both internal decision-making and external communication.

• Partner with Community Coordinators, Central Navigators, and other community partners to build evaluation capacity aligned with statewide prevention system expectations and shared measurement needs.

• Support communities in implementing consistent intake, assessment, and data collection processes that improve data accuracy, completeness, and usability.

• Assist community partners in interpreting data, identifying trends, and applying insights to inform planning, strategy adjustments, and evaluation narratives.

• Develop, coordinate, and deliver training modules, peer learning sessions, office hours, and tools focused on evaluation fundamentals, logic models, data literacy, protective and promotive factors, and other core evaluation topics.

• Conduct the analysis of community-level and statewide data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

• Translate complex data into clear, accessible visuals and summaries tailored for community partners, statewide agencies, and other audiences.

• Collaborate with the Research & Evaluation team to develop cross-initiative dashboards and shared measurement tools that strengthen statewide learning and system alignment.

• Support communities in understanding and using population-level indicators to align local evaluation efforts with statewide outcomes, inform strategic planning, and strengthen shared measurement across the prevention system.

• Collaborate closely with NCFF Bring Up Nebraska and FindHelp teams to strengthen alignment between evaluation practices, data systems, referral workflows, and CQI processes.

• Help communities understand and use data from FindHelp reports, dashboards, and other evaluation tools to support reporting, decision-making, and storytelling.

• Co-design and refine statewide evaluation tools, templates, guides, and processes that promote consistency and quality across Collaboratives.

• Support implementation of participatory evaluation approaches that elevate community voice and reflect local context.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with community partners, state agencies, and cross-sector organizations involved in evaluation work.

• Participate in internal and external workgroups focused on community collaborative evaluation, shared measurement, and data use.

• Assist with community meetings, service array mapping, focus groups, and events that inform local and statewide evaluation efforts.

• Travel across Nebraska to provide in-person training, technical assistance, evaluation support, and relationship-building as needed.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None to start

WORK DIRECTION RECEIVED: Works with minimal direction.

SCOPE/NATURE OF DISCRETION: Delegated discretion; authority to initiate and carry out actions that are deemed essential.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:

- Strong background in program evaluation, data collection, and reporting.

- Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data and translate findings into clear, actionable insights for internal and external audiences.

- Skilled in creating dashboards, visualizations, and reports that support data interpretation and decision-making across community and statewide partners.

- Demonstrated experience in staff supervision, team leadership, and evaluation project management.

- Experience working with population-level indicators and aligning local evaluation efforts with broader statewide outcomes.

- Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external partners across sectors and geographic regions.

- Experience providing technical assistance, training, or coaching related to data use or evaluation.

- Strong understanding of Collective Impact and community-based prevention system design.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear reports and presentations.

- Ability to problem-solve and adapt in a dynamic work environment.

- Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, particularly in coordinating across internal teams and external partners.

- Willingness to learn and apply new data management and evaluation tools or platforms.

- Ability to interpret data and contribute to evaluation summaries, findings, and continuous improvement efforts.

PREFERRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:

- Familiarity with federal, state, and local systems related to child, youth, and family well-being, human development, and education.

- Experience with Qualtrics or similar survey data collection platforms.

- Experience with evaluating behavioral change or conducting longitudinal or trend analyses.

- Bilingual in a language commonly spoken in Nebraska, particularly Spanish.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

- Master's degree in a field relevant to the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation's work (such as applied research and evaluation, policy evaluation, child welfare, education, or public health) and at least 5 years of professional experience in program evaluation, data analysis, and reporting.

- In lieu of Master's, Bachelor's degree or related certification in a relevant field and 7+ years of professional experience in program evaluation, data analysis, or reporting.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

· Remote / Work from Home option available within Nebraska 

· Hybrid option available in Lincoln or Omaha

· Flexible scheduling, including possible evenings and weekends.