What are the responsibilities and job description for the Internship: Graduate Fellow - Learning and Evaluation position at Hennepin County?
The Strategic Planning and Initiatives (SPI) department is seeking to hire a Learning and Evaluation Graduate Fellow. This role is ideal for a graduate student with strong communication and mixed methods research skills.
This dynamic position offers an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in advancing our department's goals and priorities through high-impact evaluation work. The graduate fellow will apply their skills in a fast-moving collaborative and consultative environment, where they will contribute to high-quality, mixed-methods evaluations and help build evaluation capacity across our enterprise. This role is ideal for a graduate student eager to see their expertise make a real-world impact informing decision making, shaping programs and ultimately influencing initiatives that touch the lives of county residents.
The mission of the SPI Department is to drive enterprise strategic planning to align investments and advance strategic priorities of County government. We do this by facilitating and managing enterprise and departmental strategic planning processes and initiatives to help ensure the successful integration of data, projects, and investments into County-wide strategies.
Current Hennepin County employees who refer a candidate hired into an open competitive position may be eligible for a $500 referral bonus. For more information visit the employee referral program.Location and hours:
This position is hybrid and will be performed both on-site at the Government Center 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487, and remote as job duties require. This internship is intended to start in June 2025 with flexibility on start date and last one year in duration. Work hours are Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The fellow will work 40 hours/week during the summer and 19 hours/week during the academic school year. While this position is designated as hybrid, based on current requirements hires must reside in or be willing to relocate to Minnesota or Wisconsin.
About this position type:
This position is internally classified as a Graduate Fellow.
Click here to view the job classification specification.
This is a limited duration internship.
Graduate Fellow Benefits:
- $5,250 tuition reimbursement for one semester
- 12 days paid time off
Professional development provided over summer
Fellows who successfully complete the program will be given hiring preference for approved positions
- Support the implementation of high-quality, mixed-method evaluations that are designed to meet the needs of each client/context; including instrument design, data collection and analysis, and report writing.
- Support the implementation of evaluation capacity building initiatives across the enterprise.
Need to have:
- Current enrollment for the entire 2025-2026 academic school year in a master's or PhD degree program.
- Coursework in evaluation or experience with evaluation.
- Experience:
- With mixed-methods research including conducting/supporting data collection, data management, and preliminary analysis as part of a research/evaluation project.
- Assisting with the development of effective communication products for internal and external stakeholders including reports and presentations.
- Facilitating the collaborative development of program logic models with multidisciplinary teams.
- Building and maintaining productive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Applying equity principles to research, evaluations and/or stakeholder engagement.
- Knowledge of:
- Program evaluation methods, frameworks and tools.
- Quantitative research methods.
- Qualitative research methods.
- Ethical standards in research and evaluation (e.g. confidentiality, informed consent).
- Ability to:
- Quantitative & Qualitative Methods
- Apply appropriate quantitative data analysis techniques by assessing the needs of each evaluation project, selecting the right statistical methods and effectively using that data to inform efforts to improve program effectiveness.
- Design and execute high quality qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and thematic analysis, to gather in-depth insights from program participants and stakeholders.
- Core Program Evaluation Skills
- Develop evaluation plans, including defining key research questions, selecting appropriate methods, and identifying relevant data sources.
- Use logic models and other frameworks to map program inputs, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Writing & Communication
- Synthesize complex data into clear, concise, and actionable evaluation reports, presentations, and visualizations for diverse audiences.
- Translate technical findings into accessible language to support decision-making for program staff, leadership, and external stakeholders.
- Equity
- Apply an equity lens in all evaluation activities by considering the impact of programs on diverse populations, particularly historically marginalized communities.
- Quantitative & Qualitative Methods
In the Strategic Planning and Initiatives department, we make it our mission to drive enterprise strategic planning to align investments and advance strategic priorities of County government. We do this by facilitating and managing enterprise and departmental strategic planning processes and initiatives to help ensure the successful integration of data, projects, and investments into County-wide strategies. Our scope of work includes strategic planning, project evaluation and policy analysis, consulting and advising, project management, process improvement, tool and best practice development, and the Hennepin University Partnership (HUP).
About Hennepin County:
Our employees receive a combination of competitive benefits and positive workplace culture not found at other organizations. This includes meaningful work that impacts our community, competitive pay, work-life balance, a variety of benefits and opportunities to grow. Learn more at The Bridge (login as Guest).
Hennepin County envisions an organization where our commitment to diversity and the reduction of disparities is fundamental in providing excellent service to our community.
Your future. Made here.
Watch this video for application best practices and tips.
This posting may be used to fill current and future vacancies.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Brooke McNamara
Brooke.McNamara@hennepin.us
internship2000
Salary : $22 - $25
