Director of Audience and Impact

We are seeking a full-time Director of Audience and Impact responsible for strategic oversight of audience research and evaluation projects at Space Center Houston. In support of organizational growth, the Director of Audience and Impact builds a data-driven culture that focuses on achieving outcomes for diverse audiences. The Director gauges organizational information needs and anticipates how to best support the development of audience-centric, impactful, and memorable guest experiences. Among guest-facing departments, audience and evaluation projects spark curiosity, reflection, and creative risk-taking within our approach. With increasingly effective offerings, evaluation projects highlight achieved outcomes and organizational impact to stakeholders. The Director of Audience and Impact reports to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and is responsible for steering the Audience and Evaluation team, with two Associate level direct reports and a team of Data Collectors. Responsibilities and qualifications appear below:   MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES Serve as a thought partner and contributor in strategic planning and project prioritization in service of audience engagement and organizational impact. Propose evaluation and audience research studies which anticipate information needs to clarify best paths forward for meaningful audience engagement. Champion outcomes-first thinking and build organizational evaluation capacity; reinforce common language around organizational impact and offer resources to bolster success of existing offerings and chart the future of Space Center Houston initiatives. Set and share KPI metrics and external benchmarks for audience engagement, crew engagement, and organizational impact. Support selection of market research metrics and indicators of brand health. Mentor and lead Audience and Evaluation team in the planning, design, management, and delivery of evaluation of informal  education programs, events, offerings and exhibits at Space Center Houston, including all phases of front-end, formative, prototyping, summative, and process evaluation studies. Provide and support strategic, targeted audience and community research for existing and desired audiences. Facilitate workshops to build alignment in goals, vision, and audience understanding for intra- and cross-departmental projects. Institute evaluation reporting systems that bolster communication and transparency; compile and share field-wide research and advancements. Provide evaluation planning, budget guidance, drafted text for relevant sections of proposals and impact reporting to grant and sponsorship proposals and projects. Recruit, train, and manage direct report staff: Audience and Evaluation Associates (2), Data Collectors. Identify, vet, and manage contractors for external evaluation and audience research projects, including market research. Manage annual budget of $120-150k and consider budget and resource availability when designing evaluation studies. Other duties and special projects as assigned.   POSITION QUALIFICATIONS Master’s degree in social sciences (e.g., psychology, social work, statistics, anthropology, museum studies, user experience design) or other related field preferred. Minimum 7 years experience in evaluation and research, preferably for an informal education institution (e.g., nonprofit, library, museum or cultural organization) required. Minimum 2 years experience in a management role required. Direct experience collaborating and proactively communicating with stakeholders, including executive leadership, board members, and funders required. Must have work experience in planning, designing, implementing, managing and reporting on evaluation projects including front-end, formative, prototyping, summative, and process evaluation studies. Strong knowledge of quantitative/qualitative evaluation methods and analysis techniques. Strong oral and written communication skills. Skill, creativity, and effectiveness in Data Visualization and Reporting (DVR) a plus. Demonstrated work experience presenting evaluation and research results clearly and effectively both in writing and through presentations for a variety of audiences. Interactive workshop facilitation experience strongly preferred. Successful track record of leading evaluation for grant projects and funded proposals. Ability to create systems to effectively train and delegate full evaluation projects to support staff. Experience identifying, sharing, and interpreting relevant scientific literature, unpublished studies, and market research findings for colleagues. Knowledge of museum and informal science education literature. Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment. Demonstrated commitment to matters of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion within education and the STEM workforce. Adherence to human subjects research ethics and guidelines. Advanced proficiency using MS Office Suite products (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Experience with statistical software and packages (SPSS, R, SAS, etc.) a plus. Bilingual (English/Spanish) proficiency preferred.

Salary : $100,000 - $110,000