United Way of Greater Charlotte - Community Research & Impact Specialist

United Way of Greater Charlotte is committed to having a workforce that reflects our entire community. United Way opposes racism and oppression in all its forms and believes the nonprofit work environment is enhanced when diverse groups of people with ideas come together to achieve common goals. United Way understands that diverse representation and perspectives are vital to our success

United Way is seeking a Community Research & Impact Specialist to join United Way's Community Impact team. The Community Research & Impact Specialist will work independently and as a member of a team to support the planning and execution of research and evaluation projects. The specialist will help support efforts related to designing, planning, and executing evaluations; collecting, compiling, validating, and analyzing data; providing evidence-based and data-informed recommendations to improve programming and maximize impact. The person hired for this role will be committed to delivering high-impact and actionable research and evaluation that informs, guides, and influences practice internally as well as externally. This position is temporary, ending Sept 13th of 2025 and is limited to 20 hours a week.

Accountability And Responsibilities

• Supports efforts to plan and implement all phases of research and evaluation projects, including design, quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Supports efforts related to United Way's grants process, particularly related to development of applications, mid and end year reports, evaluation rubrics, and dashboards
• Supports administrative tasks such as scheduling, creating agendas, capturing minutes, etc.
• Supports efforts related to the Community-Wellbeing Study. Tasks include but not limited to: data cleaning, analyses, report writing, and data visualizations
• Supports the creation, review, and monitoring of systems that use data to provide ongoing feedback and support to partners to advance collective impact initiatives
• Support efforts related to producing charts, graphs, briefs, presentations, and reports that describe and interpret findings
• Supports efforts to synthesize, and present research to inform initiatives and educate various constituencies about key community issues, while ensuring research is accessible to all community stakeholders
• Collaborates with United Way staff to effectively communicate results and enhance story-telling both internally and externally
• Serves as a proactive and contributing member to the United Way team, performing duties and providing support outside of the functions listed above
• Represents United Way in local and national meetings on issues relating to data, measurement, and evaluation as necessary
  
  

Equity & Inclusion

• Constantly learning & actively participating in programs, trainings, and discussions regarding racial inequities, exclusions, oppressions
• Appreciation of and willingness to work with and advocate for people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Consistently seeks to learn and understand the specific experiences of historically marginalized racial groups in the U.S., particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latin-x groups
  
  

Education/Experience Requirements

• Relevant work experience, with a focus on research, evaluation, and/or capacity building in the social-sector
• Experience tackling social-sector issues using a mix of quantitative and qualitative research and analysis techniques to assess impact and promote continuous improvement
• Prior experience with Community-based Participatory Research
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a dynamic work environment, managing frequent changes, delays, and/or unexpected events
• Excellent analytical and critical reasoning skills, problem-solving ability, and comfort with ambiguity
• Knowledge of data visualization and other analytic tools as needed
• Working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods and software (i.e., SPSS, R, SAS, ArcGIS, etc.)
  
  

Workplace values

• Take action and go! Be bold and not afraid of a little competition or thinking outside the box even when opportunities seem unimaginable. Create a new path one-step at a time, you got this!
• A catalyst is a substance that ignites change in its environment. We strive to work within various ecosystems - corporate, nonprofit, philanthropic, government, etc. - to make the connections and spark the actions that will positively impact the lives of underserved members of our community today and for generations to come
• Sometimes things just need a shake-up. Whether internally or out in the community, we aren't afraid to be disruptive. Understanding that we may leave a few feathers ruffled along the way, if it is the right thing to do and benefits our community, we will take the chance!
• Inaction is the enemy of innovation. We are a perpetual work in progress, striving to be better, constantly learning and taking risk to be the best we can be. Learning from our mistakes and paving the way for continual betterment
• Teamwork makes the dream work. Bottom line, we need each other. Working together makes us all better individually and makes us awesome as a group. Understanding what others' strengths and weaknesses may be and using that knowledge to guide, support, and model our work makes for a successful and high performing team
• Recognizing and appreciating our differences only make us better. We all share in the responsibility to create a positive culture and to safeguard equity, inclusion, dignity, and respect for all. Each member of our team will be a role model for others