Bentonville, AR

Research & Evaluation Associate, Art Bridges Foundation

The Organization

Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the nation. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of nearly 220 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices.

Position: Research & Evaluation Associate

Department: Evaluation and Learning & Engagement

Reporting to: Director of Awards & Cohorts, Evaluation and Learning & Engagement at Art Bridges Foundation

Location: Bentonville, AR

Salary Range: $60,000 – $90,000

Status: EXEMPT

Art Bridges seeks a driven, enthusiastic, detail-oriented professional to join our growing team. The Research & Evaluation Associate will support and execute Art Bridges’ research and evaluation strategy in collaboration with the Center for Audience Research and Evaluation (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art). The Center serves as the externally contracted evaluation team supporting Art Bridges in measuring the foundation’s impact and progress toward achieving our goals. This position will include the development of timelines, budgets, instruments, pilot testing, data collection, analysis, and reporting to support the internal needs of Art Bridges departments along with the external needs of our museum partners.

The Research & Evaluation Associate will be committed to advancing Art Bridges’ diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) priorities.

Applications must include an updated resume and a cover letter that explains how previous experiences have prepared you for this role and why this position aligns with your career goals. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

About the position

You will combine independent work (such as designing new evaluation programs, analyzing data, providing ongoing 1-1 support to partners, preparing presentations and reports to share with stakeholders and managing project timelines and budgets) with collaborative work such as consulting on evaluation elements within partner proposals and coordinating evaluation projects with colleagues across the Foundation.

Preferred candidates will be passionate about expanding access to art with skills in designing and leading equity focused evaluation projects and working with diverse stakeholders to ensure their data needs are met.

Responsibilities

  • Develop a strategy for funding partners’ evaluation projects, including the levels of funding and services included. Work with partners throughout the application process as they apply for this funding.
  • Develop and conduct evaluation studies for partner institutions. (This may include developing an evaluation plan, data collection methods, and instruments, collecting data, analyzing data using qualitative and quantitative methods,  and reporting findings using non-technical language in the form of project reports, conference papers, and other verbal presentations.)
  • Identify measurable goals and indicators of success for partners in their grant projects, and advise on the data that needs to be collected to support their reporting to Art Bridges.
  • Lead data synthesis, data cleaning, data visualization and reporting for quarterly award portfolio analysis including data from our grants management system (Salesforce) and COVES – Art Bridges dashboards (Qualtrics).
  • Plan, facilitate, and support learning opportunities for staff and partners on COVES – Art Bridges (Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Surveys), including, but not limited to, updating staff on COVES – Art Bridges findings and  facilitating annual COVES – Art Bridges learning sessions with partner museums.
  • Recommend and review frameworks for goal setting and reporting impact related to new and existing Art Bridges program initiatives.
  • Design professional development sessions such as tip sheets and toolkits about research and evaluation techniques and provide them to staff at Art Bridges and our partners.
  • Share and present learnings to internal and external audiences.
  • Manage project budgets and invoicing.
  • Represent the Foundation at public meetings and conferences.
  • Provide support on new Foundation initiatives as needed.
  •  Other duties as assigned.

 Attributes that support your success

 Enthusiasm to join a new foundation that is evolving

  • Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds, including age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, and lived experiences
  • Creativity, flexibility, and curiosity
  • Ability to anticipate and solve problems proactively
  • Ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality and discretion

 Qualifications and skills

  •  Bachelor’s Degree required
  • Minimum 5 years of work experience in a museum or cultural setting, foundation, or in a non-profit organization in the capacity of developing and implementing evaluation projects and communicating impact. (Equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience will satisfy the minimum requirements.)
  • Comprehensive knowledge of social science research methods, program evaluation, or philanthropic evaluation
  • Ability to design surveys and interview protocols, analyze and synthesize grants data
  • Demonstrated skills in quantitative (including inferential statistics) and qualitative methods, with knowledge of analytical software packages for quantitative and qualitative data preferred
  • Knowledge of Salesforce and Wrike preferred
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience turning ideas, concepts, and data into engaging and easily accessible visualizations
  • Demonstrated organizational, problem-solving, and collaboration skills
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
  • Ability to travel regionally and/or nationally 2-3 times per year
  • Ability to work with minimal direct supervision and manage multiple projects in a high-volume and fast-paced environment to complete assignments on regular deadline

 Physical demands and work environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical demands: Position requires utilizing a computer and telephone for prolonged periods of time, good eye/hand coordination, verbal, and written conversation with others, and lifting/carrying up to 10 lbs. Vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

Work environment: Work will be performed in an office environment full-time (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) The noise level in the work environment is typically low to moderate. Some overnight travel may be necessary.

Vaccination policy

In accordance with our duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards, and to do our part in safeguarding the health of our co-workers and their families as well as the community at large from COVID-19 that will be reduced by vaccination, we are requiring all Art Bridges staff and interns to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their start date as a condition of employment. According to the CDC, “fully vaccinated” means it has been two weeks since a person received the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

In accordance with all federal, state, and local rules and regulations, Art Bridges recognizes that there may be certain circumstances exempting an employee from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Employees in need of an exemption from this policy due to a disability, advice of a medical provider, or religious beliefs inconsistent with vaccination, must contact the HR group at AWE to initiate the interactive review process within the deadlines expressed in this policy. We strongly hope this policy decision will help to change the current landscape of infection rates in our community by creating a sense of urgency and proactivity. Our desire is to continue to fulfill our vision of transforming lives through Art Bridges mission. To do this, our priority is to create a safe workplace.

Art Bridges and DEAI

At Art Bridges, diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are central to all work and decisions within our organization. We support our colleagues and our partners in learning and growing together to make this important work part of our daily lives.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Art Bridges is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Contingencies

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement, background check, and verification of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States on your first day of work. 

How to apply: https://awe.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Art_and_Wellness/job/Bentonville-AR/Research—Evaluation-Associate_JR48

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