Director, Impact Data & Research Strategy

National Community Investment Fund (NCIF); Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

National Community Investment Fund (NCIF) is seeking a Director of Impact Measurement & Research to advance impact investing strategies through measurement, data analysis, and research. You will shape the impact framework, manage portfolio data, and contribute to AI-enabled analytics within a hybrid Chicago office.

The role requires 7+ years in research/data analysis, advanced methods, and strong writing skills to translate data into compelling stories for diverse audiences.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of research and data analysis experience in policy, economics or related social science field
• Energy, flexibility, and drive to work in an entrepreneurial organization pursuing growth and innovation
• Thorough understanding of advanced research methods and social impact measurement approaches
• Disciplined practitioner of project management methodologies and workflow documentation
• Hands-on experience with research databases (ACS, FDIC, Census, FFIEC, GIS)
• Exposure to financial and transactional data and understanding of financial statement analysis
• Knowledge of BI tools, such as Tableau, Quicksight or open-source visualization software e.g. Flask, Folium
• Proven writing skills, with an ability to translate data into a compelling story for various audiences
• Graduate or other Advanced Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Data Science or related fields

Responsibilities

• Strengthen and build on NCIF’s Impact Thesis and Theory of Change to guide NCIF lines of businesses
• Create internal benchmarks, score cards, evaluation frameworks and rubrics for analysis of investing and lending programs; Create impact indices like the City of Chicago Cumulative Impact Index or other social performance metrics (e.g., BankImpact)
• Research and communicate the impact of the NCIF business including feedback loops for growth
• Provide leadership in strengthening data infrastructure and integrity
• Support the development of an AI-based data analytics platform to democratize data availability in support of the CDFI/Impact Investing sector with structured and unstructured data
• Develop annual impact report, dashboards, indices, scorecards, grant applications, etc.
• Collaborate with industry partners to build the industry (like IMM, IRIS, SDG etc) with impact measurement techniques
• Write CDFI program, NMTC and other grant applications in partnership with coworkers
• Conduct webinars and other events to promote the NCIF brand/research in partnership with coworkers
• Comply with NCIF systems and policies
• Undertake additional duties and special projects as assigned by the CEO

Skills

Analytical mindset

Collaborative

Project management

Strong communication

Data storytelling

Strategic thinking

Adaptability

Education

Advanced degree in Economics/Public Policy/Data Science

Tools

Tableau

Quicksight

Flask

Folium

GIS

Census data

FDIC data

ACS data

FFIEC data

Job description

National Community Investment Fund (NCIF) is seeking a Director of Impact Measurement & Research to advance impact investing strategies through measurement, data analysis, and research. You will shape the impact framework, manage portfolio data, and contribute to AI-enabled analytics within a hybrid Chicago office.

The role requires 7+ years in research/data analysis, advanced methods, and strong writing skills to translate data into compelling stories for diverse audiences.