Manager, Regional Impact | Research, Data, & Insights Team

goodreasonhouston; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with employer match

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off: 35 days per year + 19 H

Job summary

Good Reason Houston is seeking a Manager, Regional Impact to lead program evaluation and impact monitoring for Houston’s education initiatives. You will work with the Director and cross-functional teams to build an evaluation practice, mentor staff, and expand our regional impact frameworks.

The role focuses on rigorous research, external partnerships, and data-driven storytelling to improve student outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 3+ years of professional experience with 2+ years in program evaluation.
• Familiarity with mixed methods evaluation and both formal and informal methods.
• Strong project management experience and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Experience with data visualization tools and software to translate data into insights.

Responsibilities

• Develop rigorous mixed-methods evaluations, including logic model development and data collection instrument design.
• Lead compilation of a Houston-specific compendium of effective programs and best practices.
• Advise on evaluation methods aligned with projects and needs.
• Engage with internal and external partners to support evaluation portfolio.
• Coach junior staff in evaluation, monitoring, and reporting best practices.
• Enhance internal impact monitoring and reporting standards; develop organization-wide monitoring systems.
• Collaborate to measure and report impact for funders, boards, and partners.
• Translate research findings into clear, compelling reports and data products for diverse audiences.
• Support the organization’s research agenda and data analysis initiatives.

Skills

Project management

Data analysis

Communication

Adaptability

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Excel

Powerpoint

Tableau

R

SPSS

Alteryx

Stata

NVivo

Dedoose

Job description

Manager, Regional Impact | Research, Data, & Insights Team

About Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston is the region's education backbone, aligning school districts, higher education, community partners, philanthropy, and civic leaders around a shared goal: ensuring every Houston student has a clear, supported path from the first day of pre-K to a living-wage career.

Our North Star is ambitious—to double the rate of Houston public school graduates earning a living wage by 2040. We believe that achieving this goal requires our region to work together; united around shared goals, measurable progress, and collective accountability, with parents and educators helping shape the decisions that matter most for students.

Good Reason Houston works alongside educators, families, school systems, and community partners to identify what students need most, align regional action, track progress and mobilize the resources and accountability required to improve outcomes for every child, in every neighborhood of Houston.

Today, Good Reason Houston partners with 25 public school systems serving more than 700,000 students across approximately 900 schools. Together with school systems, higher education institutions, employers, philanthropy, and civic leaders, we are building an education system that prepares every student for a future of opportunity, choice, and economic mobility.

For more information, please visit www.goodreasonhouston.org.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director, Regional Impact and Evaluation, the Manager, Regional Impact ensures that Good Reason Houston becomes the essential creator and holder of knowledge in the Houston region about what is working, who it’s working for, and where initiatives might be targeted to promote long-term success for Houston’s students. Through application of rigorous mixed methods program evaluation techniques and expertise, this role will work closely with the Director to build a best-in-class evaluation practice for Houston’s education system, while partnering with cross-functional teams to strengthen and expand our organizational impact monitoring frameworks and practices.

A member of the Research, Data, and Impact team, this role manages and executes evaluation projects by using rigorous data collection methods and evaluation frameworks tailored to partner and project needs, and engages with key external stakeholders, such as school districts, nonprofit service providers, and institutions of higher education. While the Manager does not carry formal supervisory responsibility, they serve as a technical mentor to the Associate, Program Evaluation, helping build evaluation capacity and rigor across the team.

Primary Responsibilities

Program Evaluation (40%)

• Support in the development of rigorous mixed-methods program evaluations, including logic model development, evaluation planning, data collection instrument design, analysis, and reporting
• Lead the compilation of a Houston-specific, “What Works Clearinghouse”-style compendium of effective programs and best practices driving student outcomes in our region
• Advise the Director, Regional Impact and Evaluation on effective evaluation methods and practices, both formal and informal, most aligned with projects, contexts, and needs
• Engage with cross-sector internal and external partners to support current evaluation portfolio
• Coach and support the Associate, Program Evaluation in the development and execution of program evaluation, impact monitoring, and reporting best practices

Impact Monitoring (30%)

• Enhance organizational practices and standards around internal impact monitoring and reporting
• Develop comprehensive internal progress and impact monitoring systems and cadence in partnership with Director, Regional Impact and Evaluation
• Partner with internal teams to think critically about how impact can be measured and reported on organizational priorities
• Work with Director, Regional Impact and Evaluation to develop a comprehensive picture of the Houston region’s baseline in drawing down state-level bonus funding streams
• Work with Leadership and Advancement teams to develop methods for measuring and reporting impact to funders, board members, and other partners

External Partner & Client Management (20%)

• Engage with external clients, existing and potential, to gauge evaluation needs and craft best-fit offerings
• Schedule regular meeting cadences with evaluation partners to provide progress updates and ensure project obligations are understood and met
• Develop packages to demonstrate impact and progress for board members and philanthropic partners
• Network with potential evaluation partners to expand Good Reason Houston’s evaluation portfolio
• Translate research and evaluation findings into clear, compelling reports, presentations, and data products for diverse audiences including program staff, funders, and partner organizations

Original Research and Data Analytics (10%)

• Support development of and execution of organization-wide research agenda, drawing from focus questions across all programmatic areas
• Collaborate with internal team and external partners to develop appropriate research questions and data collection instruments, including survey design and analysis
• Perform recurring and ad hoc quantitative data analysis that maximizes Good Reason Houston’s impact and aligns with strategic and external affairs objectives

Perform other duties as assigned.

Our Team

Our core values reflect the principles that ground and guide our work. They serve as the foundation for how we show up, internally with our colleagues and externally with our partners and communities. These values shape how we make decisions, collaborate across teams, and navigate challenges. They are the throughline that connects our culture to our impact.

CURIOUS

We are curious— we ask, listen, and learn with humility to grow our understanding and improve how we work in service of students.

CONNECTORS

We are connectors—we build meaningful, authentic relationships that create momentum for lasting change with and for Houston students, families, and communities.

ROOTED

We are rooted— we show up with purpose and persistence, grounded in our mission and in deep commitment to Houston.

FORWARD-THINKING

We are forward-thinkers–we champion an optimistic vision for Houston’s future and tackle complex challenges with boldness, creativity, and strategic action.

STUDENT-CENTERED

We are students-centered—removing barriers, expanding opportunity, and shaping systems to improve outcomes for students with the greatest needs.

Qualifications & Skills

Experience/background:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, advanced degree preferred*
• 3+ years of professional experience*, with 2+ years of program evaluation experience
• Prior experience working on mixed methods evaluation projects preferred
• Familiarity with both formal and informal evaluation methods
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint skills
• Prior experience with data visualization software (e.g., Shiny, Tableau)
• Prior experience with data analysis/statistical software (e.g., R, SPSS, Alteryx, Stata)
• Prior experience with qualitative analysis software (e.g., NVivo, Dedoose)
• Experience with survey design and analysis preferred
• Experience working in an organization or on a team that requires flexibility, a high degree of responsiveness, and comfort with ambiguity

*Will consider an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience

Skills:

• Ability to produce quality work under tight deadlines
• Ability to translate complex data outputs into meaningful insights
• Ability to effectively weave both quantitative and qualitative insights together to create meaningful stories of impact and identify areas of growth
• Ability to internalize feedback with open demeanor and adapt quickly
• Strong data visualization skills
• Strong relationship management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with ability to synthesize and accurately present relevant data analytics information to various audiences
• Extremely strong organization skillsand attention to detail

Working at Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The starting salary range for this position is $82,000 annually. New hires are offered a salary depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. Good Reason Houston also has a 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages. Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year. Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.