Research + Innovation Director

Tipping Point Community; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Tipping Point Community is seeking a Research + Innovation Director to advance learning, evaluation, and research across our impact areas in the Bay Area. The role partners with the Senior Director of Impact to shape testing of new solutions aligned with community needs and impact goals.

The position reports to the Senior Director of Impact and communicates results to grantmakers, partners, and audiences through trainings, blogs, and reports.

Qualifications

• Significant research, analysis, measurement, and evaluation leadership experience.
• Advanced quantitative skills with ability to analyze data and use CRM tools.
• Experience researching social-sector topics with quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research and organizational culture.
• Excellent communication skills to explain technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Strong project planning, self-direction, and ability to navigate ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Lead learning agendas across new investment areas and cross-cut topics.
• Partner with Senior Director to synthesize findings for grantmaking and policy strategy.
• Lead workshops and develop learning materials for grantees and partners.
• Design and lead monitoring and evaluation of pilot investments.
• Communicate research insights to diverse audiences through reports and presentations.
• Support external communications with blog posts, articles, and briefs.
• Stay current on poverty alleviation research and sector trends.

Job description

About Tipping Point

Tipping Point finds, funds, and strengthens the most promising poverty-fighting solutions so one day everyone in the Bay Area can prosper. Since 2005, Tipping Point has invested over $510 million in the community to support organizations, advance policies, and develop new ideas to increase economic opportunity. Last year, our investments funded life‑changing services in housing, early childhood, education, and employment for more than 100,000 of our neighbors across the Bay Area. Visit www.tippingpoint.org to learn more.

Values

Tipping Point’s core values are at the heart of everything we do and we look for individuals who share our commitments:

• We cultivate community because we know we are more powerful together.
• We practice gratitude.
• We hold ourselves accountable to achieving impact for and with the communities we serve.
• We relentlessly pursue equity because one’s background and identities should not predetermine one’s opportunities.

Position Overview

The Research + Innovation Director has a deep commitment to Tipping Point’s mission to fight poverty in the Bay Area. They have demonstrated technical expertise in the design and implementation of measurement, evaluation and research activities, and experience with the social sector. The role of the Research + Innovation Director is to increase Tipping Point’s impact through the insights from research, monitoring, and evaluation activities. In partnership with the Senior Director of Impact, the Research + Innovation Director advises the Program Team and determines the most effective and impactful way to test new solutions, informed by community need and aligned with overall impact goals. This role communicates new ideas, knowledge, and results from these efforts to diverse audiences, from the general public and grantmakers to subject matter experts and grantee partners, through facilitated training, blog posts, and written reports.

The Research + Innovation Director is on the Impact Team and reports to the Senior Director of Impact.

Responsibilities

Learning

• Leads the ongoing development and execution of Tipping Point’s learning agendas in new areas of investment and on topics that cut across Tipping Point’s core issues areas.
• This includes newly announced investment areas such as pathways for economic mobility for young people and sector-focused pathways, as well as cross-cutting topics such as the role of artificial intelligence in the changing economy, and increasing access to the social safety net.
• Serves as a thought partner to the Senior Director of Impact and the Policy Director to synthesize findings from research and the impact of policy investments to improve grantmaking strategy and inform policy change strategy and efforts.
• Works closely with the Capacity Building team and Learning + Evaluation Managers to lead workshops and discussions with grantees on topics that cut across core issue areas to develop learning and evaluation materials targeted towards grantees and partner organizations.
• Serves as research/content lead and develops and leads rapid-turnaround monitoring and learning opportunities in new areas of investment.
• Stays current on external research, sector trends, and emerging approaches to poverty alleviation, and shares relevant insights with the Program and organizational leadership.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Provides high-quality analytical support and partnership to the Program Team in measuring
  grantee and portfolio outcomes, capacity building efforts, and the impact of pilot investments.
• Leads development, implementation, monitoring, and analysis of outcomes for investments made under new areas of investment and in policy efforts.
• Provides decision-making support and strategic thought partnership to the Senior Director of Impact on learning and evaluation issues, such as applied research, performance measurement, and data analysis.
• Leads measurement of the impact of Tipping Point’s Capacity Building activities, in partnership with the Capacity Building Director.

Research

• Works with the Senior Director of Impact to lead, scope, and design research projects, and studies within new areas of investment and on topics that cut across Tipping Point’s core issue areas.
• Synthesizes research findings and generates actionable lessons linked to Tipping Point’s
  strategy.
• Leads exploration of new research opportunities in close partnership with the Senior Director of Impact.

External Communication

• Serves as a resource for Tipping Point’s communications efforts; connects research and policy activities to Tipping Point’s Program areas, and translates, analyses and synthesizes research learnings to inform a range of audiences across the organization and the region.
• Communicates key messages through internal and external presentations, trainings, blog posts, articles, case studies, etc.

All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

In addition to our core values, Tipping Point staff exhibit four core competencies: ability to be flexible in a constantly shifting environment, strong communication skills, ability to work well on a team, and ability to continuously problem solve in the face of challenges.

Additionally, the Research + Innovation Director must have:

• Significant relevant work experience, including leading research, analysis, measurement and evaluation projects, and promoting learning in the social and/or private sectors.
• Advanced quantitative skills and the ability to analyze and synthesize data; experience or aptitude with statistical, survey, graphical and CRM tools.
• Experience researching social-sector topics using quantitative and qualitative analysis methods to assess impact and promote continuous improvement; has a strong understanding of internal and external factors impacting clients’ abilities to create greater impact
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion especially as it relates to research, evaluation, and organizational culture.
• Excellent communication skills, well-developed ability to clearly and effectively make technical information clear to non-technical audiences
• Intellectual curiosity; strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrated excellence in project planning and execution, ability to self-direct, prioritize among competing goals, navigate ambiguity, and thrive in a fast-paced, high‑performing environment.
• Commitment to Tipping Point’s mission and values; has the highest degree of integrity in representing the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships across internal teams, grantees, and external partners.

Nice to have:

• Deep substantive knowledge in one or more of Tipping Point’s core grantmaking areas and/or other areas related to poverty alleviation.

*“Nice to have” really means just that; it’s entirely possible that you don’t have any of these and are still a great fit. It’s not expected that any single candidate would have expertise across all of these areas — we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

Salary + Classification

Tipping Point is committed to paying competitive wages. In an effort to increase equity, because we know that salary negotiations tend to have an unfair bias, we do not participate in a salary negotiation process for any candidate. We will make our best offer, and it will be the same regardless of the candidate. The annual starting salary for the Research + Innovation Director role is $176,872. This position meets the exemption requirements as defined by state and federal law. Exempt employees are paid on a salaried basis, and their salary is intended to constitute their entire regular compensation, regardless of the number of hours they work; therefore, exempt employees are not eligible for overtime pay.

Hybrid Work Environment

At Tipping Point, we believe that in-person connection is essential to fostering strong collaboration, creativity, and community. To support this, staff are expected to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday. Some roles may require community meetings, which can be scheduled during these in-person days. On Mondays and Fridays, staff may choose to work remotely or from the office, depending on their preference. Our office remains open five days a week to encourage face‑to‑face collaboration and to provide a welcoming space for those who thrive working onsite. We also extend the use of our office to our grantee partners as a shared space for meetings and connection. Tipping Point will periodically assess this hybrid work model and may adjust it as needed to best serve our mission and team.

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Tipping Point will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Tipping Point accepts applications on a rolling basis; if the position is still posted on our website, we are still accepting and giving equal consideration to applications.