Director of Research

About the role

The Director of Research serves as a member of the Office of Community Safety's Senior Leadership Team and reports to the Commissioner. The Director is responsible for leading the Office's research, evaluation, and evidence-building agenda, ensuring that agency strategies, programs, and investments are informed by data, research, and community knowledge. The Director works closely with agency leadership, city agency partners, researchers, and community stakeholders to develop and oversee research initiatives, evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes, support performance management efforts, and translate findings into actionable recommendations that advance the Office's mission and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Research Strategy and Evidence Building
  • Lead the development of a portfolio of research and evaluation projects aligned with the Office's priorities and strategic goals.
  • Work closely with agency leadership to establish research, evaluation, and data collection priorities and develop a comprehensive research agenda for the Office.
  • Monitor and synthesize emerging research, best practices, and evidence relevant to community safety, violence prevention, behavioral health, and related fields.
  • Provide analytic expertise to support the development of new strategies, policies, and programs.
• Program Evaluation and Learning
  • Design and oversee evaluations of Office programs and initiatives to assess implementation, outcomes, and impact.
  • Develop evaluation frameworks, methodologies, and performance measures to assess program effectiveness and support continuous improvement.
  • Analyze and synthesize program data to identify lessons learned, emerging trends, and opportunities for program enhancement.
  • Translate evaluation findings into actionable recommendations to strengthen programs, improve outcomes, and inform strategic decision-making.
• Research and Evaluation Management
  • Design and oversee research projects that support and enhance the Office's priorities, utilizing a range of methodologies including statistical analysis, surveys, qualitative research, and administrative data analysis.
  • Lead efforts to gather, analyze, and synthesize quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform decision-making and support agency deliverables.
  • Consult with partner agencies and external stakeholders on the design and implementation of research and evidence-building initiatives.
  • Manage relationships with external researchers, evaluators, academic institutions, and other strategic research partners to ensure the successful completion of research and evaluation projects.
• Performance Management and Reporting
  • Contribute to the development and refinement of programmatic outcome measures and performance indicators.
  • Support agency performance management, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts.
  • Develop research briefs, reports, presentations, and other products that communicate findings and inform policy and program decisions.
  • Support the preparation of materials for public reporting and help disseminate research and evaluation findings to policymakers, practitioners, and community stakeholders.
• Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement
  • Manage research partnerships and collaborative projects with city agencies, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, and other external partners.
  • Support the development of evidence-building initiatives implemented through agency partners, community organizations, and grant-funded efforts.
• Team Leadership and Management
  • Supervise and develop a team of research and evaluation staff.
  • Establish team goals, performance metrics, and priorities and ensure accountability for results.
  • Support professional growth and development while fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
• Additional Responsibilities
  • Work closely with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to advance agency priorities and strategic initiatives.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading research, evaluation, and evidence-building efforts in government, nonprofit, academic, or related settings.
• Strong expertise in research design, program evaluation, performance measurement, and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Experience using data and evaluation findings to inform policy, program design, strategic planning, and organizational decision-making.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams and manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience building and maintaining effective partnerships with government agencies, academic institutions, community organizations, and other external stakeholders.
• Ability to communicate complex research and data findings to diverse audiences, including senior leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders.
• Strong written communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• A master's degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, public administration, sociology, psychology, criminology, public health, statistics, economics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in research, evaluation, data analysis, performance management, public policy, or a related field.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in community safety, violence prevention, behavioral health, public health, criminal justice, or related policy areas.
• Experience designing and managing program evaluations and applied research projects.
• Familiarity with government performance management and evidence-based policymaking.
• Experience working with administrative data and cross-agency datasets.
• Experience managing external research partnerships and evaluations.

Pay

$175,000.00 – $175,000.00