Trainings Associate

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Trainings: Lead SSN trainings for host organizations around the nation, including local SSN chapters, universities, and foundations. Trainings cover a variety of communications and policy engagement topics.
• Expand External Trainings Program: Identify and engage new groups of scholars and partner organizations, including academic centers, associations, and foundations, to grow SSN’s revenue-generating external trainings program. Build and manage relationships with these partners and collaborate on designing and delivering tailored training programs.
• Cook up Training Logistics: Manage the planning and execution of logistics for both virtual and in-person trainings across SSN programs. Work with a trainings intern or fellow, as available, and collaborate with staff across SSN’s policy, communications, chapters, and membership teams to ensure trainings are well-coordinated and run smoothly.
• Evaluate Impact: Help capture and analyze data to evaluate the efficacy and impact of the trainings program over time. Use insights to refine individual training modules and the overall training program.
• Update Curriculum: Support the ongoing work of updating SSN curricula to reflect best practices, new research, and input from practitioners and experts. Ensure existing and new trainings are accessible and useful to the full diversity of scholars in the academy.
• Support Internal Learning: Work with the Trainings team to ensure other SSN staff are aware of and understand the “use of research evidence” findings that form the infrastructure of SSN’s trainings and coaching strategies, providing guidance and coaching on both the content of SSN’s training modules and presentation best practices.
• Coach and Support: Provide individual advice on relationship building, feedback on written documents, and training on the policy process to scholars.

Qualifications

• An individual with an advanced degree in political science, sociology, or other relevant field and 1-3 years of experience in training, policy advocacy, or organizing; or a bachelor’s degree in a social science field with more than 3 years of relevant experience.
• An engaging and dynamic trainer with strong presentation and facilitation skills, passionate about helping others learn and apply new skills and knowledge.
• Experienced in building and maintaining relationships with academic or professional partners and collaborating to design programs that meet their needs.
• Skilled in sales, marketing, and outreach to cultivate new partners and expand SSN’s revenue-generating trainings.
• Experience in or comfort with collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to evaluate program impact and refine training content.
• A solid understanding of policymaking processes (e.g., legislative processes, administrative/agency processes, implementation and evaluation, etc.).
• Comfortable with occasional paid travel (approximately once a month).
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with experience managing complex logistics for virtual and in-person events and proficiency with tools such as Google Workspace (Google Docs, Slides, etc.) and Zoom.
• Experience with Salesforce and/or Asana is a bonus.
• Committed to SSN’s mission of promoting evidence-based policy by engaging and expanding our voluntary, federated network of researchers.