Director, OutcomesAI
Role type: Full-time, exempt
Location: Hybrid position with a regular presence in Boston, preferred locations include New
England and the Mid-Atlantic.
Travel expectations: Up to 25%, varies throughout the year
ABOUT THE ROLE
A leader with experience at the intersection of education and technology, the Director of OutcomesAI (OAI) will be responsible for project & client relationship management across multiple engagements and will contribute to overall practice management and business development. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director will be responsible for leading key projects and successful client engagements through managing client relations, creating and delivering high-quality content promptly and within budget, and managing a team (directly and indirectly) to deliver against these goals. OAI is a new practice, and this role will be instrumental in steering growth, strategy, and business development. The Director will be passionate about and committed to driving impact with technology, data, and evidence, delivering excellent client services, and a very strong people and project manager. The Director will also be knowledgeable about the education, workforce, and related domains and experienced in spurring the adoption of equitable emerging technology and AI to enhance efficiencies and outcomes in nonprofit and education agency contexts.
As a leader in the emerging AI for Good ecosystem, this role is critical for leading and ensuring effective field building, successful communities of practice, cohorts, and individual client engagements and tools and resource development. This role comes at a critical time and is part of the founding team of a new practice area at Project Evident. We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader at the intersection of education, outcomes, and AI to join our team and deliver on our mission of better, more meaningful, and equitable outcomes for students and communities.
Internally, the Director will contribute to Project Evident’s growth and the culture of belonging and accountability by engaging and contributing across the organization to advance performance, learning, growth, and impact. This role will also serve on the organization-wide management team to ensure effective operations, feedback, and improvement.
Below is a full list of responsibilities you can expect in this role:
Project & Client Relationship Management (70%)
- Build, manage, and sustain strong relationships with clients working across the education and workforce sectors. Strong people and facilitation skills are a must. Serve as primary relationship manager for engagements ensuring on-time, on-budget, high-quality (NPS score >.70) delivery.
- Lead and manage critical aspects of communities of practice, individual, or cohort engagements: creating and managing project plans; facilitating learning and discussion, leveraging full team and consultant expertise; deploying existing tools, resources, and frameworks to ensure effective content; and providing actionable feedback to client and project team members.
- Develop content for in-person and virtual meetings/working sessions, training sessions, and /or workshops or platforms that are clear and actionable, and are aligned with existing practices.
- Co-develop frameworks and inform AI research including case studies, white papers, blogs, and social media postings for the advancement of ethical AI adoption.
- Collaborate with colleagues to develop appropriate tools to facilitate efficient and effective delivery of services and build field knowledge.
- Drive quality control, including reviewing, editing, and providing meaningful and actionable feedback on deliverables.
Practice Leadership (15%)
- Identify and complete tasks that strengthen OutcomesAI practice and drive practice efficiencies through process design, accountability management, and internal learning.
- Works with the team and consultants to codify tools and product innovations to support repeat execution across multiple engagements. Develops internal training resources to advance team skills and build consistency.
- Attract, develop, coach, supervise, and retain high-performing team members, give and receive actionable and productive feedback, and empower others to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance. Will follow all Project Evident people processes effectively and on time.
- Seek out, participate, and present at industry events; leverage to establish industry partners, generate new opportunities, and provide a platform for constituencies.
- Actively maintains an awareness of key AI trends and developments relevant to the education and workforce fields. Leverages this understanding to recommend priorities and opportunities for the OutcomesAI practice.
- Embody Project Evident’s values and performance behaviors to help build and strengthen a culture of belonging and accountability.
- Contribute to strategy development and implementation for Project Evident overall and the OutcomesAI team.
- Play an active role as a contributing member of the management team.
Business Development (15%)
- Leverage and deepen relationships with funders, policymakers, technology vendors, state and district education leaders, nonprofits, and related strategic partners to build new pipelines and drive sustainability effectively.
- Independently generate new leads and secure resources that are aligned to individual revenue goals tied to practice objectives and key results.
- Identify and lead (or support, as appropriate) grant and proposal development.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in data science/technology adoption, leading high-performing teams, and delivering project and client engagements in education or workforce settings.
- Demonstrated experience with business development.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
We are also looking for candidates who have demonstrated experience:
- Using ML/AI to drive higher business performance or program outcomes.
- Managing clients and client projects, including working effectively with multiple stakeholders who may have evolving priorities.
- Managing projects, processes, and teams and proven ability to work under tight timelines, accurately assess problems, and develop solutions.
- Creating and effectively executing work plans, processes, and documentation that helps to streamline and codify existing practices.
- Developing/designing curriculum/workshop content and providing successful training sessions, coaching, and implementation support.
- Working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects, effectively prioritizing time and tasks.
- Translating data and evidence into action and sharing the information in an understandable and actionable manner with external stakeholders requires an understanding of evidence-based practices.
- Familiarity with key strategies, organizational landscape, and important debates across the education and workforce sectors.
- Attracting, developing, supervising, coaching, and retaining high-performance team members, giving and receiving actionable and productive feedback, and empowering others to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance.
Candidates should also have:
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Proven ability to work under tight timelines, accurately assess problems, and develop solutions; ability to effectively prioritize time and tasks.
- Experience working effectively with multiple stakeholders who may have evolving priorities.
- Comfort with ambiguity and ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities, comfortable in an entrepreneurial environment with fast deadlines.
- Problem solver and active listener who seeks clarification, asks questions, and surfaces solutions.
- Ability to read and interpret data visualizations.
- Self-starter attitude to independently research and consolidate information, including technical documentation and policy.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a proven ability to write clear and concise memos.
- Commitment to a high-performance culture, participation in giving and receiving feedback, and belief in continuous self-improvement.
- Interest in the social and education sectors. Knowledge of evidence-based policy/practice, nonprofit evaluation, and performance management disciplines is a plus.
- High degree of proficiency with Google and Microsoft software, including Docs/Word, Slides/Powerpoint, Sheets/Excel, Asana, and SalesForce.
- Familiarity with group collaboration tools (we use Slack, Google Team Drive, Zoom) or willingness to learn.
- Impeccable attention to detail and extremely high standards for accuracy.
- Proficient in using technology and curious about learning new systems.
- Comfortable in a virtual, distributed environment with fast deadlines.
- Experience working with diverse communities and a deep commitment to learning, performance, racial equity, and building a culture of belonging.Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a proven ability to write and copy-edit clear and concise narratives and presentations.
WHAT WE OFFER
As a part of our compensation package, we offer the following benefits:
- Generous benefits including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, a 403(b) with match, and life and disability insurance
- Unlimited vacation days, summer Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and organizational wide closure between December 25 - January 1st
ABOUT PROJECT EVIDENT (www.projectevident.org)
Project Evident exists to help organizations harness the power of evidence to achieve greater impact. We do this through a blend of direct technical assistance and field building. We offer a comprehensive platform of tools, resources, and services to help state education agencies, local education agencies, nonprofits and funders improve how they measure, evaluate, and report results, while strengthening their ability to build and use evidence.
Project Evident is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce committed to a culture of belonging and accountability.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are often reluctant to submit a job application unless they meet all qualifications—we encourage applicants who may not meet 100 percent of the position qualifications to apply anyway.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are often reluctant to submit a job application unless they meet all qualifications—we encourage applicants who may not meet 100 percent of the position qualifications to apply anyway.