Insights & Impact Officer

 

FOUNDATION OVERVIEW

Founded in 2006 by Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones, The Rees-Jones Foundation is a Christian, private family foundation in Dallas, Texas that partners with nonprofits in North Texas and around the world to defend the welfare and improve the quality of life of children and families in tangible ways. The Foundation is called to serve God by serving others, enabling the most disadvantaged to experience God’s love and lead more prosperous, hopeful lives. To this end the Foundation stewards its resources with an emphasis on responsible due diligence and measurable impact.

The Foundation works through eight North Texas funding portfolios which include Animal Welfare, Child Welfare, Community Benefit, Disability Care, Evangelism & Discipleship, Family & Youth Support, Neighborhood Development, and Youth Formation. The Foundation’s international portfolios are International Development, International Disability Care, and International Justice.

Information about the Foundation can be found at https://www.rees-jonesfoundation.org/.

 

INSIGHTS & IMPACT OFFICER

The Insights & Impact Officer is part of the team that is responsible for advancing innovation and articulating impact with regard to The Rees-Jones Foundation’s grantmaking. The position is responsible for supporting the Foundation’s philanthropic impact strategies and developing turn key knowledge solutions, ensuring that the Foundation is resourced with reliable information to articulate its grantmaking vision, approach, and impact.

The Insights & Impact Officer supports the grantmaking of the Foundation by leading data structure, grantmaking assessment, and sector learning activities and fostering a culture of inquiry that is shared throughout the Foundation and with outside stakeholders. This position has three primary responsibilities: 1) organizing and analyzing information around the Foundation’s North Texas and international giving, grant outcomes, and issue areas; 2) developing insights solutions (including grantmaking evaluation and analysis of sector data) that have data structure and information technology components; and 3) reporting out information and analysis through reports, presentations, visualizations, digital platforms, and group discussion/learning settings. The position links decision makers with relevant information regarding accountability to the Foundation’s donor intent and grantmaking objectives and issue area background content.

The Insights & Impact Officer is full time and reports to the Director of Research and Evaluation, and is collaborative with staff across the Foundation.

The position is office-based in Dallas, Texas.

 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Engage with the Foundation’s mission and activities:

• Continuously develop a working knowledge of the Foundation’s priorities, approach to grantmaking, and portfolios
• Participate in site visits to the Foundation’s grantees with program staff

 

Support implementation of the Foundation’s portfolio impact strategies:

• Collaborate with program staff to understand the themes, priorities, and strategies of the Foundation’s portfolios
• Develop indicator and metrics models that help the Foundation understand priorities, baselines, progress, and trends in portfolio areas
• Develop sector data points from outside sources that provide meaningful context for the Foundation’s portfolios
• Develop impact strategies for the Foundation’s portfolios that include measurement learning and evaluation solutions and incorporate sector data points
• Build out the information technology capacities of the Foundation to receive and analyze grant application, grant reporting, financial, and sector data; including updating classification conventions and database management

 

Develop sector research & strategic insights:

• Scan and synthesize research on topics relevant to the Foundation’s priorities and portfolios, including literature reviews and monitoring policy development and field innovations
• Maintain subject matter expertise through ongoing community engagement, field scanning, and relationship with subject matter experts
• Develop ecosystem mapping to identify and understand the role of philanthropy and nonprofits in sectors that are important to the Foundation

 

Facilitate strategic learning:

• Draft white papers, issue briefs, case studies, and research memos that synthesize the Foundation’s insights and impact for external and internal audiences and promote institutional learning
• Develop feedback loops that ensure research insights inform the Foundation’s strategies
• Develop data frameworks that help program staff integrate research and learning into their work
• Facilitate staff learning in the priority areas of the Foundation

 

Develop turn key knowledge solutions:

• Critically and accurately analyze internal and external datasets to identify trends and descriptive statistics that can be themes for Foundation decision making and discerning impact
• Design compelling and articulate data visualizations derived from diverse datasets and illustrative narratives including info-graphics, charts, online dashboards, maps, and multi-media presentations that communicate insights into grantmaking portfolios, grantmaking performance, and funding outcomes

 

Engage in community-centered research:

• Engage with grantees to strengthen their research and evaluation capacities
• Build relationships and collaborations with community-based researchers and leaders
• Manage third-party consultants that provide community feedback and evaluation services to the Foundation

 

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree
• 5 years of professional experience, preferably in philanthropy or research field
• Proven ability to apply common statistical methods to analyze data and communicate relevant conclusions
• Proven editorial judgment and commitment to accuracy
• Excellent skill with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Excellent skill with CRM systems, including Salesforce
• Excellent skill with data visualization platforms, including Tableau
• Excellent skill with creative applications, including Adobe creative products
• Excellent skill with generative AI applications

 

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Commitment to the philanthropic goals, interests, and philosophy of The Rees-Jones Foundation and its founders
• Highly motivated, self-starter with strong organizational skills and excellent attention to detail and ability to self-manage priorities
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong document management and quality control skills
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of information

 

*To apply, send resume, cover letter, and personal statement to: apply@rees-jonesfoundation.org