R&D Graduate Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description: Please note that we currently do not have any positions open; however, if you would like to be considered for future opportunities, please submit your application materials for the Senior Consultant position. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and our team will be in touch if an opportunity becomes available. Senior Consultant (Location: California-based remote | California preferred) Who We Are Engage R+D is a strategic learning and evaluation firm with a passionate and energetic team of diverse professionals who believe in the power of evaluation and research to advance equity and fuel social change. We bring together people, data, and ideas in creative ways to inform strategy and drive results in the social sector. We approach our work with intellectual curiosity, a sense of humility, and grounding in the communities that are ultimately impacted by what we do. Through a collaborative team-based approach, we engage stakeholders in collective problem-solving and strive to draw upon our diverse perspectives and strengths. We believe in the importance of a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment that supports organizational learning and opportunities to strengthen our practice and advance the field. We seek to create the conditions and space for teams to do their best work. We offer competitive compensation packages, including paid time off and benefits, as well as professional development opportunities and flexible work arrangements. Engage R+D is a California-based virtual consulting firm, and team members typically work from home-based offices and co-working spaces. Who You Are Engage R+D seeks curious and creative people passionate about using data and evaluation to improve results and drive social change. You are an experienced evaluator with a master’s degree or higher with eight + years of experience applying research, planning, evaluation, and community engagement skills to complex and/or difficult projects within a consulting environment. You are fluent in qualitative and quantitative methods with strong people skills and the ability to engage diverse groups in learning and evaluation. You bring outstanding written and verbal communication skills and can translate findings into actionable plans and practitioner-friendly reports. You enjoy working across multiple content areas and tapping into new and innovative approaches. Evaluation in real-world settings can be messy, but you are comfortable with ambiguity and navigating complex situations. You’re able to focus on the big picture while managing the details and identifying solutions. You have strong listening skills and bring cultural humility to the work, always seeking to understand the needs and experiences of diverse stakeholders. You are adept at working with marginalized communities and are able to facilitate inclusive discussions with residents, leaders, and peers. Fluency in other languages, particularly Spanish, is a plus! You thrive in an entrepreneurial and team-driven environment and are comfortable working remotely. Last but not least, you’re enthusiastic about contributing to a young organization. What You’ll Do at Engage R+D Senior Consultants design, manage and execute multi-faceted projects for philanthropic, nonprofit, and government clients. Senior Consultants typically have more years of applied experience post-graduate school and greater responsibility for developing and leading complex client engagements. Senior Consultants are responsible for client-facing work that spans the full life cycle of the project, from scoping, design, data collection, and analysis to reporting and facilitating learning sessions with clients and community stakeholders. We value contributions from all team members to strengthen internal operations, infrastructure, and organizational well-being. Essential Functions & Duties Senior Consultants work independently and as part of a project team(s) to provide advanced consulting services to clients in evaluation, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, capacity building, strategy, and organizational development. Senior Consultants typically serve as project directors, senior advisors, or team leads on a range of projects. They may also serve as project managers on large engagements. Senior Consultants are expected to lead and navigate engagements that involve conceptually complex designs, multiple stakeholders with divergent perspectives and agendas, challenging organizational/systems dynamics, and other projects that require seasoned leadership. Senior Consultants are also expected to routinely mentor and support consultants, contribute to business development, support field-building efforts, and serve as strategic advisors to co-executive directors, directors, peers, and clients. Senior Consultants also generate new business opportunities, build staff capacity, and contribute to field-building activities through learning sessions, publications, presentations, and collaborations with other thought leaders. Project and Team Leadership Lead the design and implementation of evaluations and complex client engagements. Ensure the effective implementation of project timelines, work plans, and team assignments by providing guidance to and collaborating with project managers. Work with the team to set goals and priorities, ensure project roles and expectations are clear, and determine how to best deploy the team based on their assets, motivations, and project needs. Ensure team accountability and execution of high-quality services and products. Ensure project resources/budget is effectively deployed, review and approve client invoices in a timely manner, and consult with co-founders regarding budgetary issues. Cultivate a collaborative team environment where all members are valued and respected. Actively motivate, energize, and inspire others while leveraging the strengths and talents of team members to enhance results; support the growth of others by collaboratively creating opportunities to grow and strengthen skills by sharing timely and actionable feedback. Work with teams to facilitate resolution of workflow challenges and issues related to team dynamics; effectively chart courses of action during times of change and help others on the team navigate transitions. Client Engagement and Relationship Management Develop or provide direction for agendas and co-design meetings with input from other team members. Provide clients and organizational leaders strategic counsel on complex organizational dynamics, conceptual design, and stakeholder management issues. Consult with co-executive directors and directors to troubleshoot and/or address strategic challenges with the project or operating environment internally with the team as well as externally with the client. Responsible for relationship management and effective communication and engagement with clients, key stakeholders, and partners; actively seek to anticipate, understand, and address needs and expectations and take the lead in troubleshooting and addressing tensions and challenges related to client expectations and dynamics. Cultivate strategic and enduring relationships with clients, stakeholders, and partners that lead to high-quality engagements and new opportunities for collaboration. Technical Responsibilities and Expectations Demonstrate consistent leadership in creating, testing, and revising project strategies in complex and changing environments. Lead and collaborate with other team members to determine and design methods and analysis plans (i.e., develop interview protocols and surveys); contribute to qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis; guide sensemaking and interpretation of data; and oversee quality assurance throughout the process. Oversee and troubleshoot more complex methods and analyses (e.g., developmental and/or systems evaluations and other types of engagement that are highly iterative). Provide leadership and direction for the development of high-quality actionable products, including generation and organization of content to meet the needs of diverse clients and stakeholders; review and ensure all products meet high-quality standards. Design, facilitate, and/or provide direction for client sensemaking sessions, communities of practice, learning engagements, and stakeholder convenings. Lead/co-lead pre-, mid-, and post-project action reviews with team and clients (as appropriate) to gather feedback and insights to strengthen our approach and practices. Business Development Help co-executive directors to identify and vet strategic business development opportunities by assessing requests for proposals, responding to inquiries, and participating in exploratory calls with potential clients. Make recommendations and consider alignment with our values and areas of interest/strengths, strategic nature of the opportunity, field trends, and internal capacity to take on new work. Cultivate relationships with new and existing clients and/or partners that lead to new business and opportunities for collaboration. Help to identify and assemble teams for potential projects, develop competitive proposals and budgets, and prepare teams for proposal interviews. Continuous Improvement, Knowledge Sharing, and Field Contributions Demonstrate a desire to continuously learn, grow, excel, and contribute to our practice in new ways. Strive to improve and apply new knowledge, skills, and practice innovations (i.e., conceptual frameworks, tools, and approaches) through projects and professional development opportunities. Share insights and practice innovations with colleagues, clients, partners, and field peers through organizational learning sessions, project work, blog posts, conference presentations, and other Organizational Development Contribute to creating a collaborative, inclusive, and thriving organizational culture by making time to help colleagues and support their success; model and cultivate a culture of learning. Demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion by showing respect, humility, and cultural sensitivity in all aspects of internal and client-facing work. Demonstrate the ability to lean into discomfort and continually hear, reflect, contribute, and act on equity discussions with the aim to learn and grow. Contribute to internal infrastructure (tools), processes (recruitment, hiring, workload assessments, staff surveys), and culture-building efforts (retreats, organizational learning sessions, team meetings) by participating in and/or leading internal work groups, sharing resources, creating tools, and helping to strengthen our policies, practices, processes, and norms. Qualifications Advanced degree in social or behavioral science, public policy, or related degree or equivalent experience. 8+ years of experience applying research, planning, evaluation, and community engagement skills, ideally within a consulting environment. Demonstrated skills leading projects with multi-issue/participant stakeholders, experience leading teams and projects of varying complexity, and experience supervising and/or mentoring staff. Experience cultivating a culture of accountability that is shared across the team, as well as holding individuals accountable as appropriate. Ability to identify business opportunities, develop compelling proposals, and participate in interviews. Demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm within a new and growing organization. Skills in active listening, critical and reflective thinking, problem-solving, and working through conflict in productive ways; ability to approach tensions and divergence in thinking with curiosity over judgment, adaptiveness, flexibility, and emotional resilience while navigating change and ambiguity. Willingness to actively participate in efforts to embed equity and inclusion into our organizational culture. Comfort working remotely Fluency in other languages, particularly Spanish, is a plus! Compensation We offer a competitive compensation package and create a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The starting salary range for this position is $105,000 - $130,000, and benefits include, but are not limited to: Health insurance for employees with a range of provider options and tiers, as well as full dental and vision 401(k) retirement plan with Safe Harbor employer contribution Paid Time Off (PTO) of six weeks during the first year (inclusive of sick, federal holidays, and vacation time) Professional development funds ($1,000 annually) Wellness benefits, including a monthly stipend for a gym membership or wellness activities Equipment and monthly phone stipend for virtual home office How to Apply If you are interested in being considered for future opportunities to join our team, please send a cover letter and resume via this link: Apply Here. In your cover letter, please address the following five questions: What makes you interested in Engage R+D? What aspects of your previous experience have prepared you for a position with us? What does it mean for you to have a commitment to equity, and how would you see yourself demonstrating it at Engage R+D? What skills could you bring to Engage R+D that may not be apparent from looking at your resume or career history? How did you hear about Engage R+D? Engage R+D is an Equal Opportunity organization with a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from all and strongly encourage individuals underrepresented in the workforce to apply.