Data & Evaluation Director

Over 13,000 unaccompanied young people are surviving homelessness on their own in Washington State at disproportionately higher rates for Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color and young people identifying as LGBTQ+. Lack of housing stability, supportive connections and necessary services significantly impacts a young person’s transition to adulthood leaving their economic, social, civil, and political rights unrealized. But what can be done? Is it possible to not just prevent but ultimately end youth and young adult homelessness in Washington?

A Way Home Washington answers that question with an unequivocal “yes.”

Who We Are

A Way Home Washington (“AWHWA”) is a statewide movement to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness prioritizing the existing disproportionality of homelessness rates among young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth. We partner with communities, agencies, and leaders across Washington State to connect youth with stable housing and employment, education, and health services. By engaging on a local level and creating a statewide network, we connect communities and provide opportunities to discuss common barriers and solutions for ending youth and young adult homelessness.

Throughout our history, we have focused on integrating evidence-based practices and applying Continuous Quality Improvement to test, learn from, and develop further innovative solutions. Ending youth homelessness won’t be achieved by maintaining the status quo; we think outside the box resulting in cutting-edge initiatives. We know that young people believe “nothing about us without us” and as a result, we have a duty to ensure that youth and young adults hold key roles in shaping and influencing effective systems change that leads to ending homelessness.

A Way Home Washington is a fiscally sponsored organization of TSNE (tsne.org).

What We Need

AWHWA is currently seeking a Data & Evaluation Director to provide strategic oversight to the Data Team’s efforts of creating and implementing data management and evaluation strategies grounded in racial and LGBTQ+ equity. A leader in cross-departmental collaboration, the Data & Evaluation Director uses their expertise to guide each department’s application of data and data trends towards the shared goal of ending youth and young adult homelessness in Washington.

Building strategy from justice-driven, real-time data is what sets AWHWA apart from other organizations. The Data & Evaluation Director is responsible for the management of this data and in doing so plays a critical role in protecting the communities we serve. Application of expert-level data analysis protects the civil rights of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. And direct protection of our community’s sensitive information is ensured by their development and continuous quality improvement efforts to safeguard our humanistic data.

Responsibilities of the Data & Evaluation Director include:

• Sitting on the AWHWA leadership team, collaborate with other Directors and Executive Director on developing organizational strategy and building an inclusive, equity-centered culture.
• Develop and lead AWHWA’s data, evaluation, and research agenda to advance the movement to end YYA homelessness in Washington state by designing, implementing, and tracking equity-driven measurement strategies for the ACI, HPDF, and YDIP.
• Collaborate with the ACI Director in developing ACI strategy and projects by designing and implementing data coaching strategies for data literacy, reliable and quality By Name List data, and continuous improvement for the ACI model.
• Partner closely with the Training & Engagement Team to develop strategy for expanding ACI model and other data tools across the state.
• Collaborate with the Communications Team on data storytelling and content to implement plans for knowledge capture and sharing.
• Oversee creation of data dashboards and performance management tools that identify and clear data and technology-related barriers at both local and state levels.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, and train Data Team members. Provide direct and indirect supervision to the Data Team emphasizing mission-alignment, professional development, and growth.
• Manage program budget to meet Data program needs and ensure alignment with AWHWA goals. Monitor and approve all budgeted project expenditures and report variance to the Executive Director and senior staff regularly.
• Engage the community representing AWHWA as a vocal spokesperson for the organization’s data strategies. Participate in public presentations and fund development for AWHWA.
• Foster and contribute to a positive, respectful, trauma-informed, collaborative workplace culture that allows for building an integrated workplace community united in fulfilling AWHWA’s mission.
• Contribute to organizational development and betterment by leading and participating in collaborative engagements and unified organizational projects. 
• Ability to travel to service areas through Washington State.

Who You Are

We recognize that no one person will embody every quality and attribute that defines success for this position. Examples of professional and personal abilities a successful incumbent has, or can demonstrate the ability to obtain, include:

• Belief that preventing and ending YYA homelessness in Washington state is possible.
• Demonstrated strategic-level data analysis and/or data systems management experience. Data management experience within homelessness and/or youth-serving systems preferred, but not required.
• Advanced understanding of data collection and quantitative/qualitative research methodology.
• Strong critical data analysis skills, specifically applying ingenuity and curiosity to data evaluation rather than accepting data unquestionably.
• Willingness to learn and stay abreast on issues pertaining to youth and young adult homelessness. Existing knowledge of related issues preferred, but not required.
• Exceptional people management and development skills, specifically encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and cross-departmental collaboration from the supervised team. Previous supervisory experience preferred.
• Emotional intelligence and trauma-informed sensibilities pertaining to professional interactions in a work environment shared by those with lived experience.
• Motivated by creativity and contributing forward-thinking, innovative strategies towards AWHWA’s mission.
• Excellent communication skills, specifically the ability to understand the needs of your audience and adapt your communication style accordingly.
• Willingness to learn and become proficient with applicable data software and tools including Tableau, dashboard visualization and design, coordinated entry systems, and community By-Name Lists. Previous experience with software and tools preferred, but not required.

In the spirit of “nothing about us without us,” we strongly encourage BIPOC, persons with disabilities, persons with lived homelessness experience, and LGBTQ+ individuals to apply. We are a non-discriminatory workplace and equal employment opportunity employer committed to building an organization reflective of the community it serves. We believe that everyone has their own superpower that brings niche expertise into their work. We value the unique lived experiences of every individual, and we hope you’ll share your superpower with us.