Indigenous Learning & CQI Evaluation Specialist

The Indigenous Learning & CQI Evaluation Specialist (Specialist) is the in-house senior content/subject matter expert on child welfare related matters (Tribal and State), with experience and foundational knowledge in Indigenous approaches to inquiry, reflection, learning, and continuous quality improvement (CQI). This position leads efforts to guide and implement a framework of culturally grounded learning and system understanding for the National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement (NTCWCIA) Center Evaluation.

The Specialist ensures all learning processes are rooted in Indigenous Ways of Knowing (IWOK) and reflect Tribal priorities, community-defined outcomes, and relational accountability. This includes leading the development of a community-centered learning and reflection strategy that supports Tribal data sovereignty and respects cultural protocols around knowledge sharing and use.

The Specialist works closely with Center leadership and Tribal partners, promoting practices that advance story-based inquiry, Indigenous evaluation approaches, systems learning, and meaningful feedback loops to support capacity building and transformation within Tribal child welfare systems while implementing the Center's comprehensive evaluation design

The Specialist will supervise and mentor staff and consultants supporting the evaluation effort, fostering a collaborative and respectful team environment aligned with Indigenous values, and oversee the development and timely completion of evaluation deliverables, including data collection tools, analysis plans, and logic models rooted in Indigenous epistemologies. This position is responsible for managing a team of staff, consultants and partners to collaboratively implement the approved evaluation design approach, overseeing the development and implementation of all evaluation deliverables including results from work focused on IWOK evaluation with individual Tribal projects.

This position is responsible for managing a team of staff, consultants and partners to collaboratively implement the Center's approved evaluation design, including the operational evaluation of Center activities and outcomes across service pathways (universal, targeted, and tailored services). The Specialist will oversee the development and implementation of all evaluation deliverables, ensuring they align with the Center's commitment to IWOK-based evaluation with individual Tribal projects.

The Specialist will coordinate closely with the Center's CQI lead and will serve as the lead coordinator for all required reporting connected to the Evaluation and CQI efforts specific to Tailored Projects, including supporting monthly reporting requirements, quarterly evaluation summaries, semi-annual and annual reports, and the final Center evaluation report, ensuring that findings are synthesized and shared in respectful, useful, and community-centered ways.

Fundamental Requirement: The Specialist must have a passionate commitment to Tribal child welfare and using a story telling framework to support the evaluation journey, ensuring evaluation data is gathered, held, interpreted, and shared in ways that honor Tribal sovereignty. The Specialist must be versed in the steps of the Indigenous evaluation with a lens to the incorporation of culturally grounded quantitative data collection and interpretation. The Specialist must have an understanding of and commitment to the NTCWCIAs model of T/TA as a strengths-based, continuous process that supports each Tribe throughout its journey and be able to ensure evaluation data is gathered, held, interpreted, and shared in ways that honor Tribal sovereignty.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

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  Maintain professional expertise in the area of Tribal Child Welfare and Indigenous epistemologies, ensuring that subject area knowledge remains current; identify trends, emerging issues, policies, and evidence-based practices (EBPs) and share them with program area staff, other TEs, senior management, our clients, and other JBS staff as appropriate.

  
  
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  Coordinates closely with the CQI team to align evaluation processes with the Center's learning agenda, goals, and improvement strategies.

  
  
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  Facilitates and engages in Tribal partnerships, with Tribal community members and cultural advisors and across Center leadership to ensure evaluation methods and findings are meaningful, respectful, and community-informed.

  
  
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  Presents findings to diverse audiences, including federal partners, Tribal communities, Cultural Council members and national stakeholders, remaining flexible to hear and incorporate feedback into the findings as needed to ensure the information is correctly validated before finalization.

  
  
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  Maintain a strong understanding of funding requirements, timelines, and compliance expectations related to Children's Bureau

  
  
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  Ensure the quality of data collection, management and reporting through the Center's information systems (Airtable and Monday.com).

  
  
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  Maintains communication with assigned client contacts, responding to requests; participating in meetings; providing up-to-date information about trends, issues, policies, and EBPs; offering recommendations regarding effective evaluation and learning approaches for Tribes, topics for Center meetings and workshops, and skilled consultants and presenters.

  
  
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  Ensures evaluation activities carried out by team meet all contractual obligations and requirements of the client/contract.

  
  
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  Manage, guide, and monitor the design and delivery of all Center evaluation documents and systems; ensuring all evaluation related activities are documented in Monday.com and Airtable in a timely fashion.

  
  
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  Work with other TEs, the Center's Extended Leadership Team, and the Children's Bureau to identify trends in evaluation and learning needs, analyze which types of T/TA work and why, identify emerging issues, and design long-term strategies for building Tribal capacity in data informed decision-making.

  
  
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  Identifies issues and successes to ensure transfer of lessons learned and increased efficiency in the delivery of T/TA.

  
  
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  Collaborates with other TEs to support the exchange of information across all Tribes served by the various projects.

  
  
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  Contributes to proposal preparation and business development activities.

  
  
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  Contributes to the preparation and finalization of written deliverables, including evaluation reports, information gathering tools, technical documents, and other products (e.g., PowerPoint presentations) as requested by client.

  
  
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  Guides and may manage assigned evaluation staff in carrying out the support and logistical activities required for delivering all types of evaluation activities and may supervise staff.

  
  
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  Develops scopes of works for consultants and assist with recruiting and selection of consultants

  
  

Minimum Job Qualifications:

Education: Master's degree in relevant field

Language: English Fluency (oral and written)

Experience: At least 15 years of relevant work experience with demonstrated expertise in federal funding requirements (e.g. title IV-B and title IV-E), understanding Tribal Child Welfare systems, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, and Continuous Quality Improvement.

Knowledge: Content Knowledge of current and emerging issues for Tribal Child Welfare systems. Demonstrated strengths-based approach to delivering T/TA and to working with others.

Skills: Interacts well with others in a positive, courteous, and professional manner; functions well as a member of a team and is also able to work independently and without extensive supervision and following chain of command to address personnel or management concerns. Honors, respects, and celebrates cultural differences. Effective, clear, and professional writing and oral communication skills. Attention to detail.

Location: North Bethesda, MD or Remote work

Physical Requirements:

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  Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk or computer workstation.

  
  
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  Regularly uses a computer, keyboard, and mouse.

  
  
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  Normal or corrected vision to read documents, view computer screens, and perform tasks that require visual accuracy.

  
  
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  Ability to hear and understand spoken information in person and over the phone.

  
  
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  Minimal lifting and carrying may be required, typically light office supplies or documents.

  
  
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  Ability to move within the office environment to access equipment, files, and interact with colleagues.

  
  
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  Ability to handle occasional stress related to deadlines, workloads, or challenging tasks.

  
  

Preferred job qualifications:

Language: Fluency in a language other than English

Experience: 3 years' direct program management experience. At least 2 years' supervisory experience. Consulting and contract management experience. Federal government contracting experience.

OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED: This position description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive standards of the position, nor will it be the sole basis for any subsequent employee evaluations. Incumbents will follow any other instructions and perform any other related duties as may be required by their supervisor.

This position is subject to availability of funds and to any and all restrictions contained in the contract or contracts that provide funding for this position.

If you meet the minimum requirements for this position, please click on the "Apply" link posted below and complete the application. Please include a cover letter and resume.

Our company is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Applicants can learn more about the company's status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the federal "EEO is the Law" poster at EEOPost.pdf.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.