The Assessment Tools and Advisory Services team at The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) seeks a highly motivated Research Analyst with a desire to utilize her/his abilities to create positive social impact by improving the performance of charitable funders and, through them, the nonprofit sector as a whole. We are seeking candidates who express a defined interest in working with CEP client engagement leaders to create funder assessments and recommendations, often through the production of online reports based on rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses of online survey results.

CEP is currently recruiting for one Research Analyst to be based in Cambridge, MA.

Responsibilities

The Research Analyst will work closely with CEP’s energetic and diverse staff to provide foundation executives, boards, and staff with data‐driven insights to enhance the effectiveness of their work.

The core function of the role is to create data‐driven reports and compelling written recommendations based on the results of standardized surveys of grantees, staff, and donors that CEP conducts on behalf of philanthropic foundations. Research Analysts also work with individual foundations or groups of foundations on customized engagements focused on issues of strategy, performance assessment, and organizational effectiveness. More specifically, she/he can expect to be involved in the following:

• Analyzing quantitative and qualitative datasets, often using basic inferential statistics and qualitative coding techniques
• Creating clear and compelling written memos that highlight synthesized findings and recommendations drawn from analysis
• Co‐managing survey processes, report template design, and innovation in CEP’s assessment tools
• Creating and presenting the results of assessment and advisory engagements to foundation executives and staff with client managers
• Actively participating in team discussions, collaborating on cross‐team projects, and helping develop CEP’s internal knowledge base and operations

Qualifications/Requirements

• College degree (B.S., B.A.) and 1 to 2 years of work experience required (Ph.D. and experienced Masters level candidates will not be considered)
• Demonstrated ability to conduct high quality quantitative analysis and synthesize findings into persuasive recommendations. Proficiency in basic statistical analyses such as T‐Tests, ANOVA, and Chi Squares is required

• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint is required and experience with SPSS (or similar statistical analysis) software is desirable

• Effective written and verbal communication skills

• Interest and aptitude with computer programming languages, such as SQL and Python, are a plus but not required: these languages form the basis of CEP’s Online Reporting System and all Research Analysts will receive some training on these systems

Desired Professional Attributes

• While much of a Research Analyst’s work is independent, all Research Analysts work on teams and therefore are hard‐working, empathetic, team‐oriented, and reliable
• CEP’s work depends on the high quality of our analysis. Research Analysts must have high standards for quality control, task management, and attention to detail
• Like CEP as an organization, Research Analysts must be confident that their work makes a difference but humble in the knowledge that they and CEP are always learning and improving

We believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of creativity and innovation, and we actively seek out candidates with diversity of backgrounds, skills, experiences, and perspectives for this exciting role.

Compensation is competitive and includes generous benefits.

About CEP

For more than a decade, CEP has led the movement to improve philanthropy through a powerful combination of dispassionate analysis and a passionate commitment to improving lives. Today, over 300 foundations have used CEP’s assessment tools to gather honest feedback from their stakeholders in an effort to learn how to be even more effective. CEOs and trustees have come to rely on our research for insights into foundation effectiveness on a wide range of topics, from assessing performance to developing strategy to managing stakeholder relationships. Our highly regarded programming— including our biennial conference—gives foundation leaders an exclusive and unprecedented opportunity to connect with their peers. CEP is based in Cambridge Massachusetts, with a second office in San Francisco, California. Strengths of CEP’s work culture are entrepreneurialism, accountability, teamwork, collegiality, diversity, and mutual respect.

To Apply

Please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, to leahaw [at] effectivephilanthropy [dot] org, attention: Alyse d’Amico, Director of Human Capital. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.