Lead, Research & Evaluation

National Council on Aging

At NCOA, we offer the chance to make a difference. We're a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of older adults and building a just and caring society in which each of us, as we age, lives with dignity, purpose, and security.

If you're looking to innovate, grow, and make a meaningful impact, this is your opportunity to join a mission-driven team working to create the conditions for all to age well today and into the future. Every day, NCOA empowers older adults, strengthens communities, and advocates for lasting change to ensure everyone has access to the resources needed to age well.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is seeking a passionate, collaborative, and innovative Lead,
Research & Evaluation to join us during an exciting period of growth and impact.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Lead, Research & Evaluation supports the design, implementation, and management of applied research and evaluation initiatives that inform strategy, demonstrate impact, and improve program effectiveness. This role combines applied evaluation skills with strong project, partner, and research operations management capabilities.

The incumbent manages day-to-day execution of research and evaluation projects, supports evaluation design and instrument development, contributes to mixed-methods analysis, and ensures high-quality deliverables across internal and external initiatives. The role also coordinates research partnerships, contracts, dissemination activities, and evaluation compliance processes, and helps maintain research operations systems and workflows.

Positions at this level typically report to a director or senior director and require deep subject matter expertise, advanced knowledge and experience, as well as the ability to independently lead complex or high-impact work. Incumbents are required to exercise independent judgement within their scope of work and require minimal oversight. These roles often serve as recognized subject matter experts and may represent an area of specialization across the organization.

Incumbents generally have five or more years of experience in their discipline and a graduate degree or the equivalent.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Research & Evaluation Implementation

• Support design and implementation of program and policy evaluations using mixed-methods approaches.
• Independently develop logic models, theories of change, and measurement frameworks for programs and initiatives.
• Develop and contribute to evaluation plans, indicators, and data collection strategies.
• Design and test survey instruments, interview guides, and data collection tools.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses appropriate to project scope.
• Synthesize findings into reports, slide decks, and briefs for internal and external audiences.
• Perform quality assurance reviews of analytic outputs and reports.

Evaluation Design and Compliance

• Develop program and project evaluation plans, including evaluation questions, indicators, data sources, and analysis approaches.
• Collaborate with internal teams and partners to align evaluation designs with program goals and implementation realities.
• Draft and support Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications and related research ethics documentation.
• Coordinate IRB amendments, renewals, and reporting requirements as needed.
• Ensure evaluation activities follow appropriate human subjects protection and data privacy standards.

Project and Partner Management

• Manage day-to-day execution of research and evaluation projects from initiation through closeout.
• Develop and maintain project work plans, timelines, and deliverable trackers.
• Coordinate with external research partners and vendors.
• Support development and finalization of contracts and scopes of work.
• Lead regular partner check-ins and document decisions, risks, and next steps.
• Coordinate internal review and approval workflows for research deliverables.

Research Operations and Workflow Systems

• Maintain and manage research and evaluation project workflows using project management platforms (e.g., Asana).
• Develop and maintain project task structures, timelines, reminders, and accountability tracking.
• Support team-wide…