Data & Impact Specialist

Title:
Data & Impact Specialist
Reports to: Program Director
Supervises: None
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Travel: Some domestic travel may be required

MISSION STATEMENT
The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation keeps music alive in our schools by providing vital support services to school districts, and musical instruments to underfunded music programs nationwide, giving under-represented youth access to the many benefits of music education, leading them to success in school, and inspiring creativity and expression through playing music.

GENERAL SUMMARY
The DATA & IMPACT SPECIALIST plays a strategic and technical role in advancing the expansion of Music (and Arts) Education District Support Services (MEDDS®) assessments, organizational evaluation, and impact. This role is central to the implementation, analysis, and reporting of the MEDSS program, the Foundation’s flagship districtwide arts education assessment and consulting initiative. Working across internal departments and in close partnership with school districts, the Specialist ensures that both qualitative and quantitative data are transformed into meaningful, actionable insights that guide decision-making and advance MHOF’s mission.

In addition to managing the full data lifecycle for MEDSS from intake through project completion, the Specialist leads cross-functional data projects that help the organization internally evaluate its impact, track program quality, and refine strategy. They collaborate regularly with program, development, finance, and leadership staff to identify and track relevant data, support storytelling, and improve organizational learning across four key program areas, including:

-Instrument Grants – the donation of musical instruments to schools to support student access in low-income communities
-Music (and Arts) Education District Support Services® (MEDSS) – music and arts-related supportive services that help school districts identify and remove participation barriers to arts education programs, including our innovative, proprietary assessment program.
-Music Rising & the National Music Education Disaster Relief Coalition – strategy and resources to ensure the sustainability of school music programs in the aftermath of natural disasters, including the coordination and facilitation of a nationwide coalition of music education non-profit and interest organizations.
-Holland’s Heroes of Arts Education – a nationwide network/advisory council of school district arts leaders dedicated to transforming arts education.

The DATA & IMPACT SPECIALIST will engage with both internal and external stakeholders while performing essential job functions.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
-Lead the compilation, analysis, and interpretation of data for all phases of the MEDSS process, ensuring timely production of detailed assessment reports and visualizations tailored to each district.
-Collaborate with school district personnel to collect and validate data; serve as the primary technical point of contact.
-Administer and analyze qualitative teacher feedback instruments; align findings with quantitative data to surface trends and context.
-Design reports and materials that communicate key findings, recommendations, and next steps through narrative and visual storytelling, including synthesis of district-level assessments to identify trends and develop case studies.
-Support post-assessment deliverables and presentations to school district leaders, district arts leaders, and other stakeholder groups.
-Translate data into actionable insights that improve program design, identify service gaps, and strengthen strategic planning efforts.
-Develop and manage internal data tracking tools and evaluation frameworks to assess the reach, effectiveness, and equity of MHOF programs and services.
-Collaborate with leadership to refine indicators of success and monitor progress toward organizational goals.
-Partner with development staff to craft compelling impact reports and funder-specific deliverables.
-Design, maintain, and continuously improve systems and workflows for data collection, validation, integration, and storage.
-Develop and maintain dashboards, data dictionaries, SOPs, and internal guidance documents that promote data literacy and quality assurance.
-Train internal staff and external partners in the use of dashboards and reporting tools; promote a culture of data-informed decision-making across the organization.
-Manage relationships with developers and technical vendors to support maintenance and enhancement of technical tools and platforms, including a proprietary data platform.
-Monitor relevant trends in education data and policy, music and arts education trends, and analytics practices to inform MHOF’s evolving data strategy.
-Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
-Passionate about the mission of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
-Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, statistics, social science, data science, or a related field.
-Minimum 3 years of experience in data analysis, program evaluation, or impact measurement. Experience in education or arts education contexts, especially with public school systems or nonprofits is preferred.
-Demonstrated expertise in managing large structured and unstructured datasets, performing statistical and thematic analysis, and producing high-quality visualizations and reports.
-At least 6 months of experience using large language models (LLMs) for data analysis, synthesis, or reporting tasks; familiarity with strengths, limitations, and methods for verifying outputs is preferred.
-Proficiency in the following data analysis and survey tools and platform: Tableau, Google Workspace (Google Slides, Google Sheets, Google docs), Excel, and Qualtrics. Experience with SQL and Google BigQuery is a plus.
-Familiarity with CRM systems such as Submittable and eTapestry and experience integrating data between multiple platforms is a plus.
-Working knowledge of U.S. data privacy laws, ethical research standards, and data-sharing best practices, specifically in nonprofit and/or education sectors.
-Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills and strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills, with the ability to tailor content to technical and non-technical audiences.
-Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with attention to detail and deadlines.

SALARY, HOURS, AND BENEFITS
-Salary Range: $65,000-75,000, depending on relevant experience.
-Hours: Full time, non-exempt, 40 hours/week.
-Excellent benefits: Full-time employees are eligible for paid time off, sick leave, and paid holidays. Tiered medical, dental, and vision insurance is offered and increases in coverage with years of service—up to 100% of employee premiums and 80% of dependent premiums. New employees are eligible to enroll in a 403(b) retirement plan immediately, with employer matching beginning after 60 days.

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter with salary requirements and resume to careers@mhopus.org. No phone calls, please.