Research Specialist, Strategic Policy, Innovation, and Research

The Success Center at the Foundation for California Community Colleges supports California Community Colleges in advancing equity-centered student success through policy development, research, strategic innovation projects, field engagement, and professional development. This work is engaging, fast-paced, ever-evolving, and requires a flexible personality who enjoys working in a team-based environment. The Foundation for California Community Colleges is the trusted partner of the California Community Colleges— facilitating collaboration, accelerating innovation, and increasing system-wide resources.

What You’ll Do

The Specialist, Strategic Policy, Innovation, and Research (SPIR) will contribute to advancing student success and equity in higher education. This role involves research and evaluation of multiple initiatives that drive state- and system-wide goals, while fostering strong relationships with diverse stakeholders. The position is primarily remote with some travel required.

• Support the planning, design, and implementation of research and evaluation initiatives that advance student success, equity, and Success Center strategic priorities.
• Collect, clean, validate, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from internal and external sources.
• Independently conduct quantitative analysis using tools such as Stata and support the construction and analysis of large datasets, including COMIS, IPEDS, Census, and other publicly available data using SQL and Stata.
• Prepare and analyze qualitative data using methods and tools such as Atlas.ti, ensuring data quality, consistency, and accuracy throughout the research process.
• Conduct literature reviews, background policy research, and other secondary research to support research projects, evaluations, proposals, and concept papers.
• Develop research briefs, reports, data visualizations, figures, tables, and presentations that translate complex findings into actionable policy and practice recommendations.
• Provide research and data expertise to SPIR and other Success Center teams and collaborate with external partners to support effective implementation of research and evaluation initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project plans, track deliverables, milestones, and outcomes, and use tools such as Asana to keep multiple workstreams organized and on schedule.
• Coordinate project meetings, activities, and deliverables across internal teams and external partners, helping ensure strong communication and alignment throughout implementation.

Attributes for Success

• Minimum of three (3) years of related work experience in research, evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and/or project management.
• Experience working within higher education systems and structures, including working with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience conducting research, writing in-depth reports in a professional setting, and managing multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Preferred: Experience in higher education reform, systems change, or nonprofit/public sector environments.
• Proven research and evaluation skills, with expertise in qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and the ability to design, implement, and monitor research projects and reporting approaches.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to clean, analyze, and interpret large, complex data sets using software, data analysis software such as Stata, R, SQL and/or Atlas.ti to develop evidence-based recommendations, inform decision-making, and support research and policy objectives.
• Working knowledge of the California Community Colleges system and higher education landscape, including policies, programs, data, and emerging issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, professional, and audience-appropriate reports, briefs, proposals, and presentations.
• We’re recruiting for mission-driven, passionate, equity-minded individuals with a strong desire to impact and change people’s lives for the better
• Our work holds great weight and responsibility, and the opportunity to impact the lives of millions
• Innovation, creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurship are encouraged as employees work to achieve organizational goals
• FoundationCCC blends the impact of a non-profit, the culture of an entrepreneurial start-up, and the scale of a state agency
• Team members are hired for their expertise in niche areas across our areas of impact and higher education overall, and for their knowledge of business, philanthropy, technology, communications, and more
• We have a commitment to professional development and an emphasis on shared leadership, to ensure growth for employees and the organization overall

What we Offer

FoundationCCC is fully committed to a “remote-first” philosophy, and recruits and hires talent across the state in fully remote positions, where virtual work is possible. Our headquarters are located in Downtown Sacramento, just blocks from California’s State Capitol.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, generous PTO, holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision plans, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Wellness offerings
• CalPERS retirement program and optional 403(b) and 457 Retirement plans
• Tuition reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer

If you have any questions, please email us at jobs@foundationccc.org.

Budgeted Annual Salary Pay Range:

Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.

About Us

The Foundation for California Community Colleges is the official nonprofit partner to the California Community Colleges, the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the nation. Our work reaches all 116 California Community Colleges across 73 districts and is designed to help improve the student experience and expand pathways to economic and social mobility across California. More specifically, we exist to benefit:

• Students: We believe in ensuring students from all backgrounds succeed in reaching their goals and improving their lives and their communities;

• Community Colleges: We believe in lifting up the California Community College system as the greatest gateway to a better future; and

• Communities: We believe in the power of community colleges to help their communities thrive.

Our projects and services seek to be at the forefront of innovation and excellence in higher education across five areas of impact: student success, workforce development, equity, community impact, and system support. To date, we’ve delivered hundreds of millions in grants, support, and cost savings to colleges and students to make this possible, with 85 cents of every dollar raised directly allocated to programs and services. We’re proud of our role in helping Californians build a better future for themselves and their families, but we know there’s more to be done. Join us.

Learn more about working at the Foundation >

Read the Foundation's Double Impact Strategic Plan >

Location

The Foundation’s main headquarters are based in Sacramento, California, though we offer remote opportunities throughout the entire state. We aim to hire a workforce reflective of the California communities we serve.