Project Policy Analyst - Job ID 85106

- Direct and manage the evaluation strategy and complex analytical work plan for multifaceted programs with broad-reaching impacts, including the establishment of evaluation criteria, methods, and quality standards. - Design and implement program evaluation frameworks (theory of change/logic models) and performance measurement strategies, including KPI development and monitoring routines. - Create integrated timelines, address obstacles, and drive remedial actions to guarantee the delivery of high-impact outcomes. - Lead stakeholder strategy development and convenings (internal and external), ensuring inclusive processes that foster alignment among various stakeholders and decision-makers. - Provide consultative insights to leadership and partners regarding evaluation design, interpretation of results, and implications for implementation; prepare decision memos and recommendation packages for executive audiences. - Design and oversee the implementation of program-wide data collection systems and training protocols across partner organizations, ensuring consistency, defensibility, and sound data governance. - Lead the development, validation, and deployment of survey instruments and mixed-method tools; oversee administration via platforms such as Qualtrics along with associated workflows and documentation. - May provide functional leadership to junior analytical, research, and administrative staff or contractors, including the assignment of work, priority setting, and review of work products for technical quality. - Conduct complex quantitative and qualitative analyses; build repeatable analytic workflows and decision-support products to assess outcomes, effectiveness, and implementation performance. - Develop dashboards and monitoring tools that merge quantitative and qualitative insights to facilitate data-driven leadership and timely adjustments. - Produce analyses and proposals identifying issues, evaluating costs/benefits and tradeoffs, and recommending implementation paths. - Lead the creation of policy and program communications and implementation supports; translate complex findings into actionable recommendations and strategies for adoption. - Generate executive-ready briefs, memos, guidance documents, and presentations tailored to leadership, funders, community partners, and academic audiences. - Develop knowledge products that enhance adoption and capabilities among stakeholders (e.g., toolkits, training materials, explainer-style resources, web-ready content), coordinating production elements as necessary. - Establish high-level contacts of a sensitive nature both internally and externally; utilize discretion and diplomacy to negotiate, align stakeholders, and persuade decision-makers to accept recommended solutions or changes in programs/processes. - Conduct best-practice research and policy landscape analysis; synthesize evidence into strategic recommendations that direct program trajectories and inform policy and investment choices. - Collaborate with UC ANR teams, researchers, and community partners to coordinate the development, implementation, and monitoring of new or improved programs and processes, ensuring alignment with statewide initiatives and strategic objectives. - Formulate proposals and recommendations to steer broader strategic direction for economic development and farm/food sector initiatives, including policy options, program design alternatives, and implementation roadmaps.