We Are the Forum

Who We Are:
A collective of institutions and leaders, the African American Leadership Forum serves as a community innovation accelerator. We empower Black communities to imagine, then create an equitable future. As a think-and-do-tank for the state of Minnesota, we combine the functions of a think tank (providing
research and analysis of social/ political issues) with the action-oriented role of an activist organization.

What We Do:
Using data research and policy, discourse-driven convenings, design innovation, and strategic leadership development, the Forum drives for change by confronting racism and inequities, to improve the living standards of Black Minnesotans.

Our Impact Areas:
Education, Health, Public Safety, Economic Prosperity, Environmental Justice, and Generational Wealth Building.

Chief Insights and Innovation Officer

The African American Leadership Forum is seeking an inspiring and transformative individual to step into a newly defined role within the organization as Chief Insights & Innovation Officer. Acknowledging the intertwined nature of policy, data research (insights) and innovation, the Chief Insights & Innovation Officer will spearhead the execution of the department's strategy at the Forum, delving deeper into understanding social and economic inequities and designing impactful solutions to
eradicate disparities.

This role will lead, motivate, and mentor a cross-functional team, facilitating the translation and evaluation of research insights for diverse stakeholders, including the community, policymakers, donors, and public sector leaders. Responsible for ensuring that the Forum's research strategy, innovative programming, and systems transformation efforts are informed by the perspectives and input of the Black community, this team will synchronize its approach to harness the most effective insights methodologies available.

As an integral member of the Executive Team, the Chief Insights & Innovation Officer will provide organizational leadership and champion the Forum's mission. In this capacity, the leader will be tasked with identifying promising ideas, policies, opportunities and establishing a robust, organization-wide framework for testing, piloting, implementing, and scaling these initiatives and methodologies.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

As the Chief Insights & Innovation Officer, you will...

Policy

• Lead the strategic direction of the policy team's priority areas and creation of the agency's annual policy agenda, focused on the culmination of research and insights.
• Foster relationships with the community, donors, public and private sector, and coalition partners to elevate awareness of priority areas in public discourse.

Insights (Data Research)

• Lead the formulation, execution, and oversight of the organization's research strategy within the six impact areas to include the formation of research questions that drive data collection and insights from the community.
• Synthesize research findings, surfacing insights from data that serve as a basis for design challenges.
• Collaborate with internal partners to translate research findings for external audiences, supporting the dissemination of insights into the broader ecosystem.

Innovation

• Lead a structured process that identifies, prioritizes, and evaluates innovative solutions, cultivates external partnerships across the region, and uplifts those with scalable promise to move the needle against inequities.
• Lead a team that facilitates design sessions with diverse stakeholders and creates an environment that enables innovation to emerge.
• Develop processes to seamlessly transition initiatives to other relevant stakeholders for further scaling efforts after initial pilot.
• Measure the impact of the Forum's Black-Centered Design framework through its ability to engage the community and partner in the development and scaling of new capabilities, programs, and services.

Executive Leadership

• Garner broad support for the Forum through effective storytelling that articulates and amplifies the transformative potential and significance of the department's contributions using visualization tools, insights, and analytics to enhance the data shared.
• Exercise prudent fiscal stewardship of a departmental budget and support exploration of fundraising opportunities in partnership with the Fund Development team.

VALUED EXPERIENCES:

To be successful as the Chief Insights & Innovation Officer, you might be...

• A designer with a solid understanding of user-centered design and process.
• A strategic thinker who can detect patterns, themes, and rapidly toggle between macro and micro views of problems and solutions.
• Skilled in hands-on research expertise within communities in the areas of qualitative research methods such as ethnography and quantitative research skills including data analysis and survey design.
• Someone who is passionate about quantitative and qualitative research and can distill narrative into compelling, action-oriented solutions.
• Someone capable of confidently defining and advocating a viewpoint regarding a business challenge, while effectively articulating the appropriate course of action supported by available evidence.

REQUIREMENTS:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience or equivalent experience in any of the following fields: anthropology, economics, analytics/data science, public or social policy, social sciences, or other relevant fields, which included substantive knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
• Leadership experience in a research organization, think tank, and/or innovation lab, encompassing oversight of research design (including quantitative and qualitative methods, primary and secondary analysis, evaluation, and assessment).
• Track record of using insights to drive impact and systems change.
• Proven record of published think pieces or opinion articles in reputable publications.
• Ability to apply critical thinking skills to synthesize various viewpoints, consult broadly, work collaboratively, and manage long- and short-term objectives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Ability to embrace visionary thinking while navigating ambiguous situations.
• Experience interpreting and synthesizing data.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

You are a thought leader.
Demonstrating industry and content expertise with the ability to pioneer new ideas, efficiently and effectively solve problems, and influence others while being open to collaboration.

You are results-driven.
Leading with passion, enthusiasm, and a sense of urgency that influences others to follow suit, with self-motivation to achieve goals and challenge the status quo.

You are constantly innovating.
Developing and encouraging creative ideas that challenge common thinking and help The Forum gain a competitive advantage while being open and agile to adapt, change, and try new things to promote growth, learning, and improvement.

Pay Transparency:
At The Forum, we offer a transparent view into two key components of your total compensation package: Base Salary and Benefits.

Learn more about the benefits package this role is eligible to participate in below.

For our Chief Insights & Innovation Officer position, our starting salary range is $130,000 - $150,000. This role has been classified as a regular full-time, exempt role that is paid on a salaried basis.

Benefits of Working at The Forum:
At the Forum, we proactively audit our benefits on an annual basis to ensure that we provide a competitive and comprehensive suite of offerings to meet our employee's needs holistically. We offer a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Hybrid work environment; 2 days in-office, 3 days remote
• 12 paid holidays
• Additional paid office closures, i.e. seasonal sabbaticals, election day
• Paid time off
• Paid parental leave
• Health and wellness stipend
• Monthly in-office mindfulness/wellness activities
• Flexible employer-contributed medical insurance options
• Dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability
• Competitive matching on retirement savings with immediate 100% vesting
• Mobile phone stipend
• Paid parking downtown Minneapolis, MN for in-office workdays
• Flexible work schedule

MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of the African American Leadership Forum. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements. The Forum is an Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, disability, marital status, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information, or a protected veteran's status.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the recruiting process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

The Forum participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/EVerify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.everify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.

HOW TO APPLY:
If you are inspired by the Forum's mission, and magnitude of impact, use the 'Apply Now' button to submit your application. Resumes, cover letters, and relevant samples of
work are welcomed and highly encouraged. For inquiries email careers@aalftc.org.

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