Director of Evaluation & Reporting, U of M Extension

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree at time of application, in a field with a strong evaluation emphasis, in areas such as agricultural or Extension education, sociology, education, economics, or related fields.
• Five years, post master’s, demonstrated experience leading evaluation studies.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, manage and implement program evaluations for diverse disciplines and various audiences across the state of Minnesota.
• Demonstrated analytical skills such as statistical analysis (both quantitative and qualitative), program outcomes and impacts, needs assessment, program planning, and evaluation.
• Experience with online data collection and management systems (e.g., Qualtrics, Google Forms, PEARS), databases, and data visualization.
• Demonstrated experience training or teaching program planning, research design, survey design, and program evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience in leading, planning, implementing, and evaluating programs.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking, writing federal and technical reports, and an ability to tell a story through the use of data.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead or influence interdisciplinary and collaborative work across distributed teams.
• Ability to ensure internal and external deadlines are met by the organization and high-quality deliverables are provided to funders and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated evidence of developing and contributing to high-functioning teams.
• Knowledge of or experience in effective change management practices.
• Ability to work regularly at dedicated office on St. Paul Campus.
• Ability to drive throughout the state occasionally, and overnight stays 2-4 times a year.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Ph.D. degree in a field with a strong evaluation emphasis, such as agricultural or Extension education, sociology, public health, education, economics, public policy, or related fields by the time of hire.
• Demonstrated experience in publishing evaluation data and program impacts in scholarly journals.
• A commitment to Extension culture of learning, and advancement of Extension’s values.
• Strong skills in organizational, leadership, time, and project management.
• Demonstrated scholarly work such as grants, journal articles, and conference presentations.

This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship and is not remote.

Working Title: Director of Evaluation & Reporting

Appointment: Full time, Job classification Rsch Pro 6-Program Eval (9792PV)

Location: Coffey Hall, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota

Reports to: Associate Dean for Research and Innovation

Salary Range: $105,000-$135,000

Apply By: January 18, 2026

About the Position

The Director of Evaluation and Reporting provides overall leadership for the University of Minnesota Extension program evaluation and reporting system. The Director will work collaboratively with Extension Leadership to envision, develop, lead, and support Extension-wide planning and implementation for evaluation and reporting processes that help Extension effectively communicate its public value; evolve programs to meet community and state needs; support regulatory reporting requirements; and that align effectively to Extension and University of Minnesota goals. This includes the implementation and ongoing support of the Program Evaluation and Reporting System (PEARS) across Extension, which is expected to be in place in 2026.

The Director will develop strategies and processes for providing data about the impact of Extension programming to internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the Director will address the need for impact data through researching, identifying, defining, developing, and establishing internal processes and infrastructure for quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting. In collaboration with departmental evaluators and Extension leaders, the position provides evidence-based insights and recommendations to inform and enhance program design, implementation, learning, accountability, and improvement.

The Director will work collaboratively with other leaders to develop and implement an Extension-wide data collection and reporting system (PEARS), ensuring timely delivery of results and high-quality outcomes. The Director will continuously evaluate the PEARS project progress and identify potential risks and issues, developing contingency plans and corrective actions as needed. They will serve as a liaison between cross-functional departments and coordinate the efforts of all project team members to ensure that project milestones and requirements are met. The Director will also establish and maintain project documentation, including project plans and progress reports.

Responsibilities

Evaluation and Reporting Leadership (80%)

• Collaborate with leaders across Extension to lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive evaluation system (i.e., PEARS) for Extension that includes training, resources, and tools that facilitate successful program evaluation statewide.
• Lead the establishment of a systemwide evaluation plan and norms that ensure the collection of outcome data, management data systems, and effective communication of evaluation results for internal and external audiences.
• Provide overall leadership and management of Extension’s Planning and Reporting System (PEARS), including PEARS system management and optimizations, organizational reporting, workflow training and quality control.
• In collaboration with Extension’s Learning Technologies create and implement ongoing PEARS training and technical support to ensure effective use of PEARS and to troubleshoot and resolve user system issues. This includes the development and implementation of PEARS modules training and in-state/work team-specific training, providing individual consultation, creating training for new staff, enhancing onboarding experience and providing technical support across Extension.
• Consult and collaborate across Extension to help individuals, teams, and departments develop evaluation plans, identify data collection and analysis methods/instruments, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data.
• Generate and create reports for various organizational needs (e.g., leadership, stakeholders, funders, and others), including providing data at an individual, unit, department, and organizational level.
• Coordinate Extension-wide efforts to provide outcome and impact data that demonstrates Extension’s public value and supports the mission and goals of Extension and the University of Minnesota.
• Work closely with Extension evaluators to ensure their active and aligned participation in departmental and Extension-wide evaluation efforts, including consistent use of the PEARS system.

Leadership Representation (20%)

• Participate on the national PEARS Advisory Committee, which represents all institutions that currently use the PEARS system.
• Collaborate with Extension Learning Technologies to ensure the PEARS Registration system is implemented successfully. Provide overall leadership to its implementation and use.
• Build and maintain relationships with key leaders across Extension that allow the Director to effectively track use of consistent evaluation practices, be responsive to questions and concerns, and recommend opportunities and solutions to facilitate data-driven decisions and effective communication.

About Extension

University of Minnesota Extension is a major outreach arm of the University of Minnesota with a mission to serve the public through applied research and education. Our mission is to make a difference by connecting community needs and University resources to address critical issues in Minnesota. Extension strives to attract and retain high-quality, passionate employees, and weave diversity, equity and inclusion into all aspects of Extension’s programming and employee engagement. Find further information on the Extension website.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click Apply and follow the instructions.

Please include the following attachments with your online application:

• Cover letter that speaks to your experience related to the position
• Resume/Vitae

Contact information for three professional references and college transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable) will be required during the interview process.

Additional documents may be attached after the application by accessing your “My Job Applications” page and uploading documents in the “My Cover Letters and Attachments” section. See full application instructions.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please email employ@umn.edu or call 612-624-UOHR (8647).

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America’s Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).