Senior Researcher/Project Director

The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver (DU) was created with the Governor’s Office to find data-informed solutions to Colorado’s most pressing social problems. We partner with government agencies and communities to conduct rigorous research that informs policies, programs, and investments. Guided by our eight essential elements, we use data to drive action and conduct high-quality, responsive, and actionable work. We also work closely with a network of affiliated researchers and evaluation teams.

The Colorado Lab team includes management, research teams, Evidence-Building Hub teams, the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) team, and operations. Staff need a strong grasp of research and evaluation methods and the ability to explain technical topics clearly, in writing and in person, to non-experts. We value a collaborative learning environment where colleagues are responsive to one another and to our partners, and where everyone holds themselves and each other accountable for high-quality, well-documented, timely work.

The Colorado Lab seeks to add one additional staff member at the Senior Researcher/Project Director level. The balance of Senior Researcher and Project Director functions will be based on the individual’s skill set and Lab needs.

Research and Evaluation Functions

• Serve as a senior researcher on projects that are directed by other members of the Colorado Lab team.
• Translate policy or practice questions into research designs. Engage government partners in this process to ensure research designs are matched to decision-making goals through skilled facilitation.
• Develop analysis plans for a variety of research designs, including causal evaluations and mixed methods studies, that promote rigor and generate actionable information.
• Develop theories of change for individual programs and investments within a public funding stream.
• Execute on a variety of analytic tasks, including data management and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, based on a project plan, recommending deviations from the plan as appropriate.
• Shepherd projects through the Institutional Review Board process.

Project Management Functions

• Develop project workplans that attend to the intersection of study activities and client goals.
• Adjust workplans in response to emergent learnings, client goals, and political or budgetary landscape.
• Balance task assignments within a project team relative to their time allocations for the project, proactively elevating to Lab leadership when adjustments are needed.

Project Communication and Dissemination Functions

• Conceptualize and execute on standard and innovative project deliverables that will meet project/decision-maker goals that are rooted in the Lab’s Essential Elements.
• Conceptualize and support development of data visualizations and other external facing, layered communication tools (e.g., executive summaries, factsheets, social media messaging).
• Lead dissemination of project findings that supports actionability and sustainability using effective oral and written communication for non-technical audiences about technical analytic and policy issues.
• Perform skilled facilitation among researchers, government partners, and stakeholders to support meaning-making and actionability of findings.

Project Development and Project Director Functions

• Direct and serve as the principal investigator on research projects involving multiple partners, tight deadlines, sensitive data, and potentially high-profile and/or controversial topics.
• Simultaneously lead multiple project teams, including supporting strengths-based staffing, monitoring workflow, and providing project-specific supervision to other researchers (e.g., statistical code review, conceptualizing literature review).
• Take responsibility/leadership for meeting projects’ contractual requirements and ensure projects stay within budget/time constraints. Identify, hire, and oversee external consultants/contractors.
• Lead the development of contract and grant proposals, scopes of work, and associated budgets.
• Initiate contract development with external partners/funders and provide content to the Lab’s operational liaison with DU.

Other Lab Functions:

• The Colorado Lab is highly interactive with policymakers, program staff and data stewards across all three branches of government. All staff are expected to play a role in supporting this value. Productively engage in and build reciprocal partnerships.
• The Colorado Lab collaborates with external researchers on many of our projects as consultants or analysts, this role may include project-specific supervision of these external researchers.
• Mentor, informally or formally, Lab team members.
• Advise on projects and consult with staff across the Lab on partner sensitivities, actionable opportunities, pivots, and strategic decisions.

• Demonstrated passion for improving government performance and addressing complex social problems.
• Demonstrated skill and commitment to building trusting relationships up and down the hierarchy of complex organizations.
• Excellence in both written and oral communications.
• Experience with technical and non-technical writing for peers, policy memos for policymakers and practitioners, slide decks, and public speaking.
• Exceptional project management capabilities and creativity in problem solving.
• Outstanding quantitative and analytical skills, including study design, analysis plan development and execution, and associated software use.
• Experience generating and/or using data to drive insights and action.
• Experience with skilled facilitation, evaluation capacity building, and other forms of knowledge translation and skill building.
• Track record of adeptly navigating complex organizations, developing trust with senior leaders, and building relationships among diverse groups of stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with an orientation toward balancing results and process, with a track record of driving actionable use of data/research with limited supervisory direction.
• Eagerness to learn, attention to detail, and ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects across diverse topic areas with tight deadlines.
• Adept at navigating sensitive policy and evidence-building issues with discretion, confidentiality, and confidence.

• PhD in public policy, public health, sociology, economics, criminal justice, law, or a related field.
• Six years of experience leading research projects (e.g., principal investigator or co-principal investigator), including successful supervision of less-experienced researchers in completing routine tasks and growing their skills over time.
• Experience with both quantitative and qualitative study design and data analysis.
• Experience using a variety of statistical programs one of which must be STATA or R.
• Experience generating and/or using data to drive insights and action.
• Experience working with government agencies on evidence building and/or the policymaking process. 
• In-depth knowledge of at least one major area of domestic social policy.

• Expertise in implementation science.
• Experience working with large administrative datasets.
• Track record of leading complex research projects and demonstrated success in meeting deadlines and government partner’s decision-making goals.
• Experience with innovative data visualizations and ways to share research findings.
• Track record of securing and managing external funding for research projects.
• Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder groups that include government, community/family and non-profit partners.

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Must be based in Colorado and within a two hour drive of the Denver metro area. This position is a balance of virtual and in-person work.

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 PM (MST) November 4, 2026.

Candidates must apply online through www.du.edu/jobs to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted. Once within the job description online, please scroll to the bottom of the page to apply. If you have questions regarding this position, please contact Elysia Versen at elysia@coloradolab.org.

The salary grade for the position is 14.

The salary range for this position is $95,000-$110,000.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Advertised: October 14, 2026
Applications close: November 04, 2026