Senior Associate - Technical Assistance and Training Specialist

Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) is seeking a Senior Associate - Technical Assistance and Training Specialist for full-time employment in our Workforce and Human Services Division.  We are a growing and dynamic research, evaluation, and technical assistance firm located in Oakland, CA.  We are seeking applications from highly qualified senior technical assistance professionals with subject matter expertise in the workforce system, innovative workforce development policies and practices that help people with disabilities attain competitive employment, and advancing racial equity.

The Company:  At SPR, we believe in providing rigorous, high quality research, evaluation, training and technical assistance to improve the well-being of diverse groups of individuals, families, organizations, and communities. SPR’s work spans multiple areas of social policy, often focusing on supporting our clients with workforce development, employment training, education, philanthropy, youth development, health, and other human service issues. Over the past 30 years, SPR has earned national recognition for our work in evaluating the role of philanthropic and public-sector investments in policies and programs designed to improve outcomes for diverse populations across the country. Our clients consistently share an appreciation of the analytic lens and technical rigor that we bring to our work, and our ability to engage real-time data to inform continuous learning and iterative strategy improvements. For more information about SPR, please visit our website at www.spra.com. 

What we are looking for:  An Equal Opportunity Employer and federal contractor, SPR is an organization that values a staff with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability and veteran status (EEO/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled).  

All candidates must meet all the following requirements to be considered for this position: 

• 10+ years experience carrying out training and technical assistance for a range of public and nonprofit sector clients.
• Master’s degree in one of a variety of disciplines, including public policy, public health, sociology, education, psychology, economics, and other social sciences OR Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years experience.
• 3+ years experience overseeing a portfolio of work, including management of project budgets, staff and timelines.
• Knowledge of and experience with the public workforce system and specifically workforce development policies and practices that help people with disabilities attain competitive employment. 
• Ability to bring a culturally responsive, critical race, disability, gender, and equity lens to technical assistance and training system-building activities. Specific expertise and interest in advancing racial equity.
• Excellent writing, oral communication, and analytical skills.

Preferred skills:

• Experience with the public bid and proposal system, and business development more generally.
• Extensive experience managing federal workforce-related contracts or grants.
• Expertise in career pathways systems.
• Practitioner-level experience in a public agency or education setting.

The Position:  Senior Associates at SPR have key responsibilities for working within multiple project teams to implement technical assistance projects and/or research and evaluation studies, and (depending on experience) may oversee portfolios of work. Specific duties will vary by previous experience, but may include a mix of the following:

• Senior‐level curriculum development and training delivery in‐person and online.
• Senior‐level tool and resource development, including toolkits, issue briefs, reports, and training tools.
• Design and facilitation of multi‐faceted technical assistance projects and initiatives with a wide spectrum of methods and deliverables.
• Serving as a senior coach and/or supervising a team of coaches in technical assistance projects.
• Supporting clients in navigating complex challenges.
• Designing and managing implementation of conferences, meetings or other events, including overseeing agenda and logistics.
• Project management responsibilities, including overseeing technical execution, budget management, staff development and client relations on behalf of the project.
• Representing SPR as a subject matter, technical, and methodological expert with current and prospective clients and within field‐level networks.
• Making substantial and meaningful contributions to winning bid and proposal efforts.
• Carrying out other duties as assigned.

The Location: SPR is conveniently located right on top of the City Center BART station in downtown Oakland. The building plaza has great food options for lunch, and we are just a few blocks away from Chinatown restaurants. Please note that SPR is following all current, applicable state and county health and operating orders, and this position may not have immediate access to the physical SPR office.  Once we resume regular operations, SPR will continue to flexibly offer hybrid at-home/in-office schedules for staff.  

Other Information: In this role, you can expect to work in an office environment; occasional lifting up to 40 lbs; frequent telephone usage; extensive computer use; use of office machines; heavy keyboarding. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. SPR offers excellent benefits, including health, dental, vision, and 401k plan.

How to Apply:  Apply through our website at https://www.spra.com/about-spr/careers/. This position will remain open until filled. No follow up phone calls please.