Senior Associate, Research & Impact

About Overdeck Family Foundation

Overdeck Family Foundation (“the Foundation”) was founded in 2011 with the goal of providing all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. The Foundation focuses exclusively on enhancing education, funding efforts both inside and outside of school in the areas of early childhood, hands-on STEM education, and K-9 programs that include supporting educators and student-centered learning environments. Our grantmaking and strategic support focus on unlocking innovation, evidence, and growth opportunities for organizations that are committed to accelerating key academic and socioemotional outcomes for all children. The Foundation funds both direct impact organizations and ecosystem efforts that clear the path to scale for our grantees and the work that they do.

At the Overdeck Family Foundation, we achieve our impact by thinking and acting with rigor and collaborating with one another, fostering a culture of curiosity and learning while living our core values to drive meaningful change. Visit www.overdeck.org for more information.

The Senior Associate, Research & Impact Position

The Foundation is seeking a Senior Associate, Research & Impact to join its Strategic Impact and Learning (SIL) team to assess and build evidence about the ROI of the Foundation’s grantmaking. Reporting to the Research & Impact Officer, the Senior Associate will collaborate closely with the Program team to analyze, benchmark, and communicate the impact and cost-effectiveness of grant strategies and investments to inform data-driven decisions. The Senior Associate will manage a portfolio of research grants that include validation studies of grantee models and efforts to build critical knowledge aligned with portfolio strategies and domains. The role will also include directly supporting grantees to build evidence and key capacities. The ideal candidate combines research and analytical expertise with a collaborative and learning-oriented spirit, enabling them to engage with colleagues and external partners to apply insights toward achieving greater educational impact.

Visit www.overdeck.org for more information. Explore the Foundation’s 2025 research strategy and priorities, as well as the Research Repository to learn more about specific research investments. 

What You’ll Help Us Do: 

• Assess the impact and ROI of the Foundation’s grantmaking
  • Analyze the evidence base and costs for current and potential grantees
  • Collaborate with portfolios to generate comparative ROI analyses estimating and benchmarking the ROI of grant investments and strategies
  • Communicate impact, cost analyses, and findings in board meetings and materials
  • Support foundation-wide and strategy-level impact reporting
  • Advance field-wide efforts to better and more consistently measure and use ROI for education funding and policy decisions
• Manage grants in research and evidence-building that build critical insights for the foundation, grant partners, and the field
  • Source and review research proposals to assess and improve the quality and methodological rigor of proposed studies
  • Manage research grants, including advising on study design, implementation, and deliverables to maximize the likelihood of success
  • Guide efforts to support innovative research methodologies (leveraging AI and data science) to develop better, faster, and cheaper evidence
  • Communicate lessons learned through investments internally and externally
• Support grantees to build evidence about their impact and cost-effectiveness
  • Connect with current and potential grantees to identify opportunities to strengthen their evidence through rapid cycle experimentation and longer-term research efforts
  • Work with portfolios to identify grantee capacity-building needs, and deliver capacity-building support to a subset of grantees focused on specific goals and capacities (e.g., data science and systems, cost analysis)
  • Partner with Portfolio Success Team to identify third-party capacity-building opportunities and engagements

Who You Are:

An evidence enthusiast focused on applying insights to influence outcomes. You bring an incisive lens to the design and use of research, demonstrating dexterity with a range of research methods. You balance a range of data sources (e.g., existing evidence, field benchmarks, and organizational context) to form insights and shape recommendations. You quickly deduce the meaning and implications of research findings, and seek to socialize findings with colleagues and partners to encourage more evidence-based decisions. You communicate strategically to influence outcomes and align stakeholders toward shared priorities.

An empathetic and collaborative individual with a deep client service orientation. You build trusting relationships internally and externally because you are authentically you and you value candor and kindness in your interactions. You operate with a high level of self-awareness, humility, and emotional intelligence, and value the same in your colleagues. You collaborate effectively with a diverse set of decision-makers and perspectives to align on overarching objectives and tactics. You engage in conflict confidently and with kindness, navigating tensions by seeking understanding and valuing multiple perspectives. You integrate constructive feedback accurately and thoughtfully into your work products, and you are able to clearly explain the reasoning behind your decisions and perspectives to both internal and external audiences.

A strategic thinker and learning-oriented operator. You are able to collaboratively shape and advance the strategy for achieving the Foundation’s vision. You excel at understanding big-picture objectives, breaking them down into manageable goals, and outlining the steps necessary to achieve them. Your strong analytical skills allow you to anticipate potential obstacles and formulate contingency plans. You are skilled in aligning resources, timelines, and stakeholder roles for efficient execution. Being results-driven, you constantly monitor progress against objectives, making adjustments as needed to ensure your strategies stay on track. You demonstrate learning agility by experimenting, applying lessons from both successes and failures, and continuously improving approaches to maximize impact. 

A self-directed professional comfortable in a fast-paced environment. You can successfully take on and manage multiple priorities with focus. You are energized by tackling complex challenges and are comfortable navigating change and ambiguity. You bring creativity and innovation to your work, seeing potential in new ideas and translating them into solutions that deliver meaningful outcomes. You are a self-directed professional who can move tasks and work products forward independently, while knowing when to seek input or alignment with others to ensure high-quality outcomes.

What You’ve Done:

Required experience and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years of relevant work experience in impact evaluation/social policy research roles performing quantitative research and analysis
• Experience conducting economic analysis for social programs (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, SROI)
• K-12 education domain expertise
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to apply evidence and data to influence decisions and outcomes

Preferred experience:

• Graduate degree in relevant sector (econometrics, economics/applied economics, statistics, or social sciences)
• Experience working at or assisting education nonprofits and practitioners with understanding and building evidence of impact
• Substantive knowledge of K-12 products and interventions, including edtech, tutoring, curriculum, professional learning, and assessment

Working at Overdeck Family Foundation:
Overdeck Family Foundation is committed to providing a total rewards package (both total compensation and benefits) that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. The base pay for this role is anticipated to be between $120,000 and $130,000, including a discretionary year-end bonus based on performance. Please note that the top end of our compensation range is reserved for candidates who fully meet the required skills, qualifications, and experience.

Our best-in-class benefits and perks reflect our investment in our employees’ well-being, as well as their personal and professional growth. Our total rewards include:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents, including a One Medical membership
• Hybrid & Remote Work Support: A balanced approach to in-office and remote work to support collaboration and flexibility, plus a $1,500 home workspace stipend for new hires
• Paid Time Off & Wellness:
  • Generous PTO: 20 days annually, increasing to 25 after five years, plus Foundation closure on major holidays, an end-of-year reset week, and unlimited sick days
  • Lifestyle & Wellness: Stipends for gym memberships and fitness programs
  • Sabbatical Leave: One month fully paid after seven years of employment
• Professional Growth: $3,000 annually for professional development opportunities
• 401K Retirement Savings: 1:1 match up to $5,000, plus an additional 8% employer contribution of base salary annually
• Matching Gifts Program: 1:1 match for donations and volunteer hours up to $5,000 per year, plus Milestone Tenure Grants for employees to donate to an eligible nonprofit of their choice every five years of service
• Family Planning Support: Coverage for IVF treatments (up to 3 cycles), generous stipends for family planning and backup childcare, and fully paid 16-week primary caregiver leave

Overdeck Family Foundation requires all employees to live within a commutable distance from New York City and does not provide relocation assistance. The Foundation is currently working from a temporary space in the FiDi while a new and expanded office in SoHo is being developed, expected to open in early 2026. 

How to Apply

Please submit your application here, including a work sample, published or in progress, that demonstrates your independent research or analytical approach. The preferred application deadline for this position is December 3, 2025. Note that we do not guarantee review of applications after this date.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Overdeck Family Foundation is dedicated to unlocking every child’s potential. We are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees can thrive personally and professionally. As an equal opportunity employer, we make all employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.