Director, Evaluation & Learning

Director Evaluation and Learning

The California Endowment is seeking an Director Evaluation and Learning. Reporting to the Vice President Knowledge Management the hybrid role will report 2 days in one of our 5 office locations (Los Angeles Oakland Fresno Sacramento or San Diego).

We expect to accept applications untilMay 10.However because we review candidates as they apply the role may be filled before this date. To ensure your application is considered in the first wave of interviews please submit your materials as soon as possible.

The California Endowment (The Endowment) is a private statewide health foundation established in 1996 whose mission is to expand access to affordable quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. We envision a California that leads the nation as a powerful and conscientious voice for wellness inclusion and shared prosperity.

Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles the Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento Oakland Fresno and San Diego with staff working throughout the state. We challenge the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for peoples health. We believe that health happens in neighborhoods schools and with prevention.

Position Summary:

The Director Evaluation and Learning is a strategic leader responsible for advancing The California Endowment (TCE)s ability to measure impact generate actional insights and drive continuous learning in service of advancing our mission. This role is responsible for designing and implementing learning agendas and impact frameworks that assess how TCEs grantmaking convenings investments and internal operations contribute to systems change. The Director Evaluation and Learning ensures that evaluation is not solely a compliance function but a learning-centered equity-driven practice that informs strategy strengthens partnerships and improves outcomes.

This position will report to the Vice President Knowledge partnership with the VP Knowledge Management and the Director Knowledge Strategy and Organizational Learning this position will foster a culture ofinquiry reflection and adaptation ensuring that data and lived experience are meaningfully integrated into decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Impact and Learning:

Enterprise Knowledge Strategy:

• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure that evaluation findings inform strategy development implementation and refinement.
• Ensures insights are effectively captured synthesized and shared across the enterprise.
• Leads sense-making processes with staff board and grantees to understand progress and identify strategic shifts or adaptations.
• Develops tools and processes that translate data into actionable insights for decision-making.
• Serves as a champion for Trust-Based Philanthropy (TBP) ensuring that grantmaking practices support grantee and field learning and decision-making while reducing grantee burden.

Staff Management and Development:

• Sets clear strategic goals and performance expectations and conducts performance reviews for direct reports.
• Provides ongoing performance management by providing guidance clear and consistent feedback and supporting opportunities for learning and development for communications staff.
• Fosters and leads a diverse collaborative and inclusive work environment that welcomes points of view that are inclusive of each persons professional cultural social ethnic and experiential backgrounds.

Cross-Functional Alignment Collaboration and Innovation:

• Fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement among leaders staff and grantee partners while also building internal trust and alignment around the roles purpose especially as expectations and assumptions about knowledge work at TCE evolve.
• Collaborates across the enterprise to enhance operational efficiency and ensures that knowledge systems support decision-making and innovation.
• Designs and facilitates learning spaces such as learning sessions after-action reviews and cross-team dialogues to support teams in interpreting and applying data to improve programs and operations.
• Supports enterprise-wide initiatives that require evaluation and learning integration.

Field Building and External Engagement:

• Represents TCE in national and regional philanthropic learning spaces contributing thought leadership and learning from the field.
• Engages and builds relationships with philanthropy colleagues academic institutions and community-based evaluators and leaders to advance shared knowledge and field-wide practices.
• Promotes inclusive and accessible dissemination of insights to diverse audiences supporting shared understanding and community empowerment.
• Stays current on emerging practices in equitable evaluation and systems change measurement.

Measurement Evaluation and Accountability:

Resource Management

Desired Knowledge Skills & Abilities:

• Deep understanding of health equity racial equity social determinants of health and systems-change approaches.
• Excellent relationship building facilitation and interpersonal communication skills both written and verbal.
• Proven success in working enterprise-wide collaborating across different departments to achieve a shared outcome.
• Understanding of philanthropic infrastructure organizations (PIOs) philanthropic serving organizations (PSOs) and funder collaboratives.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced high-stakes environment with competing deadlines.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into actional strategies and compelling narratives.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity in dynamic partnership environments.
• Strong collaborative skills and cultural competency with experience engaging diverse populations and stakeholders.
• Strong project management strategic thinking and organizational skills.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel PowerPoint Word Outlook).

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum ten (10) years of experience in evaluation learning strategy or research preferably in philanthropy nonprofit or public sector with five (5) or more years of management experience.
• A bachelors degree in public health public policy evaluation or related field is equivalent to four years of relevant experience.
• Deep understanding of and commitment to tce principles ensuring that all engagements with staff partners and grantees are rooted in trust transparency and shared power. Champions TBP as a guiding principle in organizational processes and decision-making.
• Experience designing and implementing learning agendas and impact frameworks.

Salary Range:

Target Hiring Range: $186475 - $233094

Full Salary Range: $186475 - $279713

Compensation offers are determined based on the candidates relevant experience market data and internal equity. Most offers fall within the target hiring range with the full salary range reserved to support growth and progression over time in the role.

TCE Benefits and Perks

The California Endowments goal is to hire qualified staff reflecting the rich diversity of all Californians. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to advancing health and racial equity in California. We are committed to creating a work environment in which all individuals are valued and respected. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. We define diversity in broad terms to include race ethnicity age gender religion sexual orientation gender identity and expression disability geography socio-economic status veteran status and prior criminal history in accordance with local state and/or federal laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening apply for a position or participate in the interview process please connect with us at and describe the specific accommodation request for a disability-related limitation.