Policy Lab Director (SPHTM)
Background
The City of New Orleans envisions a city where all residents are safe from gun violence and are empowered to reach their full potential, and she’s tasked her administration with creating the structures to meaningfully reduce the number of gun-related murders in the City of New Orleans over the next 50 years.
Despite the fact that there have been at least 119 murders every year for the last 50 years, there has not been an office dedicated to tracking the underlying trends, developing public health interventions that prevent violence and then measuring the effectiveness of those interventions.
What is the Gun Violence Policy Lab?
The Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) was created in April 2021 and was tasked with three core functions: 1) Deliver public health interventions to prevent gun violence; 2) Scale those interventions through sustainable funding options like outcomes-based financing; and 3) Evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions and analyzing overall trends in gun violence in New Orleans. Through a partnership with the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the Gun Violence Policy Lab (“Policy Lab”) will manage the third pillar -- studying trends in gun violence in New Orleans and the effectiveness of public health interventions over time.
Summary of Position
The Director of the Policy Lab will be responsible for creating an evaluation framework and leading all evaluation and data analysis activities related to gun violence prevention. This includes:
· Creation of an evaluation framework for analyzing gun violence trends in New Orleans and assessing the efficacy of prevention related activities across the city
· Identifying helpful secondary sources of data for analysis
· Setting up internal data collection systems and methods
· Offering regular analysis and reports that will guide the direction of public health resources and interventions city-wide
· Creating reports every 6-months for public consumption on trends and the effectiveness of interventions
· Creating a risk assessment to allow us to prioritize who is most in need of resources
· Acting as an integral member of both the City’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) and the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane’s teams
· Overseeing the work of a data analyst dedicated analyses for the project
· Interfacing with stakeholders like the New Orleans City Council, nonprofit partners, and funders
Additionally, the Director must create the data infrastructure to support the OGVP’s team as they:
· Respond to gunshot victims at UMC Hospital to perform needs assessments
· Participate in daily huddles to assess needs and coordinate services
· Complete required documentation and paperwork, including biopsychosocial assessments and treatment
· Provide services to clients and their families
· Work in collaboration with multidisciplinary team members including external partners
Qualifications of the Director
· Masters in epidemiology, demography, economics, sociology, or a related field; PhD preferred. At least 5 years of experience with social science research and evaluation work
· Significant experience with creating evaluation frameworks, designing data collection tools, and advanced data analysis
· Fluency in SAS, STATA, and/or R
· Strong project management and organizational skills, including an ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, pay attention to details, and meet deadlines.
· Strong interpersonal skills, including a desire to work in a fast-paced and team-oriented environment, and the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and staff.
· Cultural responsiveness and the ability to authentically connect with New Orleanians is essential