Experience

Scarlatti

• New Zealand
• Business Consulting and Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Research Manager

  • May 2023 - Present

  Scarlatti provides a range of data and analytics services to government sector and primary industry organisations. My role has primarily focussed on Scarlatti’s monitoring and evaluation services, designing and delivering mixed-method evaluation projects. I lead small teams and partner with clients through all stages of a project. This work includes creating intervention logic models, developing outcomes frameworks, data collection plans and tools, and delivering evidence-based insights that are focussed on solutions. A key success to date includes delivering final insights to a crown entity that were so well received the team immediately forwarded to the DCE for review. Show less



Ministry of Social Development (MSD)

• New Zealand
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Lead Survey Designer (Secondment)

  • Apr 2021 - Apr 2023

  The Heartbeat project was established within the Client Experience team at MSD to design and implement an ongoing client experience survey and dashboard. One of MSD’s strategic priorities is Mana Manaaki – to create a positive experience every time for clients. In 2019 the Ministry began sending daily client experience surveys that would allow MSD to listen to clients’ feedback and support change where it is needed. Surveys were initially paused in 2020 for COVID-19. I have led a small team to re-establish all work on the existing survey, test new survey ideas based on insights from across the Client Experience team’s work, and develop future survey priorities. While a core part of my role is delivering the Heartbeat survey and insights, I also provide consultation and support within the team and more broadly. Responsibilities include:• Understanding longer-term strategic priorities and current operational needs to identify where the client experience team can deliver value.• Communicating client insights to leadership and adapting how we gather insights and deliver findings over time to ensure we are responsive to needs.• Collaborating with the broader Client Experience team to develop a set of key drivers of positive experience that can inform design and delivery of services. Show less

• Director Client Experience (Acting)

  • Jun 2022 - Oct 2022

  The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is a critical part of New Zealand’s social support system, providing income, employment and other support to help people lead healthy successful lives. The Client Experience team manages MSD’s ongoing client experience survey, provides service recovery if unmet need is identified through the survey, and engages in qualitative research designed to gather a depth of client voice on specific topics. I managed a team of nine people, supporting them to partner with other teams across MSD to understand needs related to client voice, find solutions when challenges arose, and ensure robust approaches to insights gathering. I looked for opportunities for change, and how best to support next steps as the team embarked on a new chapter. This included encouraging the team to critically reflect on how they organise and manage work and to be open to new ways of partnering to ensure we understand needs and deliver actionable insights. Show less

• Principal Advisor - System Performance

  • Sep 2020 - Apr 2021

  The System Performance team provides ongoing monitoring and reporting of benefit numbers, modelling and forecasting for budget requirements, and analytics and other data support to teams across MSD. Critical to my role was the ability to understand MSD’s information needs and support team members to meet them. I used my experience having worked in both Service Delivery and Strategy & Insights at MSD to look for opportunities to increase connections between the two areas and explore what data insights were needed. Show less

• Senior Client Experience Analyst

  • Dec 2019 - Sep 2020

  MSD’s client experience team focusses on gathering client insights about their experiences with MSD to support service design and delivery work and strategic planning. This role required a high degree of flexibility and responsiveness in an uncertain and ever-changing environment. Work in the first few months focussed on establishing a team to provide a dashboard training to all service centres across the country on the Heartbeat Client Experience Survey results dashboard. New Zealand then moved into Level 4 lockdown in response to COVID-19. All existing work was paused so the Ministry could focus on the COVID-19 response. I volunteered to support the COVID-19 response at National Office and joined a team managing the wage subsidy and leave support scheme implementation. After New Zealand moved out of the first lockdown, I organised a series of activities gathering user experience feedback on MSD’s digital services and uptake of the COVID-19 support schemes. Key activities:• Led a daily cross-agency conference call during COVID-19 Levels 3 and 4 to identify and resolve employer questions regarding the COVID-19 wage subsidy and leave support schemes. • Coordinated across key business areas within MSD to develop and finalise questions and answers for the COVID-19 wage subsidy and leave support webpages.• Provided insights around uptake of the COVID-19 support schemes, and recent changes to MSD’s online tools. Show less

• Dashboard and Survey Designer

  • Oct 2018 - Dec 2019

  In 2019 MSD implemented a new ongoing Heartbeat client experience survey. The survey was designed to improve client insights and support MSD’s new client commitment and strategic priorities, including Mana Manaaki – a positive experience every time. I worked in an agile way to lead the survey and dashboard workstreams for the new survey. I engaged with clients and stakeholders at MSD sites and National Office to understand their priorities and incorporate their views into survey and dashboard development and implementation. Key responsibilities:• Influenced project leadership and other stakeholders to consider new approaches to survey design and implementation challenges. • Promoted a survey design that incorporates a client-centred approach.• Collaborated with the Learning & Capability team and teams across service delivery to design a sound dashboard training. • Consulted on evaluation objectives to ensure robust learnings from dashboard implementation, and identify a plan to support further dashboard rollout in the future.• Collaborated with team members and other National Office stakeholders to achieve signoff on challenging issues related to health and safety, privacy, consent and confidentiality. Show less



Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children

• New Zealand
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Principal Advisor - Research & Evaluation

  • Mar 2018 - Oct 2018

  The Evidence Centre provides research and evaluation support across Oranga Tamariki, promoting high-quality, evidence-building approaches and evidence-based decision making. As a Principal Advisor I provided leadership within the Evidence Centre and across the Ministry to support high quality research and evaluation advice and influence the organisation’s work. I supported team members taking on new projects and worked with internal and cross-sector stakeholders to understand service delivery needs and identify robust and pragmatic plans for building the evidence around them. Show less

• Senior Analyst - Research and Evaluation

  • Apr 2017 - Mar 2018

  The Evidence Centre was created to provide research and evaluation support after Oranga Tamariki was established following the recommendations from an Expert Panel. This role required strong key stakeholder management and communication skills, and the ability to balance flexibility with adherence to research and evaluation best practices while navigating the uncertainty of working in a newly established government ministry. Responsibilities included exercising sound technical judgement about the approaches that will build an evidence base for programmes and initiatives in a time and cost-efficient manner. Key accountabilities:• Led key stakeholders though intervention logic and theory of change processes to ensure services align with the Ministry’s strategic priorities• Implemented mixed method research and evaluation approaches that produce relevant and timely evidence on services and programmes• Developed a suite of research and evaluation plans that required engaging with key external stakeholders such as the Principal Youth Court Judge and the Justice Sector Science Advisor. Show less



Ministry of Social Development (MSD)

• New Zealand
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Analyst, Research & Evaluation

  • Aug 2016 - Mar 2017

  The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is a critical part of New Zealand’s social support system, providing income, employment and other support to New Zealanders. For success in this role I needed to maintain an agile approach in the face of large-scale change, and to identify a sound path forward in the face of uncertain and changing priorities. I joined the Ministry of Social Development during a significant change initiative in New Zealand’s public sector with the creation of Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children. I took on leadership of large projects transitioning to Oranga Tamariki, such as evaluation of a cross-sector initiative to meet the needs of children falling below the statutory threshold for care but still at risk of harm. Key accountabilities: • Provided timely, accurate advice to internal stakeholders • Influence early evaluation planning for new Ministry initiatives • Developed high-quality deliverables that met key stakeholder expectations despite uncertainty during the Ministry’s transition. Key Achievement: • Developed an evaluation plan and achieved buy-in for a project with a history of challenges reaching an agreed evaluation approach. Reaching agreement required me to influence the initiative’s leadership to consider different perspectives on the key learnings that would be most valuable, and alternative approaches to evidence gathering. Show less



OMNI Institute

• United States
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Researcher I and II

  • Nov 2011 - Aug 2016

  OMNI Institute provides research and evaluation services to non-profit and government agencies in Colorado, and across the United States. I balanced multiple short and long-term projects across a range of topic areas. Critical skills for success included strong collaboration, the ability to support strategic cross-sector partnerships, and an ability to understand the needs and perspectives of key stakeholders. I independently led projects for high priority clients, worked with partners to integrate evaluation processes into service delivery, and participated in collaborative teams for state-wide evaluations. Key activities: • Led a three-person evaluation technical assistance team for a large federal grant aimed at implementing a screening for risky alcohol and other substance use in health care settings. • Participated in several multi-year grant evaluations requiring seven to 10-member internal project teams and collaborated with external funders and sub-contractors. I supported eight to ten providers through each grant. • Led a legislatively-mandated evaluation for the Colorado Department of Education. The evaluation took place at a time when statewide standardised testing was transitioning to a new set of testing instruments, creating challenges with measuring student learning over time. Reports were well-received and reviewed publicly in state legislative sessions. • Co-developed and facilitated an Evaluation and Organisational Sustainability workshop that was so successful the funder requested additional workshops for non-grant funded providers. Show less



Argosy University

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Learner Support Specialist

  • Nov 2010 - Nov 2011

  Argosy University is a private school system providing university-level education at campuses across the United States. I oversaw Information Commons/Library operations for the Denver campus. I created policies and procedures, conducted information literacy sessions and developed tutorials and library guides on university resources. I also provided technical assistance regarding student technology, and assisted students in developing a resource list and plan for research projects. Argosy University is a private school system providing university-level education at campuses across the United States. I oversaw Information Commons/Library operations for the Denver campus. I created policies and procedures, conducted information literacy sessions and developed tutorials and library guides on university resources. I also provided technical assistance regarding student technology, and assisted students in developing a resource list and plan for research projects.



OMNI Institute

• United States
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Researcher

  • Jun 2010 - Nov 2010



University of Illinois Chicago

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Project Coordinator

  • Oct 2007 - Jun 2010

  The Survey Research Laboratory (SRL) provided survey expertise and support to a variety of clients to administer small-scale and nationwide surveys. Project coordinators organised survey activities from drafting survey questions, to developing computer-assisted questionnaires, sampling approaches, training the field teams for phone and face-to-face surveys and interviews, and analysis. I managed implementation of research activities for multi-year grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The grants explored the effects of cultural orientation and race/ethnicity on survey responding. We developed surveys that incorporated a variety of question design elements and conducted 1000 face-to-face interviews with four different race/ethnic groups in three languages. The research also involved collecting biological samples to validate some aspects of survey responding. A portion of the sample was considered hard-to-reach, requiring creative outreach and careful sampling decisions to maintain a robust methodology. I simultaneously led a number of smaller research and evaluation projects, monitored budgets for all supporting units, and completed annual reporting. Show less



Cook County Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department

• Chicago, Illinois

• Research Analyst

  • 2006 - 2007



University of Illinois Chicago

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Teaching Assistant and Lead Instructor

  • 1998 - 2006

  My responsibilities included developing and conducing lectures for large audiences, facilitating small group discussions, evaluating students' course submissions, and providing individual support to students. As a teaching assistant I collaborated with peers in the same role. As a lead instructor I independently developed syllabi and taught courses to undergraduate students. My responsibilities included developing and conducing lectures for large audiences, facilitating small group discussions, evaluating students' course submissions, and providing individual support to students. As a teaching assistant I collaborated with peers in the same role. As a lead instructor I independently developed syllabi and taught courses to undergraduate students.



Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

• Chicago, Illinois

• Research Analyst

  • 1999 - 2004