Program Development and Evaluation Specialist

Identifying Information

Organization Summary

Canadian Mental Health Association – Edmonton Region (CMHA Edmonton) is a community-based organization dedicated to strengthening mental health and wellbeing for all. Guided by its mission to advance a coordinated and effective system of community mental health and suicide prevention programs and services, CMHA Edmonton delivers a broad range of supports, including crisis response, navigation services, housing services, peer and family programs, and community-based initiatives. The organization is committed to person-centered service delivery, collaboration, lived-experience leadership, and continuous improvement in the support of meaningful and lasting community impact.

Program Area Summary

CMHA Edmonton’s Community Programs and Strategies area offers community mental health programs grounded in lived experience. The Community Programs and Strategies team, which includes many peers (people with lived experience), co-designs and co-facilitates community outreach, lived experience engagement, and recovery-oriented education and services that support mental health, housing stability, and social inclusion. The Community Programs and Strategies team also co-develops innovative community-based research, system-change initiatives, and peer-led evaluation through strong partnerships to improve outcomes for individuals and communities across Edmonton.

Role Summary

The Program Development and Evaluation Specialist plays a central role in strengthening CMHA Edmonton’s community mental health impact by supporting program planning and quality improvement and by leading evaluation, applied research, and knowledge mobilization across the organization.

Approximately 60% of this role’s work will focus on advancing peer-led evaluation and planning for two key strategic programs – Peer Support Services and Peer College. The remaining 40% of work will be to support the development and implementation of a phased, organization-wide evaluation framework.

Working closely with program leaders, partners, and people with lived experience, this role ensures initiatives are evidence-informed, outcomes-focused, and continuously improving. The role also provides leadership in peer-led research and evaluation, knowledge sharing, and system-wide learning, helping position CMHA Edmonton as a backbone organization within Edmonton’s community mental health system.

This role contributes to grant writing, reporting, and strategic communications to support sustainability, scaling, and sector influence.

Key Responsibilities

1. Evaluation and Research

• Conduct annual program evaluations across programs.
• Provide coaching and practice leadership on evaluation, data use, and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Support mixed-methods research, including storytelling, participant insights, and community-based evidence generation.
• Establish and maintain partnerships with academic institutions and evaluation consultants.
• Lead development of technical reports, evaluation products, and contributions to academic publications.
• Co-create a body of applied research on peer support, recovery, system navigation, and community mental health.
• Ensure ethical, accessible, and community-grounded research practices.
• Represent CMHA Edmonton in evaluation, research, and system planning forums.

2. Program Planning and Development

• Support program managers in designing, refining, and scaling community-based mental health programs.
• Co-develop theories of change, outcomes, and delivery models with staff and people with lived experience.
• Support quality improvement for existing programs and the development of new initiatives, pilots, and system innovations informed by evidence and community need.
• Support alignment of program design with evaluation frameworks, learning priorities, and funder requirements.

3. Knowledge Mobilization

• Design and implement a knowledge sharing framework, including in-person, digital, and community-based formats.
• Translate evaluation findings into accessible formats (reports, infographics, presentations, webinars).
• Support presentation of findings to stakeholders including community groups, partners, and funders.
• Support development of materials for dissemination through reports back to stakeholders, public-facing and media communications, and sector engagement to share program learning widely.
• Translate findings into plain-language reports, briefs, and presentations.
• Contribute data to grant writing, proposals, and funder reporting.

4. Peer-Led Research and Evaluation

• Lead the implementation of a peer-led research and evaluation model, engaging people with lived experience in design, data collection, analysis, and storytelling to improve programs and elevate lived experience.
• Engage peer governance group and program participants connected to Peer Support Services and Peer College programs in evaluation oversight and qualitative research.
• Support program leaders internally and externally in building capacity to use peer-led research and evaluation approaches.

Required Qualifications/Experience

• Master’s degree in evaluation, social sciences, implementation science, public policy, public health, community development, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Minimum three years of experience in program development, evaluation, applied research, quality improvement, or implementation within community mental health, health, social services, or the non-profit sector.
• Demonstrated experience designing and conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods evaluations, including development of outcomes, indicators, data collection tools, and evaluation frameworks.
• Experience with participatory, community-based, or peer-led research and evaluation approaches that meaningfully engage people with lived and living experience.
• Strong knowledge of program planning, theory of change, quality improvement, and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Experience managing and analyzing multiple forms of data and translating findings into actionable recommendations for program and system improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective partnerships with community organizations, academic institutions, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Strong writing, facilitation, presentation, and knowledge mobilization skills, including the ability to communicate complex findings in accessible formats for diverse audiences.
• Experience contributing to grant applications, funder reporting, strategic planning, and organizational learning initiatives.
• Knowledge of recovery-oriented practice, peer support, community mental health systems, and equity-focused approaches to service design and evaluation.
• Commitment to lived-experience leadership, inclusion, cultural responsiveness, and community-centered practice.

Core Competencies

• Program Development and Improvement – Designs, implements, and strengthens programs using evidence, community knowledge, participant feedback, and continuous learning.
• Evaluation and Research – Plans and conducts evaluations using appropriate methods to measure outcomes, understand impact, and support program and organizational learning.
• Data Analysis and Evidence Use – Collects, analyzes, and interprets information from multiple sources and turns findings into practical recommendations and actions.
• Inclusive Engagement – Engages people with lived and living experience as meaningful partners in planning, evaluation, decision-making, and knowledge sharing.
• Knowledge Sharing and Communication – Communicates findings clearly through reports, presentations, training, and other accessible formats for diverse audiences.
• Collaboration and Capacity Building – Builds strong relationships with staff, community partners, researchers, funders, and peer leaders, while supporting others to use evaluation and learning practices effectively.
• Values-Based Leadership – Applies ethical, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equity-focused approaches while connecting program learning to organizational goals, sustainability, and systems change.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance in this role is measured across the following core areas. Specific targets and benchmarks will be established in alignment with program and operational goals.

• Peer Support Services and Peer College Progress – Achievement of annual evaluation and program development priorities for Peer Support Services and Peer College.
• Evaluation Plan Completion – Percentage of assigned programs with a current evaluation plan in place.
• Evaluation Delivery – Percentage of planned evaluations completed on time each year.
• Evaluation Framework Implementation – Progress toward developing, implementing, and embedding the organization-wide evaluation framework.
• Lived Experience Engagement – Percentage of evaluations that meaningfully involve people with lived experience.
• Quality Improvement – Percentage of evaluation recommendations that are translated into documented improvement actions.
• Program Development Support – Number of program design, redesign, or expansion initiatives supported with outcomes, indicators, and evaluation approaches.
• Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing – Delivery of training, coaching, reports, presentations, and other knowledge-sharing activities that improve evaluation use across the organization.
• Partnerships, Reporting, and Strategic Support – Achievement of partnership goals and timely support for grant applications, funder reporting, strategic planning, and organizational decision-making through evaluation evidence.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in an office environment, with extended periods of sitting and computer use.
• Regular use of technology, databases, and multiple software platforms is required.
• The role involves interaction with individuals experiencing stress, crisis, or complex personal situations, requiring emotional resilience and professionalism.
• Work hours are generally Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm, but on occasion this position may need to work evenings and weekends.
• Participation in meetings, training sessions, and community events is required.
• Travel may be required for meetings, training, and community engagement activities, based on operational needs.