Strengthening monitoring & evaluation and behavioural outcome tracking at WoodGreen Community Services - ON-1136

Genre de projet: Recherche
Discipline(s) souhaitée(s): Statistiques / études actuarielles, Sciences mathématiques, Psychologie, Sciences sociales et humaines, Travail social
Entreprise: WoodGreen Community Services
Durée du projet: 6 mois à 1 an
Date souhaitée de début: Dès que possible
Langue exigée: Anglais
Emplacement(s): Toronto, ON, Canada
Nombre de postes: 1
Niveau de scolarité désiré: MaîtriseDoctoratRecherche postdoctoraleNouvelle diplômée/nouveau diplômé
Ouvert aux candidatures de personnes inscrites à un établissement à l’extérieur du Canada: No

Au sujet de l’entreprise: 

WoodGreen Community Services (WCS) is among Toronto’s largest social service agencies, with more than 85 years of history. Each year, WCS serves over 40,000 clients across domains such as housing, financial empowerment, newcomer settlement, employment, family and youth services. Within WCS, the Community Programs Unit (CPU) encompasses multiple sub‐units, including the Financial Empowerment Unit; Newcomer & Settlement Services (including language supports); Integrated Employment Services (IES), which hosts the Workforce Development arm and the WG Booking Centre (a centralized hub for clients to schedule services such as tax clinics, employment counselling, and financial coaching). As a United Way Anchor Agency, WCS partners with and receives funding from United Way Greater Toronto. https://www.woodgreen.org/foundation. In addition, WCS secures funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and multiple private foundations and corporate donors. Given this scale and diversity of funding—spanning federal, municipal, corporate, philanthropic, and institutional sources—the CPU is well positioned to effect transformative impact. However, its capacity to do so is constrained by the lack of a unified outcomes measurement and learning framework that can bridge disparate funder requirements and reflect the full breadth of its work.

Veuillez décrire le projet.: 

Project Description
Despite WoodGreen’s robust strategic plan, the organization lacks a unified Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) framework to measure impact across its Community Programs Unit (CPU). With over 20 funders, each requiring distinct and shifting data metrics, program-level reporting has become fragmented and inconsistent. As a result, evidence of success remains siloed within individual projects, preventing the CPU from demonstrating a collective “story of change” or leveraging lessons learned to improve services agency-wide. This absence undermines transparency, limits data-informed decision-making, and constrains the organization’s ability to showcase impact to funders, policymakers, and the community.

Stream 1: Building an M&E Framework
The project will pilot the development of WoodGreen’s first comprehensive M&E framework within the CPU before scaling it agency-wide. This framework will establish consistent outcome indicators, logic models, and reporting tools that move beyond fragmented, funder-driven requirements. By enabling cross-program comparability and evidence-based reporting, the system will strengthen accountability, improve learning across services, and secure stakeholder confidence in WoodGreen’s ability to deliver sustainable impact.

Stream 2: Piloting Behavioural Outcome Interventions
In parallel, the project will test behavioural science techniques to improve client engagement and service continuity. The CPU currently faces persistent operational challenges such as high appointment no-show rates and delayed follow-ups. Research shows that simple “nudges,” such as personalized reminders and timely follow-ups, can significantly improve attendance and long-term outcomes. The project will design and pilot a low-cost reminder system) and implement earlier follow-up checks, tracking their impact on no-show reduction, retention, and client satisfaction.
Through a MITACS-supported partnership, three graduate interns will support both streams—two focusing on the M&E design and one leading the behavioural pilot. Together, these innovations will position WoodGreen to embed a culture of evidence-based learning while testing scalable, client-centered approaches to improve service delivery.

Expertise ou compétences exigées: 

Required Expertise/Skills
The project requires graduate-level expertise in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Program Evaluation, and Applied Research Methods. Candidates should demonstrate strong skills in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, with proficiency in survey design, key informant interviewing, and outcome harvesting methodologies. Advanced knowledge of statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, R, or Stata) and data visualization platforms such as Power BI or Tableau is required to develop dashboards and translate findings into actionable insights. Familiarity with Microsoft PowerApps, Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables), will be essential for integrating data streams and improving organizational reporting.

Strong written communication and knowledge translation skills are required to synthesize findings for academic, policy, and community audiences. A background in social services, community development, or public policy will be valuable to contextualize the data within real-world service delivery.

Assets (Optional):
Familiarity with CRM systems, experience with behavioural science interventions, human-centred design approaches, or working with diverse newcomer and equity-seeking populations will be considered a strong asset. Familiarity with funder-driven reporting frameworks (IRCC, United Way, WCG, etc.) will further strengthen the candidate’s ability to align evaluation outputs with funder priorities.