Research and Evaluation Specialist

About Art Bridges

Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported projects that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 200 museums of all sizes and locations on nearly 900 projects—impacting more than 5.3 million people across 49 states and Puerto Rico—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Collection and Partner Loan Network, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.  

Required Documents to Apply:

The Research and Evaluation Specialist, COVES, supports Art Bridges’ national audience research initiative, which includes a growing network of more than 85 museums. This role manages relationships with participating museums, helping them to interpret and apply their visitor data. The specialist also works collaboratively with Crystal Bridges Center for Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE), on responsibilities including partner site outreach, data collection tracking, onboarding of new sites, renewal of existing sites, and accurate maintenance of data about and from the program.

This position plays an instrumental role in supporting and managing an expanding portfolio of participating museums and demonstrates success in data management, providing ongoing 1-1 support to program participants, and project management. The specialist ensures that museum partners are empowered to use their data effectively, and that insights are translated into meaningful impact. The role also reflects a commitment to expanding access to art, with skills in designing and leading equity-focused evaluation projects and working with diverse stakeholders to meet their data needs.

Job Description:

Job Title: Research & Evaluation Specialist, COVES
Reports To: Research & Evaluation Manager
Location:  Bentonville, Arkansas (On-site)

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Salary Range: $55,800-69,800

About Art Bridges Foundation

Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported projects that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 250 museums of all sizes and locations—impacting more than 20 million people across 50 states and Puerto Rico—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, collection loans, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.

About The Position

The Research and Evaluation Specialist, COVES, supports Art Bridges’ national audience research initiative, which includes a growing network of more than 85 museums. This role manages relationships with participating museums, helping them to interpret and apply their visitor data. The specialist also works collaboratively with Crystal Bridges Center for Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE), on responsibilities including partner site outreach, data collection tracking, onboarding of new sites, renewal of existing sites, and accurate maintenance of data about and from the program.

This position plays an instrumental role in supporting and managing an expanding portfolio of participating museums and demonstrates success in data management, providing ongoing 1-1 support to program participants, and project management. The specialist ensures that museum partners are empowered to use their data effectively, and that insights are translated into meaningful impact. The role also reflects a commitment to expanding access to art, with skills in designing and leading equity-focused evaluation projects and working with diverse stakeholders to meet their data needs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Partner Engagement & Support

• Serve as the primary Art Bridges liaison for COVES partner museums, providing onboarding, renewal coordination, and ongoing support.
• Facilitate partner communications, including participating in community meetings, forums, and Communities of Practice (CoP) calls.
• Help partners understand and apply their COVES data to support internal decision-making and audience development strategies.
• Collaborate with CARE to ensure partner feedback informs system improvements.

Program Coordination

• Maintain accurate records of partner participation, exhibition schedules, and onboarding status in Salesforce.
• Coordinate logistics for partner training, renewal calls, and check-ins.
• Support the development of toolkits, webinars, and other professional development resources for COVES participants.
• Monitor the Qualtrics dashboard and coordinate with CARE to troubleshoot technical issues.

Outreach & Dissemination

• Collaborate with the Art Bridges Marketing and Communications team to share COVES findings through articles, case studies, and impact stories.
• Support the planning and facilitation of convenings and conference presentations.
• Contribute to the development of materials that communicate the impact of COVES to internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepare quarterly data summaries and reports for Art Bridges leadership, board, and external stakeholders.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Conduct descriptive and comparative analysis of COVES data using tools such as Excel, SPSS, R, and JASP.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience collaboratively working with external partners, for example as a consultant or facilitating relationships with external contractors.
• Experience working in project management capacity and/or demonstrated qualifications in project management.
• Experience working in a museum, cultural setting, foundation, or nonprofit organization, with a focus on developing and implementing evaluation projects and communicating impact is preferred; an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience will satisfy the minimum requirements.
• Knowledge of social science research methods, program evaluation, and philanthropic evaluation.
• Familiarity with survey design and interview protocols, data synthesis, and analysis.
• Demonstrated skills in quantitative (primarily descriptive) and qualitative methods.
• Knowledge of Salesforce, Qualtrics, SPSS, R, and JASP, or similar statistics programs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience turning ideas, concepts, and data into engaging and easily accessible visualizations.
• Demonstrated organizational, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to work with minimal direct supervision and manage multiple projects in a high-volume and fast-paced environment to complete assignments on regular deadlines.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those required by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Physical Demands: In the work environment described, position requires utilizing a computer and a telephone for prolonged periods of time and good eye/hand coordination, bending and stretching, and physical stamina to lift and transport a minimum of 10 pounds. Visual acuity to review written materials is required for this job.

Work Environment: Work is performed full-time (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) in a professional, climate-controlled office environment with standard office equipment, including computers, printers, and telephones. This role requires working in an open setting near colleagues. The noise level is typically low to moderate. The role also requires regular interaction with both the public and internal team members in a professional and courteous manner. Some travel will be required, including overnight trips on occasion. A flexible schedule may be necessary to accommodate business needs, including occasional evening and weekend work hours.

Art Bridges and DEAI

At Art Bridges, diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are central to all work and decisions made within our organization. We support our colleagues and partners in learning and growing together to make this important work part of our daily lives.

Art Bridges is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage all qualified applicants including women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement and background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States.