Principal Associate Consultant

Education Resource Strategies • Boston, MA

7h • $105,000 - $145,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

ERS is a national non-profit consulting firm that empowers school system leaders to make transformative shifts in resources, structures, and practices so that all students – especially those with the greatest learning needs and those furthest from opportunity – attend a school where they can learn and thrive.

At ERS, we embrace teamwork and innovation to influence sustainable, equitable change in some of the country’s largest school districts.

If you want to join a team of talented and committed professionals within a mission-driven, fast-paced organization, this is the place for you! We will invest in your professional learning, including rapidly developing the K-12 education knowledge needed to succeed.

The salary range for this role is $105,000 to $145,000 annually. In modeling our commitment to openness and transparency, it’s important to note that starting salaries aren’t typically at/near the top of this range. This is to create opportunities for team members to earn raises throughout their tenure in the role.

Consulting projects at ERS
Our focus is on high-impact work within public K-12 school districts that support a significant population of students from low-income families. Our projects:
Strengthen financial sustainability by analyzing resources, forecasting budgets, and aligning spending with strategic priorities
Distribute resources to the highest-need areas by implementing equitable, strategic funding and budgeting models that build capacity for effective financial decision‑making
Improve student and teacher experiences by analyzing staffing structures and school design models to optimize learning and enhance teacher retention
Facilitate learning opportunities for cohorts of state and district leaders to explore solutions to shared challenges
Role overview
We seek to hire Principal Associates (PAs) with experience in strategy/management consulting who are excited about the opportunity to positively impact K-12 education. PAs lead from the middle in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment, taking full ownership of defining and managing the work across multiple, intersecting workstreams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in strategy/management consulting, school leadership, or district strategy with a strong emphasis on quantitative analysis and meaning-making to identify actionable recommendations
• Track record of maintaining high standards of accuracy in quantitative analysis, including efficient quality control checks for own work and colleagues
• Demonstrated ability to quickly assess complex, ambiguous situations, identify key questions, and define actionable next steps by logically breaking down challenges into smaller components
• Proven ability to deliver results through effective project and people management, including prioritizing competing demands to ensure timely execution
• Excellent (clear, logic-based, and structured) communication skills
• Passion for and commitment to our mission and values exemplified through professional and/or personal experience
• Occasional travel for approximately 2–4 days at a time, typically averaging less than one trip per month (with some project phases requiring additional travel for limited periods)
• Adhere to a hybrid work schedule, working from our office in Watertown, MA office at least three consistent days per week
• Must be authorized to work for an employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for new team members at this time.

Nice To Haves

• MBA, MPP, or MPA (considered a substitute for one year of professional experience)
• Proficiency in R, including using it to clean, analyze, and interpret quantitative data
• Proficiency in leveraging AI tools to support research, data analysis, and problem-solving
• At least two years of supervisory experience
• Extensive knowledge of the U.S. public K-12 system, including its structure, policies, and operational practices

Responsibilities

• Strategic and quantitative analysis: Independently design and execute methodologically sound analytic plans and translate complex analyses into clear insights and actionable recommendations that enable informed decision-making for external partners
• Project management: Drive progress toward milestones by proactively organizing and delegating team responsibilities, monitoring progress, and adapting plans as needed, maintaining focus on what matters most
• People management: Facilitate structured, priority-based meetings with team members at all levels to ensure alignment, support development, and maintain accountability for high-quality deliverables
• High-quality deliverables: Design structured, concise, audience-ready materials tailored to meet the needs of different external partners (e.g., central office leaders, state agency executive boards, principals, etc.)
• External partner engagement: Manage mid-level partner relationships end-to-end, fostering collaboration and trust through strategic thought partnership and service
• Knowledge management: Contribute to our organizational knowledge base via research, development of externally-facing tools, and documentation of best practices in public K-12 education resource allocation
• Organizational stewardship: Actively engage and contribute to culture-building initiatives, rooted in learning and relationship-building, including coaching, position groups, and quarterly ERS weeks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees