Program Director - Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy

ACT Education•Iowa City, IA

8d•Remote

About The Position

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose. ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow. We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here. We are seeking a Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy to help us fulfill that mission. As education systems face growing demands for data-informed decision-making, from assessment design to college readiness benchmarks, ACT is building its internal capacity to generate, synthesize, and communicate rigorous analyses that advance equitable student outcomes. The Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy will play a central role in building and sustaining this capacity. This is an opportunity for a mission-driven data professional who thrives at the intersection of analytics, policy research, and strategic communication – someone who can translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for policymakers, partners, and the public. The Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy will lead high-impact work across three areas: Data storytelling and thought leadership to support ACT’s influence in the field Policy research and analysis to inform ACT’s external positions and priorities Partner Engagement and evidence building to grow ACT’s evidence base and assess the impact of ACT programs and partnerships The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $115,000 to $130,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible. Location: This is a remote position, based in the United States. Visa: Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience using data and analysis at the district or state level to inform decision-making in education, government, nonprofit, or social impact contexts, including demonstrated experience working with education data, advising senior leaders and shaping organizational strategy
Strong quantitative analysis skills
Familiarity with educational research designs and methods
Experience producing external-facing policy reports, case studies, or thought leadership
Experience building dashboards and other data visualizations, e.g. Tableau, MS Power BI or similar software
Experience designing surveys, analyzing assessment data, or evaluating programs or policies
Ability to translate complex data and analyses into clear written reports and presentations for non-technical audiences
Proven project management skills and ability to independently lead and manage multiple complex workstreams simultaneously, with minimal oversight
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Demonstrated commitment to improving educational outcomes and advancing equity
Ability to Travel approximately 10-15%
Bachelor's degree in education policy, public policy, economics, statistics, data science, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience at an SEA, large LEA, or federal agency working with K-12 or postsecondary education data, including state assessment or accountability data
Experience partnering with school districts, state education agencies, or higher education institutions
Strong stakeholder management skills and experience working cross-functionally
Curiosity, learning orientation, and comfort working in a mission-driven, fast-paced environment
Master's degree in education policy, public policy, economics, statistics, data science, or a related field

Responsibilities

Support leadership in using data to inform strategic planning and resource allocation.
Design and maintain data tools, dashboards, presentations, and visualizations that make key metrics accessible and actionable for internal and external stakeholders
Proactively identify research questions and analytic opportunities aligned with ACT’s policy priorities
Create feedback loops between research findings, program design, and partnership strategy
Provide capacity-building support to colleagues: training staff on data tools, analytic frameworks, and evidence-based practices
Maintain a pulse on external data trends, policy developments, and methodological advances relevant to ACT’s work
Provide strategic input to inform quantitative and mixed-methods research studies to answer high-priority policy questions
Conduct literature reviews and synthesize research on education policy topics, presenting findings in actionable formats for policy and program staff
Analyze large-scale education datasets (assessment results, demographic trends, program outcomes) to identify patterns and inform strategic recommendations
Develop and operationalize metrics and frameworks for evaluating policy-relevant outcomes
Incorporate equity analysis to understand disparities in outcomes across student populations
Identify relevant external data sources (federal, state, institutional) and build efficient workflows for data acquisition and management
Translate complex analyses into clear written products (briefs, memos, reports) for non-technical audiences including policymakers and funders
Systematize data-sharing agreements and data collection workflows with external partners (districts, states, institutions)
Support the development of reporting templates that can scale across partner engagements
Analyze variation in stakeholder contexts and identify conditions associated with strong outcomes
Support the development of clear metrics that define and operationalize success for ACT programs and partnerships
Generate impact reports that translate research findings into actionable insights for internal teams and external stakeholders