Senior Associate, K-12

Education Strategy Group•Washington, DC

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Associate will design and execute projects across Education Strategy Group, with a primary focus on K-12 work. Projects focus on strengthening middle and high school systems’ capacity to prepare students for high-value postsecondary pathways, including college, career training, and the workforce, and aligning education, workforce, and economic development systems with labor market needs. The role requires experience developing and leading college and career readiness initiatives and designing and providing technical assistance to K-12 systems, higher education institutions, and/or community organizations. The Senior Associate will conduct research and policy analysis, provide client support and facilitation, communicate findings, and help develop new projects. The position involves collaboration with national, state, and local stakeholders, including school districts, state education agencies, workforce and economic development agencies, industry associations, advocacy groups, national education organizations, and foundations. The role also requires effective, responsible use of AI tools, including verifying AI-assisted work against primary sources. Education Strategy Group is a virtual firm with a home base in Washington, DC, and staff in cities across the country. Its flexible work environment enables staff to work where they can be productive. Travel to support projects is required as needed; the posting says projected travel will be around but does not provide a percentage or amount.

Requirements

At least five years of professional experience in education policy within a state education agency, intermediary organization, postsecondary institution, school district, or national nonprofit, developing and leading work to build or expand career-preparation opportunities for students.
Knowledge of efforts to increase students’ readiness for high-value postsecondary opportunities, particularly demand-driven pathways, early college experiences, work-based learning, industry credentialing, and alignment among K-12, higher education, and workforce systems.
Understanding of legislative and policymaking processes that support strong local implementation of education-to-workforce practices.
Master’s degree in public policy, education policy, or a related field, or equivalent knowledge and experience.
Strong qualitative research, data analysis, writing, and project management skills.
Strong facilitation skills and experience leading workgroups of policymakers and/or practitioners in K-12 or postsecondary education.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and tasks to meet deadlines.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, including being self-motivated, receptive to feedback, and an enthusiastic team player.
Interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships, work effectively in teams, and facilitate joint problem-solving with clients and colleagues.
Curiosity and eagerness and ability to develop new knowledge and skills.
Comfort using AI tools for research, drafting, and analysis, with judgment to verify outputs, flag uncertainty, and recognize when a task requires human methods.
Maturity, flexibility, and comfort working in a small, virtual organization.
Ability to travel to support projects as needed.
Candidates whose experience consists exclusively of practitioner-level work, such as classroom teaching, school counseling, or school leadership, will not be considered.

Responsibilities

Lead execution of K-12 projects, including developing and overseeing work plans, managing timelines, and delivering effective solutions to clients’ career-readiness challenges.
Use approved AI tools to accelerate research, drafting, and analysis while ensuring the accuracy and framing of AI-assisted work and verifying it against primary sources.
Design and lead quantitative and qualitative research and policy analysis on student readiness, including advising and navigation systems, market-driven pathways, work-based learning, early postsecondary coursework, social capital, credential attainment, and supporting state funding and data-system infrastructure.
Capture and share project insights with clients using visualization software such as Tableau.
Develop tools and strategies to assess client needs and replicate national best practices.
Design and deliver technical assistance and facilitation for clients, including multi-agency state and local teams across K-12, higher education, workforce, and economic development.
Help plan and organize in-state and cross-state convenings of policymakers and practitioners.
Author and assist with publishing blogs, briefs, reports, and other materials for the public, policymakers, media, and other stakeholders.
Develop and grow relationships with partners, clients, and national experts to identify opportunities for new projects.
Draft concept papers and proposals to help secure new projects.
Represent Education Strategy Group at external events and meetings.
Serve as a thought partner and participate in team problem-solving across the firm.
Perform other duties as assigned.