Strategic Advisor for Educational Initiatives

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Advisor for Educational Initiatives leads the design and growth of Opportunity Insights’ K–12 and early-college education strategy, spanning research, program design, and partnership development. The role conducts landscape analyses of how OI research is used in schools and of comparable higher-ed–to–K–12 outreach models; designs and manages educator cohorts and the Opportunity Fellows Teacher Fellowship, including a year-long curriculum and a four-day summer institute; and collaborates with an Educational Partnerships Advisory Group to shape and refine strategic direction. The position is responsible for adapting and expanding OI curricular resources for high school and community college contexts; creating assessment, documentation, and communication tools to track and strengthen impact; and building external partnerships (e.g., with Ed Equity Lab, Modern States, NEON, school districts, and networks) that support large-scale offerings such as an open-access statistics course and other direct-to-student opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience
• Master's or PhD in Education, Social Sciences, or related field
• 5-7 years of experience with Project Management, Curriculum Design, Pedagogical Initiatives
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, advanced Excel skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong commitment to continuous process improvement

Responsibilities

• Conduct landscape analysis of current uses of OI research in high school (HS) contexts across the country, building on existing school partners and historical points of contact.
• Interview existing school partners about their experiences with OI curricular materials to identify patterns of engagement and promising directions for further development.
• Conduct preliminary landscape analysis of higher-ed–to–K–12 outreach models (e.g., Challenge Success, CS50), focusing on inputs, impact, and analogous use cases.
• Research pipeline engagement opportunities for HS and community college (CC) students (e.g., early-career teacher training, summer enrichment, programs for underrepresented students).
• Identify key partners, platforms, and sequencing to advance the OI ed strategy and establish early proof points across independent, public, charter, and CC contexts.
• Build a concept note and initial strategic action plan for expanding access to OI research and materials for HS and college students, including impact models, timelines, potential partners, and anticipated challenges.
• Design and launch a cohort of educators committed to using OI curriculum resources in their schools (2025–2026 academic year).
• Provide ongoing curriculum and pedagogical feedback to cohort members and convene online collaboration and reflection sessions as needed.
• Lead and support the Opportunity Fellows Teacher Fellowship program, including recruitment, selection, communication, and year-long engagement.
• Develop a year-long syllabus, curriculum, and impact plan for Teacher Fellows, with emphasis on ongoing meetings, school-year support, and leadership development.
• Plan and design a four-day professional development conference for Fellows, including research into analogous PD models and development of an experiential program.
• Develop teacher training opportunities to build a cadre of educators able to teach OI’s materials and approach.
• Maintain ongoing collaboration with the Educational Partnerships Advisory Group (educators and nonprofit leaders), leveraging their strategic guidance on curriculum and pedagogical initiatives.
• Lead regular virtual meetings with the Advisory Group and coordinate their involvement in outreach related to current and upcoming OI ed efforts.
• Continue outreach to school districts, nonprofits, and educational organizations for both short-term recruitment and long-term partnership building.
• Initiate and plan collaborations with external organizations such as EdEquity Lab, the College Board, charter networks, independent schools, the National Education Opportunity Network, and others.
• Provide feedback on how to adapt existing course materials (e.g., HBSO course, online materials) for HS and CC audiences.
• Lead early-stage development of EdEquity-aligned course materials for a potential Spring 2026 launch, in collaboration with the OI team and the teacher learning community.
• Continue to build out the library of OI curriculum resources using EdX/HBSO materials and Ec50 recommendations; create orientation modules and navigation guides as needed.
• Develop introductory “Unit Zero” materials for the Opportunity Atlas for Fellows, in collaboration with OI colleagues and the Advisory Group.
• Articulate a pedagogical vision statement for OI cohort and partnership work to guide resource creation, summer PD design, and ongoing teacher support.
• Design documentation protocols to track cohort-related work within schools for both teachers and OI.
• Develop preliminary assessment tools (e.g., pre/post questionnaires) to help cohorts measure impact and build a more complete picture of outcomes.
• Create and manage communication tools/platforms for cohort members to collaborate, share resources, and seek peer support.
• Develop tools that help educators align OI materials with state standards and AP curricula (pilot with summer cohorts; longer-term goal of public release).

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level