Associate Partner, Policy

by | Jul 11, 2023 | Uncategorized

Job Description

Associate Partner, Policy

Location: Remote/Home Office

Use your expertise in education policy to inform how public officials, practitioners, advocates, funders, and others work to create solutions and systems that better serve students furthest from opportunity.

Bellwether is looking for an Associate Partner, Policy to join our Policy and Evaluation team. We are a remote-first team, and our work is national in scope, which means this role can be based anywhere in the United States. This enables us to hire the best person for the role, regardless of geography. We also offer a flexible office if an employee lives near our physical coworking space in Washington, D.C., and is interested in a hybrid work model. Travel up to approximately 25% may be required.

About Bellwether

We are a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. We work hand in hand with a diverse range of education organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way.

Our Policy and Evaluation team conducts analyses that inform leaders, organizations, and the broader field on how to improve their work and the policy ecosystems in which education systems operate for America’s marginalized students. We produce quantitative and qualitative analyses of contemporary education issues, conduct traditional and innovative evaluations, and generate new ideas and solutions for the sector. We develop and communicate recommendations to improve outcomes for students across the P-20 landscape that are informed by rigorous analytical methods; our extensive understanding of the local, state, and federal policy landscape; and our experience working with a wide range of early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary systems, leaders, and practitioners.

Responsibilities

Associate Partners manage project teams to drive impact for our clients and the field. As project managers, Associate Partners lead day-to-day communications and engagement with clients and funders, including planning and facilitating discussions and presentations with client and funder leadership. Associate Partners see the big picture of a project, understand when to be proactive in adjusting or redirecting the team’s work, and have a strong sense of ownership of executing projects with a high level of client satisfaction, field relevance, and impact. Associate Partners also develop project plans and coordinate tasks and timelines with Bellwether support staff and project/team leadership; identify critical questions, form hypotheses, and manage research and analysis; and synthesize findings and lead teams to generate recommendations for our clients or the field.

Associate Partners also work closely with Bellwether Partners and Senior Associate Partners to ensure best-in-class work quality and support the professional learning and development of more junior staff.

This role will report to a senior leader on the Policy and Evaluation team.

In this position, you should expect to:

  • Manage project teams to develop high-impact analyses and insights for clients and the field.
  • Work with Bellwether senior leaders, clients, and funders to align on and meet high expectations for work products and project impact.
  • Develop and execute project plans with a high degree of independence, including identifying and mitigating potential risks to project success.
  • Grasp and take ownership of project objectives and actively coach and mentor more junior staff in executing research and analytical functions to ensure the successful execution of project goals.
  • Oversee and manage Bellwether Senior Analysts, Analysts, Research Assistants, and Interns to perform research and analytical functions, as well as support their development through feedback and coaching.
  • Perform and manage others to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis, owning responsibility for quality assurance for analyses performed by other team members.
  • Guide team members to identify relevant sources of evidence and gather evidence through primary and secondary research.
  • Facilitate project teams in collaborative insight generation, effectively leveraging team members’ expertise and supporting the cultivation of curiosity, rigorous inquiry, and productive dissent within a respectful and collegial culture.
  • Write, edit, and deliver high-impact reports, presentations, and plans.
  • Take on internal roles to build out Bellwether’s key capabilities.
  • Generate creative, action-oriented insights and recommendations for both internal and external improvements.
  • Learn to manage different types of projects and develop expertise in new policy areas.

Qualifications

Excited? We are too. You should apply if you have:

  • A passion for and commitment to improving educational opportunities for high-need students and familiarity with the challenges and disparities facing underserved students and education reform efforts in the United States.
  • An understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • At least five to seven years’ professional experience in early childhood, K-12, and/or higher education policy development, analysis, or implementation, ideally in a role working with or advising policymakers or public officials.
  • A strong orientation toward client service and a demonstrated ability to deeply understand client objectives, preferences, and challenges, and align actions and recommendations to meet clients’ unique needs.
  • Demonstrated success in managing projects to successful conclusions, including exceptional time and project management skills; the ability to work backward from desired results to set clear project milestones, define key deliverables, and optimize for successful project completion; and experience using project management tools and processes to drive extraordinary outcomes.
  • Ability to effectively manage a distributed and remote-first project team, fostering collaboration, maintaining regular and clear communication channels, and facilitating knowledge sharing.
  • Demonstrated success in managing and supporting the development of team members in a direct reporting relationship.
  • An empirical mindset with a demonstrated ability to leverage quantitative and qualitative data to inform recommendations and continuously refine solutions based on feedback and new information.
  • An ability to zoom in and out seamlessly, focusing on project details and the broader strategic context to ensure work aligns with project objectives and goals.
  • A well-rounded interpersonal skill set with the capacity to collaborate with many diverse stakeholders within the organization and externally, including building strong client and funder relationships, working effectively and collaboratively in a team environment, and facilitating joint problem-solving with clients, funders, and team.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to effectively lead the synthesis of large amounts of information into easy-to-digest work products (slide decks and/or narrative briefs and reports).
  • A highly self-motivated work style and comfort with proactively taking on leadership roles within project teams and the organization.
  • Ability and experience in thoughtfully giving and receiving feedback from team members at all levels of seniority to drive continuous improvement in personal and team member performance.
  • A sense of curiosity to explore and understand complex issues, diverse perspectives, and broader trends in education policy and practice.
  • Deep familiarity with the challenges facing schools and education reform efforts in the U.S.
  • A strong academic record, preferably including a graduate degree, preferably in public policy or a related field, and preferably including training in foundational statistics/quantitative and qualitative methods sufficient to support skilled assessment of the quality and credibility of research and analysis. (Note: This role does not include an expectation of ability to perform or oversee complex statistical analyses beyond basic descriptive analysis or trend analysis and does not require facility with statistical packages such as SPSS, STATA, R, etc., though that capability is welcome.)
  • Comfort and interest in joining a growing entrepreneurial organization with a flexible but fast-paced working environment.
  • Comfort with some travel.

Compensation

The base salary range for this role for incoming team members is $135,000 to $160,000 annually, with the opportunity for compensation to increase over time commensurate with performance in the role. While the final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors including previous experience and content knowledge and may vary from the listed range, Bellwether is committed to transparency, and all offers align with our compensation philosophy.

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