Direct message the job poster from Education Strategy Group
Heather Justice
Senior Director Career Readiness
About ESG
Education Strategy Group (ESG) is a mission-driven consulting firm that works with America’s education, business, and civic leaders to expand economic opportunity and mobility by increasing educational attainment. We support the preparation, entry, and success of individuals from K-12 through postsecondary education to build a more equitable system, open economic doors for all, and strengthen our democracy. ESG specializes in strengthening the transition points that have the highest stakes for youth and adults and the highest benefit for states, communities, and economies. We are driven by the conviction that a robust education system aligned with workforce demand leads to a stronger, more equitable society.
Education Strategy Group has established an ambitious Greater Impact Plan to define and drive our work to strengthen the nation’s education and workforce systems while building a strong and sustainable organization. Within this plan, ESG has made increasing postsecondary attainment its north star, with a specific emphasis on increasing attainment rates for students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. Setting clear expectations for students leaving high school, building high-quality pathways that facilitate students’ transitions, and creating appropriate advising structures and capacity to help students navigate their journeys are all fundamental to raising postsecondary attainment rates and advancing economic mobility, particularly for groups that have been underserved based on their race, ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic background.
In 2025, ESG will begin developing a new strategic plan that will allow us to reflect on our progress and set a new course for our work and our impact across the nation. We are committed to expanding our work with K-12, higher education, policymakers, and employers to build stronger talent pipelines and ensure economic opportunity and mobility for all.
Position
The Senior Associate will play an integral role in designing and executing projects within our career readiness portfolio and will also support work within our postsecondary transitions and postsecondary attainment portfolios as needed. Project work will largely focus on strengthening and expanding high-quality, demand-driven career pathways that start in high school, continue into and through postsecondary, and include early postsecondary experiences, industry-aligned internships, high-value credentialing opportunities, and social capital growth strategies. This position requires a proven track record of success in developing and leading ambitious college and career readiness work as well as designing and providing related technical assistance to K-12 systems, higher education institutions, and/or community organizations. The Senior Associate will have strong analytic, writing, and facilitation skills and the ability to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including leaders from school districts, higher education institutions, state education agencies, industry associations, advocacy groups, national education organizations, and foundations.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Senior Associate’s primary duties and responsibilities will include:
Lead the execution of career readiness projects, which includes developing and overseeing work plans, managing project timelines, and leading high-quality implementation to ensure delivery of innovative and effective solutions to our clients’ career readiness challenges
Design and lead quantitative and qualitative analysis of client work, including gathering information through data analysis, interviews, surveys, focus groups, and desk research
Capture and share project insights for clients using visualization software like Tableau
Develop tools and strategies to assess client needs and replicate national best practices
Design and deploy high-quality, career readiness technical assistance to our clients
Help organize in-state and cross-state convenings of policymakers and practitioners to advance their career preparation systems and enable them to strategize together
Author and assist in publishing blogs, briefs, reports, and other documents for the general 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 ESG secure new projects
Represent ESG at external events and meetings.
Serve as a thought partner and engage in team problem solving across ESG portfolio areas.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have:
A minimum of five years’ professional experience in a state education agency, intermediary organization, postsecondary institution, school district, or national nonprofit organization developing and leading work to build or expand career preparation opportunities for students
Knowledge of educational efforts to increase students’ career readiness with emphasis on building demand-driven pathways, supporting work-based learning and industry credentialing opportunities, and aligning pathways between K-12 and higher education
Understanding of the legislative and policy-making processes that lead to strong local implementation of career preparation practices.
A master’s degree in public policy, education policy, or related fields, or an equivalent level of knowledge and experience.
Strong qualitative research, data analysis, writing, and project management skills.
Strong facilitation skills and experience leading workgroups consisting of policymakers and/or practitioners in K-12 or postsecondary education.
Excellent organizational skills and a keen attention to detail—candidates should have the ability to prioritize work and manage time on multiple projects and tasks to meet deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively—candidates should be self-motivated, but also enthusiastic team players open to feedback and collaboration.
Well-rounded interpersonal skill set, with the presence and capacity to build relationships, work effectively in teams, and facilitate joint problem-solving with clients and within ESG.
Curiosity, eagerness, and ability to develop new knowledge and skills.
Maturity, flexibility and comfort working in a small, virtual organization.
Ability to travel to support projects as needed, projected to be around 25%
Compensation and Benefits
Competitive compensation with bonus potential.
Comprehensive health insurance, flex spending, short/long-term disability, parental leave, and retirement plan with company match.
Generous time off benefits; vacation, sick, company holidays, and volunteer days.