Associate, K-12

About ESG

At Education Strategy Group (ESG), we aim to open doors to economic opportunity for all individuals. We support districts, states, national organizations, and foundations committed to dramatically improving the capacity and performance of the U.S. education system to prepare students for workforce success. Our staff bring deep experience leading policy development, advocacy, and implementation in the K-12, postsecondary, and workforce sectors. We offer a flexible work environment to stay engaged with education leaders nationally and to enable our staff to work where they have built their lives.

Position

The Associate will play an integral role in the execution of projects across the firm, with a primary focus on K-12-related work. They will support work to strengthen middle and high school systems' capacity to prepare students for a range of high-value postsecondary pathways—including college, career training, and the workforce— and to better align education, workforce, and economic development systems with labor market needs. Successful applicants will have strong research, writing, and analysis skills; the judgment to direct AI tools effectively and verify their output; and the ability to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including leaders from school districts, state education agencies, workforce and economic development agencies, industry associations, advocacy groups, national education organizations, and foundations.

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary duties and responsibilities will be to support clients and the ESG team through:

•     Conducting quantitative and qualitative research and policy analysis on key impact issues related to student readiness, including advising and navigation systems, market-driven pathways, work-based learning, early postsecondary opportunities, social capital, and credential attainment, as well as the state funding and data-system infrastructure that supports this work ;

•     Supporting the design of research and evaluation instruments, including surveys, interview/focus-group protocols, and logic models;

•     Supporting the delivery of high-quality technical assistance and facilitation to clients, including multi-agency state and local teams spanning K-12, higher education, workforce, and economic development;

•     Using approved AI tools to accelerate research, drafting, and analysis, while owning the accuracy, framing, and verification of all AI-augmented work against primary sources;

•     Developing expertise in one or more priority areas and contributing to ESG's external visibility and publications — including reports, briefs, blog posts, tools, and other written and presentation materials — for clients and the general public;

•     Contributing to knowledge management, including capturing lessons learned and codifying replicable tools and models for clients and the field;

•     Supporting business development through research and contributions to concept papers and proposals;

•     Supporting grant/award administration and reporting for ESG and its funders and sub-grantees; and

•     Providing project management and logistical support, including for multi-stakeholder convenings.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following:

•     Bachelor's required, Master's preferred.

•     Minimum three years' professional experience in a relevant role requiring project coordination and analytic problem solving, or master's plus one year experience. Experience working in or with school districts, state K-12, higher education, or workforce/economic development agencies is preferred.

•     Strong qualitative and quantitative research, data analysis, writing, and project management skills, including proficiency with spreadsheet-based analysis (Excel and Google Sheets) and the ability to build clear data visualizations for non-technical audiences.

•     Comfort using AI tools for research, drafting, and analysis, paired with the judgment to verify outputs, flag uncertainty, and recognize when a task requires human method instead.

•     Familiarity with public K-12, postsecondary, and labor-market data sources (e.g., IPEDS, Census, state longitudinal data systems) is a plus.

•     Demonstrated ability to prioritize work and manage time across projects to meet deadlines.

•     Well-rounded interpersonal skill set, with the presence and capacity to build relationships and work effectively in teams and individually.

•     Maturity, flexibility, and comfort working in a virtual organization.

•     Ability to travel to support projects as needed, estimated at approximately 10%.

Location

Education Strategy Group is a virtual firm with a home base in Washington, DC. We have staff located in cities across the country. Our flexible work environment enables our professionals to live and work in locations where they can be most productive—both professionally and personally.

ESG is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran.