The Data Acquisition Specialist is a core member of Ellevation’s Data Integration team, responsible for configuring and maintaining reliable data connections from district Student Information Systems (SIS), assessment vendors, and other sources. You work directly with district partners via calls and screen shares to build data extracts that power Ellevation’s products — and you take ownership of that work from setup through ongoing monitoring.
You bring a general working knowledge of SIS platforms and are growing your expertise across the K–12 data ecosystem. You’re someone who takes responsibility for your tasks with little day-to-day oversight, escalates thoughtfully when surprises arise, and consistently delivers high-quality outputs. You build collaborative relationships with teammates and show up with a service-oriented mindset for the districts you support.
What you'll do:
Partner with district teams via calls and screen shares to configure data extracts from SIS platforms (e.g., student demographics, staff, schedules, assessment results).
Configure data connections with vendor partners, including SSO setup for new partners.
Communicate data issues clearly to district contacts, asking the right questions to gather the information needed to resolve them.
Guide partners through the data sourcing process, helping them understand what’s needed and why.
Confirm that data extracts meet quality standards before handoff to the Partner Success Team, validating file headers, record counts, and that important values are not missing.
Conduct basic data analysis on incoming data to identify issues early.
Use team-defined processes for raising questions and issues (e.g., Slack channels, team meetings, Jira).
Monitor incoming data jobs to proactively diagnose and respond to failures.
Respond to Jira tickets, taking a first attempt at diagnosing issues before escalating.
Escalate appropriately when issues involve unexpected complexity, delays, or require management or leadership input.
Document new discoveries and processes related to extracting data from SIS platforms, contributing to team playbooks.
Ask thoughtful questions of teammates and leadership to deepen your knowledge of the SIS and vendor ecosystem.
Respond to change with optimism and flexibility, quickly recalibrating when priorities shift.
Partner collaboration & data onboarding
Data quality & validation
Monitoring & support
Documentation & process
What we’re looking for:
1–3 years of experience in a customer-facing technical role: data onboarding, technical support, solutions engineering, or similar.
Strongly preferred: SIS knowledge - Working knowledge of Student Information Systems — you understand how to navigate these systems and extract data from them.
Strongly preferred: K–12 education experience is a strong plus — you understand how districts operate and how student data connects to learning outcomes.
Comfort with basic data analysis — validating file structure, checking record completeness, and spotting issues in incoming data.
SQL familiarity preferred; willingness to develop SQL skills on the job is equally valued.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical district contacts.
Detail-oriented and dependable — you follow through on commitments, manage your time well, and escalate proactively when something unexpected comes up.
Collaborative and service-oriented — you share information openly, ask clarifying questions, and approach teamwork inclusively.
Why this role matters:
Success in this role
Onboarded and learned how Ellevation’s products use external data.
Understood the basics of how we receive data from SIS platforms and vendor partners.
Joined partner calls alongside your manager or a teammate.
Working with district partners independently to configure data extracts and resolve data issues.
Contributing to internal playbooks on SIS data extraction.
Applying team data quality standards when reviewing and handing off incoming data.
Managing a portfolio of partner onboardings and ongoing data jobs with confidence.
Proactively monitoring data pipelines and responding to failures before they escalate.
Identifying and documenting new SIS patterns or edge cases to help the broader team.
Developed solid proficiency across the most common SIS platforms and data extraction workflows.
Established as a trusted, credible contributor within the Data Acquisition team.
Actively contributing to improving team processes and documentation.
Within 1 month
Within 3 months
Within 6 months
Within 12 months
Skills Required
- 1-3 years experience in a customer-facing technical role (data onboarding, technical support, solutions engineering, or similar)
- Working knowledge of Student Information Systems (SIS) platforms
- K-12 education experience (understanding district operations and student data)
- Comfort with basic data analysis (validating file structure, record counts, spotting missing values)
- Familiarity with SQL or willingness to develop SQL skills on the job
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; explain technical concepts to non-technical partners
- Detail-oriented and dependable; follow through and escalate proactively
- Collaborative and service-oriented mindset when working with district partners and teammates
- Familiarity with team collaboration and issue-tracking tools (Slack, Jira)
What the Team is Saying
Ellevation Education Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Public materials list comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, with mental‑health resources and FSA/HSA options. Feedback suggests the health coverage is considered robust and “comprehensive” in practice.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match is advertised across company and aggregator pages. Feedback suggests the employer match is viewed positively as part of total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible or “unlimited” PTO, paid holidays, and at times a winter office closure are highlighted. Feedback suggests the breadth of time‑off options supports work‑life flexibility.
Ellevation Education Insights
What We Do
Ellevation is a mission-driven company dedicated to helping English Learners (ELs) achieve their highest aspirations. We are an indispensable partner to school district administrators, teachers and students across the United States, who use our products to manage complex program requirements, build the capacity of teachers to serve multilingual learners, and empower students with the academic language necessary for success in school. Ellevation is the only EL program management solution that goes beyond compliance and impacts instruction in every classroom. We currently serve more than 1,200 partner districts and support 2 million students in nearly every state.
Why Work With Us
We are a mission-driven team of entrepreneurial and passionate people who love to learn, innovate and solve complex challenges. At Ellevation, we provide opportunities for professional development, clear career paths within the company and we promote within. Join our team and feel good about the immense impact your work has on Education!
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Ellevation Education Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
Our headquarters are located in Boston, MA but about a third of our team lives and works remotely in other states. We are a remote-first company!
