State Initiative Associate

State Initiates Associate

Location: Remote, US. You must reside and work in the US for this position.

Job Overview:

The State Initiates Associate at Cambium Learning Group (CLG) will be a key team member charged with helping to shape and execute a high impact government relations strategy. As part of a newly created team, this role will drive proactive policy positioning, cultivate strategic relationships, and ensure our solutions align with the evolving priorities of K–12 education leaders and policymakers. This is an exciting opportunity to build and scale a function that advances our purpose to ensure that every student and teacher feels seen, valued and supported.

The State Initiates Associate will work with the Cambium Learning Group Government Relations team to support sales and thought leadership opportunities through government relations activities. These roles serve as Cambium Learning Group’s primary liaisons to elected officials (such as governors and state legislators) that influence state policymaking, state funding, and education technology purchasing decisions.

This role will also be responsible for the design and execution of internal strategic plans intended to raise the visibility of Cambium Learning Group within target states by partnering with sales and marketing professionals to ensure productive relationships with elected officials.

Anticipation and identification of educational challenges and opportunities is critical. We are looking for someone who has a positive can-do attitude, highly motivated to learn and a creative thinker that can provide practical approaches to support a quickly changing organization. Cambium Learning Group is a remote-first organization. 

Job Responsibilities:

Strategic Engagement & Advocacy

• Develop and execute multi-tiered government relations strategies across state, and local levels.

• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments impacting K–12 education, edtech, and data privacy.

• Represent the Cambium Learning Group brands at external events (e.g. conferences), in coalitions, working groups, and public forums.

• This role requires approximately 50% travel.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Build trusted relationships with policymakers, education agencies, school district leaders, and advocacy organizations.

• Serve as a liaison between internal teams and external stakeholders to align policy priorities with enterprise business impact goals.

Policy Intelligence & Influence

• Translate complex policy landscapes into actionable insights for cross-functional teams.

• Collaborate with internal teams to shape messaging and positioning around key policy issues.

Team & Function Building

• Contribute to the development of internal systems, processes, and metrics for the government relations function.

• Support cross-functional initiatives that elevate our team’s presence and deepen our impact.

Job Qualifications:

• 4+ years of experience in government relations, public policy, or advocacy—ideally in education, technology, or public sector strategy.

• Deep understanding of K–12 education systems, funding mechanisms, and policy levers.

• Proven ability to build relationships across political and ideological lines.

• Exceptional communication skills—written, verbal, and strategic.

• Collaborative, entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for serving in the education space.

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and building from the ground up.

• Experience working at the K-12 educational state, regional and/or local school district level.

• Familiarity with ESSA, FERPA, IDEA, and other key education policies, preferred.

To learn more about our organization and the exciting work we do, visit www.cambiumlearning.com 

Remote First Work Environment 

Our Remote First approach gives employees the flexibility and trust they need to effectively balance work with life. It creates a culture in which all employees are valued and where success is measured in results. It allows us to work collaboratively, inclusively and for greater positive impact, regardless of our individual locations.

If you will be working remotely, either occasionally or on a permanent basis, you must have a reliable internet connection through a cable or fiber-optic broadband service with minimum speeds of 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload.

The successful candidate will be expected to actively participate in video-based interviews during the recruiting process and ongoing virtual meetings with their camera on, as part of their role. To maintain confidentiality and ensure a fair evaluation process, the use of note-taking tools, reference materials, or AI-powered tools (including generative AI, language models, or similar technologies) during interviews or other selection activities is prohibited unless prior written approval has been obtained from the People Experience team. If you require an exception for medical, accessibility, or other reasons, please contact your Talent Acquisition team member to discuss accommodations in advance.

As part of our Remote-First benefits, Cambium offers reimbursement to help cover the cost of setting up your home or remote office.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

We are dedicated to fostering a culture that celebrates unique backgrounds, ideas, and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation), national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or genetic information (including family medical history).

We will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  You may request an accommodation during the recruiting process with your Talent Acquisition team member.