Associate 2

Job Title: Associate II, Education Agency Practice (EAP)
Reports to: Director, EAP
Role Type: Full-Time
Salary: $78,000
Location: Remote (U.S.), with a preference for candidates based in the Midwest or Northeast, particularly Chicago, Boston, New York City, or Philadelphia.
FLSA Status: Exempt

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate II, Education Agency Practice (EAP), plays a critical role in supporting the execution of projects, internal program operations (such as data entry, scheduling, etc.), and client engagements to leverage data, technology, and evidence-based strategies to drive educational and social impact. This role requires a highly organized, analytical, and adaptable professional with strong communication skills and a commitment to advancing student and community outcomes. The Associate II will coordinate and support client engagements, internal operations, and knowledge management, ensuring high-quality execution that meets practice, client, and organizational objectives.

Role Dynamics: The Associate II, Education Agency Practice (EAP), will provide coordination, content development, and facilitation support to clients served by the Education Agency Practice.  The Associate II, EAP will ensure that coordination and execution is of a high quality and meets department demands, client and field objectives.  The Associate II, EAP will be collecting, researching, synthesizing and analyzing information to generate content, reports and related needs to support client or department needs. The Associate II, EAP will stay current on key trends and relevant field developments to inform decisions, methods, and other needs to ensure excellent content and reporting. The Associate II, EAP will contribute to client engagements by helping to develop work plans, supporting project management (including internal kick-offs and close out meetings), developing draft content, engaging in qualitative data collection and analysis, and providing feedback to the engagement lead.

Externally, the Associate II, EAP will interface with the clients, consultants and other key external stakeholders. Internally, the Associate II, EAP will help coordinate project team meetings and support the close-out process by identifying lessons learned and providing recommendations for future improvement. 

Cross-Team Collaboration: While this role is primarily assigned to specific project teams, it may also contribute to projects that involve multiple teams or the entire organization. This requires working effectively across departments, aligning with shared goals, and coordinating with project leads who may not be the direct manager.

Core Expectations: Uphold programmatic excellence standards and adhere to organization-wide expectations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Client and Stakeholder Management & Engagements (85%)

• Provide project management and coordination support for client work and events, including tracking and ownership of deliverables to meet timelines, ensuring alignment with client and organizational goals, and managing logistics and follow-up for virtual and in-person meetings and events. 
• In coordination with the data team, lead qualitative and quantitative research efforts, including facilitating small group discussions, working sessions, and/or interviews to help advance the work.  Synthesize key findings, and independently develop, refine, and update program materials, reports, presentations, case studies, communications and other knowledge products to advance client and program objectives.
• Manage relationships with clients and partners by leading stakeholder communications, coordinating meetings, and proactively capturing notes, identifying common themes, and generating relevant follow-up materials and communication to address client needs and strengthen engagement and collaboration.
• Organize meetings, prepare materials, and synthesize insights from secondary research, interviews, and other inputs to provide high-quality support to engagement leads and managers.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to drive program initiatives and objectives.
• With guidance, lead the design and delivery of programmatic elements, including facilitating focus groups and trainings, providing consulting services and direct technical assistance, and developing content (e.g., client materials, presentations, reports, etc.) to ensure high-quality service delivery and impact.
• Independently analyze client-provided data, policy documents, and governance structures to identify key implications and actionable opportunities, providing strategic insights that drive impact in education, opportunity, and well-being.
• Support design of mixed-methods research and evaluation studies, performance measurement frameworks, and evidence systems; contribute to theory of change or logic model development; apply root-cause analysis to identify drivers of outcomes; synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative findings into clear frameworks, tools, and recommendations that help clients build the evidence base for program and policy decisions.
• Drive alignment with emerging trends and best practices by actively staying informed on developments in data, evidence-based policy, education, and the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors.
• Maintain effective knowledge management by tracking, organizing, and synthesizing project documents, research, and stakeholder interviews to support informed decision-making and program success.
• Represent the organization in relevant meetings, capturing key insights and effectively communicating them to internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Be able to build repeatable processes, such as steps to launch a client engagement,  and content to support the efficient scaling of the practice.
• Works with the team to create tools & resources that can be used for multiple engagements and shared more broadly.

Department Operations (15%)

• Support practice leaders by anticipating needs, coordinating program activities seamlessly, and contributing to strategic initiatives.
• Support business development by conducting research, drafting proposals, and engaging with funders as relevant to the team’s scope of work.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in the CRM system, ensure data integrity, track key program metrics, and generate reports to support operations and informed decision-making.
• Maintain project management tools, Salesforce, and other knowledge management systems to ensure accurate data tracking, reporting, and accessibility
• Support advisory group meetings, internal team gatherings, and special projects by coordinating logistics, preparing materials, and ensuring timely follow-ups.
• Work cross-functionally to develop tools and resources that can be utilized across multiple engagements.
• Learn and apply the PE Way while actively participating in team meetings, retreats, PE Citizenship activities, and required trainings.
• Significant contributor to EAP team learning logs, internal tools that EAP maintains to support the development of shared knowledge and practice formation.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 4+ years of full-time, continuous experience in research, consulting, client services, or project management.
  • A relevant Masters degree can compensate for up to 1 year of experience.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights.

You must be able to support project leads by conducting research, synthesizing information, generating high-quality presentations, and maintaining project timelines. Throughout engagements, you will develop a deep understanding of our partners’ contexts to ensure meaningful and impactful contributions. A commitment to delivering work that drives real impact is essential, along with a willingness to roll up your sleeves and provide support wherever needed. Success in this role requires the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, client services, and consulting environment, demonstrating adaptability, strong analytical skills, and a collaborative mindset. This position will collaborate with cross-functional teams on joint projects, ensuring alignment, effective communication, and successful outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

We are also looking for candidates who have:

• Background or experience in education, workforce development, nonprofit evaluation, or the social impact sector.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including clients, partners, and external collaborators, in a consultative capacity.
• Experience providing technical assistance to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, policy analysis, and data visualization.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise, and high-quality content.
• Ability to effectively visualize data to support program evaluation, reporting, and decision-making.
• Ability to read, interpret, and derive insights from data visualizations.
• Experience designing or supporting program evaluations, mixed-methods research, KPI frameworks, or performance measurement systems; familiarity with theory of change or logic model development is a plus.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• High proficiency in Google and Microsoft software, including Docs/Word, Slides/PowerPoint, Sheets/Excel, and Asana and Salesforce.
• Proficient in using technology with a strong curiosity and a familiarity or willingness to learn new systems, including group collaboration tools such as Slack, Google Team Drive and Zoom.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to navigate evolving priorities in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.
• Interest in the social and education sectors. Knowledge of evidence-based policy/practice, nonprofit evaluation, and performance management disciplines a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Virtual Team Collaboration – Ability to work effectively in a remote environment with team members across multiple time zones. Regular availability is expected between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM (ET).
• Workload Flexibility – Expected to work 40-50 hours per week, with fluctuations based on client and organizational demands.
• Travel Requirements—Travel up to 25-30% is required to meet the organization's needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to sit, talk, and listen for extended periods, up to 8 hours daily.
• Requires fine motor skills, including continuous typing for up to 4 hours.
• Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 30 pounds.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are often reluctant to submit a job application unless they meet all qualifications—we encourage applicants who may not meet 100 percent of the position qualifications to apply anyway.