Principal Associate Consultant

ERS is a national non-profit that partners with district, school, and state leaders to transform how they use resources (people, time, and money) so that every school prepares every child for tomorrow, no matter their race or income. We are a highly regarded and well-established organization with over fifteen years of field leadership and maintain a strong entrepreneurial spirit that embraces teamwork and innovation.

If you want to join a team of talented and committed professionals within a fast-paced and collaborative culture, this is the place for you.

Position Overview

Education Resource Strategies seeks to hire a results-oriented Principal Associate with experience in strategic consulting, data driven decision-making, and quantitative analysis. This role would be an exciting career step for someone who wants to:

• Utilize their extensive quantitative analysis and consulting skills in a management role to make an impact on improving equity in K-12 education.
• Utilize their previous experience as a school leader to partner with school districts in redesigning school systems to better serve students with the greatest needs.

 Managing two projects at a time, Principal Associates will partner with K-12 education leaders to help them effectively reallocate resources via qualitative analysis and data. In serving as thought partner to district leaders, a Principal Associate plays a critical role in leveraging strategies and solutions to drive transformational change in public education.

 Case and Team Management

• Actively participate as a member of ERS project teams; supervise one or more Analysts
• Leading well defined sections of project work, including:
• Contributing to the design of the analysis and owning pieces of work from start to finish
• Overseeing data processing and analytics
• Building understanding of community, educational, and equity context
• Drawing implications and conclusions from analyses, and owning narrative creation
• Planning, executing, and communicating results with limited supervision
• Producing client ready documents and presentations
• Developing and managing the project work plan
• Participation in client meetings and presentations
• Develop strong relationships with and serve as a thought partner to district leaders
• Effectively manage the formal and informal professional development of team members through skill planning, coaching, and performance feedback

Firm Contribution

• Contribute to the firm's knowledge management strategy by developing client decision-making tools, products, and papers for publication and dissemination
• Lead the professional development of junior staff members. Participate in the performance review process calibrating team member growth, strengths, and development opportunities across level
• Serve in various ad-hoc leadership capacities (e.g., ERS retreat, ERS lunch facilitation, practice area participation, recruiting)
• Continuously build an understanding of the diversity, inclusion, and equity dynamics affecting ERS’ work internally and externally; support and lead the process to bring in multiple perspectives to develop and enhance equity in our work.
• Travel 1 to 2 times per month (On pause due to COVID-19 but likely to resume in some capacity once it is safe to do so)

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in strategic consulting, quantitative analysis, or other comparable field with a strong emphasis on strategy and analytics
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree (MBA, MPP, MPA, M.Ed.) preferred
• Critical thinking skills; proven quantitative, strategic, and analytic capability
• Significant experience in both process and project management; high degree of organization, and attention to detail to meet deadlines, often within very tight timeframes
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex material and effectively communicate ERS’ mission and impact to our target audience
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word required; Microsoft Access preferred
• Broad understanding of and willingness to stay abreast of new research in the education sector
• Ability to work independently and cooperatively as part of a growing, mission-driven team
• Commitment to ERS Values: impact, teamwork, candor, learning, work-life balance, and service
• Demonstrated passion for and commitment to ERS’ mission and values exemplified through work experience, leadership opportunities, or community involvement; experience in education reform a plus, but a passion for improving urban education systems and interest in deepening one’s understanding of the community and equity context impacting education systems and student experience is required.

Search Timeline

Searches for this position typically occur in two rounds: A winter search and a spring search. While applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, below are our anticipated search timelines for this position.

First interviews, second interviews, and final interviews: February 2022 and March 2022

Final decisions and offers: End of March 2022

Start date: Early September 2022 and flexible/open to earlier start date

About Education Resource Strategies

Every school. Every child. Ready for tomorrow.

Since 2004, ERS has worked hand-in-hand with the leaders of over 100 school systems and several states. We utilize data to inform the implementation of school design transformations and monitor the impact of these changes. Our work continues to grow and evolve, especially as it relates to the implications of COVID-19 on students with the highest needs.

Our non-profit status enables a different kind of partnership with districts and states: one where we participate in the transformation struggle, create insights together, and share lessons with others.

Please visit our website learn more about Our Work, Our Impact, Our Team, and Our Core Values.

Benefits of Working at ERS

• Opportunity for impact: ERS works with some of the largest, most influential and innovative districts in the country to truly transform their practices. Your work will change the lives of thousands of students.
• Entrepreneurial spirit: As a small organization, we are continuously improving, and we encourage innovative ideas, honest feedback, and constant learning.
• Collaborative work environment: We do most of our work in teams. We bring our collective wisdom and expertise to everything we do, often tapping the expertise and leadership of colleagues across the organization.
• Healthy work/life balance: We support every member of the ERS team in integrating meaningful work and professional growth with a healthy personal life throughout their career.

Contact Us

Interested in joining the ERS team? Please submit your resume and thoughtful cover letter to our Careers Page.

Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging

As an organization, we still have so much to learn about the continuing impact of systemic racism and oppression. We also acknowledge that we must look inward to best actualize ERS’ mission. Therefore, we strive to develop an equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist organization rooted in belonging for all team members.

We remain committed to transforming the systems, structures, policies, resource decisions, and cultural messages that are driving inequitable outcomes by:

• Helping our school district and school leader partners understand the patterns of structural racism and oppression that impact the students and families in their community.
• Devoting organizational resources to support the ongoing learning of all ERS team members related to the causes and patterns of structural racism and oppression, how they impact the experiences we bring to our shared environment, and the ways we work with each other.

ERS is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, ancestry, pregnancy, or military service.

We value diverse teams and the unique talents each member brings. In that light, we encourage candidates that have life experiences similar to those of the children, teachers, and leaders in the districts we serve to apply. The value we place on diverse teams is mirrored by our commitments to foster and sustain an inclusive culture. We regularly evaluate our organization's processes and policies through the lens of equity and inclusion, and we provide opportunities for individual and organizational learning about equity, inclusion, and diversity.

We view these commitments as essential to our work with each other and our district partners, as we seek to drive equity and excellence for all students through school system transformation.