Senior Associate

 

Who We Are

Opportunity Consulting, a Washington, DC-based, certified minority- and women-owned business, dedicated to fostering equity and improvement through education, workforce, and community services. We envision a future where all people have access to equitable and excellent opportunities to thrive and live the lives they desire. We look to a future where education and economic systems are equitable, responsive, and inclusive, and where zip codes, race, and social factors no longer predict life outcomes.

 

Our mission is to foster equity and improvement through education, workforce, and community services. As catalysts for transformative change, we collaborate with school systems, municipalities, organizations, and philanthropies at the national, state, and local levels to address systemic barriers in access to high-quality education and career and economic opportunities. We work together to drive impactful transformation through equity assessments, strategic planning, program design and implementation, and advocacy, all rooted in a collaborative approach that prioritizes shareholder engagement, diverse partnerships, and inclusive strategies.

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We work at the intersection of community, systems, and research, leveraging decades of experience as leaders at the national, state, and district level to provide strategic consulting to state and district agencies, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and foundations. 

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About the Role

As we expand, Opportunity Consulting is hiring a Senior Policy Associate to play a pivotal role on our small, high-impact team, managing projects and coordinating multiple high-stakes priorities to advance our mission and deliver meaningful results for our clients. You will lead key components of larger projects, conduct research and analysis, develop insights and actionable solutions, produce high-quality professional deliverables, such as reports, planning tools, and presentations, and lead or support facilitation of client or stakeholder discussions or workshops. You will collaborate with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer to develop project plans and work with junior team members and external contractors to implement deliverables. 

 

Examples projects:

• Formative and process evaluation of large city’s summer jobs program for youth

• Design and implementation of coaching model for cohort of turnaround schools

• Strategic planning process for university-based research center supporting K-12 school improvement

• Documentation of model and lessons learned from regional sectoral partnership to improve early childhood workforce pipeline

• Community needs assessment for mid-sized city to identify and improve access and equitable outcomes

 

Essential Responsibilities

1. Project Leadership: Leading or supporting OC project teams, including design and execution of project plans, timelines, deliverables, client communication, management of project teams and contractors, and progress monitoring. Ensure timelines, budgets, and deliverables are met through coordination of internal teams, including subject matter experts, researchers, and consultants, to execute client projects successfully. Build, develop, and nurture relationships with current and future partners by serving as a trusted advisor. Leverage our collective expertise to address client needs and advance project goals.  

2. Data, Policy and Research analysis: Lead or direct analyses of education and workforce development data, research, and policies to identify ways that ensuring policies, practices, and initiatives can more effectively address systemic disparities and promote equitable outcomes.  

3. Facilitation: Design and facilitate meaningful conversations with clients and stakeholders, including client meetings, planning sessions, diagnostic workshops, and co-design opportunities.  

4. Stakeholder engagement: Design and manage community and stakeholder engagement processes to ensure diverse perspectives closest to the work inform analysis of current practices and policies and inform the design of solutions. This work often includes fostering inclusive, participatory decision-making processes that empower marginalized communities.

5. Policy, System, and Program Evaluation: Use and supplement Opportunity Consulting’s signature strategies and tools to evaluate the effectiveness of client’s policies, systems, and programs through a variety of methods. Lead or direct analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to identify disparities and inequitable outcomes, generate insights, and information evidence-based recommendations for improvement. 

6. Continuous Improvement: Establish and use continuous improvement methods to support internal efforts and support client needs. 

7. Recommendation Development: Provide evidence-based, actionable insights and tailored solutions to improve and optimize client’s strategies, systems, programs, resourcing, and policies to advance education and economic opportunities and outcomes.  

8. Writing and Communication: Synthesize complex material into client-facing materials, including internal briefings, formal reports, presentations, and stakeholder materials. Contribute to field-facing communications from Opportunity Consulting, such as blogs and social media content that leverages learnings from field development and client engagements. 

9. Field Trends and Partnership Development : Stay current with the latest trends, research, and policy development in education and workforce development. Build and maintain partnerships with mission-aligned external organizations focused on equity and social justice. 

 

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated passion for and commitment to Opportunity Consulting’s mission and values exemplified through work experience, leadership opportunities, or community involvement

• Commitment to continuous learning and professional growth, with a passion for equity and social justice in public policy.

• Bachelor’s Degree Required in public policy, education policy, urban planning, social sciences, or a related field.

• Expertise in policy and system analysis, program design and strategic implementation with a proven track record of addressing and mitigating systemic inequalities. 

• Demonstrated experience leading projects, including project design, timelines, deliverables and progress monitoring.

• Four or more years of work experience, working in a research, policy, advocacy, or implementation role in an education-focused non-profit, local, state, or federal education agency, or municipal or state government, or social-sector focused consulting firm. 

• Deep understanding of K-12 education, governance, policy, and systems and broad understanding of important topics in current education discourse. 

• Advanced policy research skills, with experience conducting landscape analyses, 

• Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex material, producing reports, policy briefs, and engaging with diverse stakeholders.

• General familiarity with strategic frameworks for policy, system, and program and improvement science. 

• Ability to work independently and cooperatively as part of a growing, mission-driven team

• Proven organizational skills and interpersonal skills

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office/O365 suite and Google Suite.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced data analysis and research skills, with the ability to apply both qualitative and quantitative research methods through an equity lens.

• Master’s Degree in public policy, education policy, urban planning, social sciences, or a related field.

• Experience leading various project teams successfully.

• Facility with project management tools.

 

Benefits

• Health care, vision, and dental benefits, short-term disability

• Liberal PTO and wellness leave and follow the federal government for holiday closures, including some additional local holidays in Washington, D.C. (i.e. Emancipation Day)

• 4% employer contribution on a 401K retirement plan.

• To ensure staff has synchronous opportunities for rest and renewal, the office is closed for a week-long winter break during the last week of the year.

• End-of-year bonus potential

• Professional development stipends

 

 

Opportunity Consulting is an equal-opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and reproductive status), national origin, ability, age, genetic background, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the Company’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.