Director of Higher Education Policy--The Education Trust

Director of Higher Education Policy

The Education Trust, named one of the three most effective education organizations on Capitol Hill, seeks a Director of Higher Education Policy to support the work of the organization’s Division of Higher Education Policy and Practice.

Reporting to and in consultation with the Vice President for Higher Education Policy and Practice, the Director of Higher Education Policy at The Education Trust will lead an ambitious, innovative effort to advance the equity agenda in colleges and universities. The work will combine efforts to improve both policy and practice to increase the access and success of low-income students and students of color. To this end, the Director works closely with the higher education research and practice teams, the Division of K-12 Policy and Practice, and the Division of Government Affairs and Communications. While the Education Trust’s higher education work historically has focused on K-16 issues (e.g., teacher preparation, alignment of standards and assessments), the work is increasingly focused on substantive improvements within higher education, such as federal and state financial aid policy and institutional accountability for improving student access and success, as it pertains to low-income students and students of color.

Major Responsibilities

The Director of Higher Education Policy responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Lead policy team in researching, analyzing, and developing new proposals on key higher education topics;
• Develop reports, briefs, and other needed material on key topics in the higher education policy space;
• Work collaboratively with our Legislative Affairs team to advance policy positions and influence legislation, including working with our coalition partners and presenting policy proposals and positions to legislators, administration officials, stakeholder groups, advocacy organizations and others;
• Work collaboratively with the Government Affairs and Communications team to monitor and respond to federal, state, and local policy activities related to higher education, including serving as a media spokesperson on those issues and actively participating on relevant cross-organizational committees (e.g. policy development, communications);
• Continually track, organize, and report concisely information relevant to higher education policy priorities from a variety of sources, including pending legislation, media reports, reports from think tanks, academic research literature, and other advocacy organizations;
• Collaborate with the Government Affairs and Communications team on the strategic dissemination of reports, briefs, and other collateral materials including press outreach and interviews, presentations to key audiences including legislative staff, and web-based outreach to the public; and
• Respond to time-sensitive higher education policy data inquiries from staff, media, legislators, and the public at-large.

Qualifications and Experience

We are looking for a combination of the following qualifications and experience:

• A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a significant leadership role within higher education;
• Demonstrated experience in policy development on higher education issues;
• Understanding of federal and state policy contexts that affect higher education, and thoughts about how to improve these policies through appropriate policy levers;
• Deep understanding of higher education policy and finance issues such as but not limited to the Higher Education Act and its Reauthorization, federal and state funding of postsecondary education, and federal and state student financial aid;
• An understanding of various institutional and system governance structures within higher education and the unique challenges specific to diverse types of colleges and universities (e.g., HBCUs, HSIs, community colleges, etc.)
• Excellent analytic and communication skills (both oral and written, and in a variety of formats and contexts);
• Demonstrated ability designing, communicating, and advocating for policy positions
• Demonstrated experience supervising policy analyses;
• Successful track record of managing a healthy and productive team;
• A master’s degree in public policy, higher education, education policy, political science, economics, or related field (Ph.D. or other relevant terminal degree preferred); and
• Ability to travel 20% of the time.

Personal Characteristics

• Passion for improving the educational experiences and outcomes for low-income students and students of color, and an unwavering belief that these students could be much more successful if institutions better served them;
• Self-starter mentality and the ability to work independently;
• A demonstrated commitment to excellence;
• Healthy respect for colleagues and ability to work collaboratively with others;
• Goal-oriented, project-oriented, and results-oriented;
• Desire to be part of an intellectually rich and action-oriented work environment;
• Strong sense of honor and integrity; and
• A warm, personal style with a good sense of humor.

Compensation

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. The Education Trust offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Application Process

Please provide a cover letter and resume to be considered for this position. You must combine your cover letter and resume into one document and upload that document. Our application system will not allow you to upload more than one file. To begin the application process, click this link:https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=10640681.

The Education Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages diversity in all facets of the organization’s work.