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Job Title: Technologies Associate

Organization: Education Resource Strategies

Education Resource Strategies, Inc. is a non-profit organization that works with large urban public school systems to rethink the use of district and school-level resources, supporting strategies for improved instruction and performance. ERS is the only organization in the country with over 10 years of experience collaborating with the largest urban districts in the area of strategic resource allocation. We have worked with Los Angeles Unified, Chicago Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Baltimore City School District and the School District of Philadelphia.

What makes ERS unique?
(1) Our analytical approach: The core of our practice is to provide in-depth strategic and analytic support to leaders of large urban school systems. We do this by combining extensive knowledge of school systems and educational theory and practice with intensive, quantitative financial and data analysis. To support this work, we have developed analytic techniques, methodologies for mapping resources, and metrics for gauging performance that provide our clients with a unique perspective on how they deploy resources to support their priorities. This unique perspective, combined with ERS developed web and excel based decision support tools, provides district and school leaders clear and actionable information to develop solutions to resource allocation issues.
(2) Our collaborative client engagements: ERS’s client engagements are partnerships. We view it as part of our explicit mission to build client capacity to understand and implement effective resource practices. Successful engagements result in clients internalizing our methodology and approach into the way they do business. To accomplish that goal, our approach is very different from the typical grab data, crunch numbers, deliver a report model. Our client engagements frequently last over extended periods with significant contact, including working sessions where we collaboratively grapple over analysis to develop solutions and customized training.
(3) Our contribution to the national conversation: One of ERS’s primary missions is to influence the national conversation on district and school resource issues. Our working partnerships with school systems form the bridge between practice and research. Our relationship with clients provides us with access to a wealth of information not otherwise publically available and an unrivalled knowledge of the resource issues facing districts. This experience and the extensive comparative database of resource information and metrics for all of the districts in which we have worked form the foundation of our research and support tool development.

Our headquarters are in Watertown, MA, along the beautiful Charles River and conveniently located to Harvard Square and the Mass Pike. We have a unique work environment; we are committed to high quality in our work and committed to achieving that quality through a flexible environment that values work/life balance. More information about ERS is available at our website: www.educationresourcestrategies.org


Job Description: Technologies Associate

ERS is a small but growing firm. Demand for ERS services among large urban districts is increasing, and we hope to double the number of districts we serve over the next several years. One of the ways ERS has chosen to meet this objective is the development of high-quality software tools that help to streamline the organizations analysis methodologies and tools that allow school district leaders to assess then and change their current resource use practices. To do this, we are seeking to hire a Technologies Analyst to work with the Tools & Technologies Manager.

As a Technologies Analyst, your responsibilities will include:

• Working with the leadership team to refine the organization’s tools vision and strategy
• Working with individuals at all levels of the organization to identify the business and the software requirements for online tools based on the vision and strategy
• Working with vendor software development teams to create easy-to-use tools that help school districts re-think their uses of people, time, and money
• Co-developing plans to test the software tools, identify emerging functionality and process issues, and prioritize enhancements
• Supporting the deployment and implementation the tools with internal project teams and with partner school districts

The Technology Analyst will work collaboratively with the Tools & Technologies manager on multiple, concurrent software projects that are at varying stages, from idea generation to implementation and roll-out. The ideal candidate has a strong grasp of technologies (e.g., cloud computing, web vs. desktop applications, “2.0” technologies, relational databases, data warehousing) and possesses a strong understanding of the software development lifecycle. Proficiency in a programming or scripting language is a plus but is not required.

ERS is a small organization with a strong professional learning community. As such, we place teamwork, initiative and a desire to learn and grow at a premium. While experience in the education sector is not required, a passion for improving the educational experience for all students is!

Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years work experience in a role involving the design, development, and implementation of software systems and tools; alternatively, at least 4 years direct work experience and certifications in related areas are preferred
• Excellent oral communication skills
• Excellent written skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts in a way that is both accurate and easily- understood
• Experience in education or education reform a plus but a passion for improving urban education systems is required
• Strong facilitation skills with a demonstrated track record of facilitating work among multiple groups and multiple stakeholders
• Experience performing some project management duties
• A strong comfort level participating in and leading meetings
• An ability to handle multiple assignments simultaneously

Interested in working at ERS as a Technologies Associate? Please submit a cover letter and your resume to Kristan Singleton at ksingleton@educationresourcestrategies.org