Partner, Policy

Use your ability to develop innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems, your policy advising skills, and your strong organizational leadership skills to ensure that young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. 

We are seeking a Partner, Policy to leverage their expertise in education policy to promote equity and excellence in opportunities and outcomes for all students. In addition to providing day-to-day leadership of Policy projects and teams, the Partner will bring a “business owner” mindset to the organization and support Bellwether’s growth and strategy.

Our work spans early childhood through postsecondary education and the transition to the workforce, aiming to improve access, opportunities, and outcomes for young people at every stage of their educational journey. For this role, we have a strong preference for candidates with expertise and interest in postsecondary Pathways policies and programs, including career and technical education (CTE), work-based learning, college preparation and navigation, and the full range of postsecondary education and training opportunities. However, all qualified applicants will be considered.

We are a remote-first team, and our work is national in scope, which means this role can be based anywhere in the United States. This enables us to hire the best person for the role, regardless of geography. Travel up to approximately 20% to 30% may be required. 

About Bellwether 

We are a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure that systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. We work hand-in-hand with a diverse range of education organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way. 

Our Policy team is one arm of Bellwether’s broader Policy and Evaluation (P&E) practice. The P&E team provides high-quality analysis, advising, evaluation, and support services to help organizations and leaders at every level of the system better understand how policies affect and inform their work, so they can create better results for students, especially those with the least access to opportunities. Our evidence-driven approach allows us to give our clients clear and unvarnished insights into the development and implementation of policies and how well they are delivering their intended impact. We also publish research, analysis, and recommendations that shape education policy toward improved experiences and outcomes for marginalized students.

Our team members have experience as policymakers, analysts, and advocates at the federal, state, and local levels and expertise spanning a wide variety of issues. Bellwether staff members have served in roles at the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and state education agencies, and as senior leaders in school districts and charter networks. Additionally, because our team includes many former teachers and school leaders, we have seen firsthand how policy and policy implementation shape school systems all the way down to the classroom level.

Responsibilities

This role will include the following key responsibilities:

Client and Funder Engagement

• Build, sustain, and cultivate strong relationships with our clients and funders in partnership with project team members.
• Serve as a trusted resource and advisor, helping our clients solve policy, organizational, or strategic challenges.
• Lead iterative processes that enable joint problem-solving and inclusive decision-making with clients and teams.
• Ensure that clients’ needs are met from the beginning to the end of each engagement and intervene if needed to course-correct during a project.
• Build and sustain strong relationships in the philanthropic sector, particularly as relevant to your areas of focus, in alignment with Bellwether’s development strategy and in collaboration with other organizational leaders.

Team Leadership

• Foster a culture that supports our core values, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity. 
• Guide Bellwether teams to help clients achieve outstanding results through rigorous, practical, and tailored research, analysis, and insight-generation processes.
• Supervise, manage, and develop the P&E team’s leaders and managers to ensure strong functioning of project teams, including the coaching, professional development, and mentoring of strong, mission-aligned staff.

Client Development, Fundraising, and Network Cultivation

• Tell Bellwether’s story in compelling ways, describing who we are, what makes us unique, and why our work is meaningful to organizations and the field.
• Collaborate with Bellwether’s partners on client development efforts, eventually increasing self-directed business development.
• Initiate, cultivate, and extend strategic relationships, with an emphasis on developing new partnerships.
• Leverage and expand your personal network with senior executives, funders, and other leaders in the field at the local, state, and federal level (as appropriate to the focus of the projects you lead). 
• Represent Bellwether externally (as appropriate to your expertise), including but not limited to speaking at conferences, participating on panels, and writing articles and opinion pieces.

Senior Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Bellwether partner team, supporting the development of our own high-impact business strategies and their implementation, with a focus on exceptional quality.
• Guide the strategic direction of the Policy and Evaluation practice area, including participating in annual planning and goal setting, leading critical internal initiatives, and engaging in hiring and onboarding to build a diverse team.
• Serve as a steward of the organization’s culture and shared values.

Qualifications

Bellwether is a good fit for professionals who have a strong personal drive and motivation and are resourceful, responsible, tenacious, independent, and self-confident. 

You will bring the following skills to this role: 

Strategic Problem Solver and Learner

• You enjoy developing innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.
• You have an empirical approach, and you like to roll up your sleeves and work hard to understand what the evidence and data are telling you about the current state of your clients’ work or a challenge in the field.
• You are a nuanced thinker, able to grapple with complexity, quickly take in new information, and adjust your perspective in response to evidence.
• You are a self-starter who likes to have several things going on at once. You can balance competing priorities.
• You are always reflecting on your work and your development as a leader, assessing your own strengths and growth areas and openly seeking feedback.
• You are a learner first, striving to fully understand clients’ issues, seeking new areas in the field, and keeping abreast of challenges that people are trying to solve. You are on a constant journey to expand your knowledge base.
• You demonstrate excellent execution and leadership skills, including acute attention to detail, and can balance overarching goals with detailed steps to achieve your objectives.

Extraordinary Influencer and Connector

• Connecting purposefully and intentionally with others is clearly a strength in your repertoire of skills as an executive and leader. You express yourself with clarity, respect, and awareness in conversations and interactions with others.
• You build trust and credibility through transparency and authenticity in your communication with staff and clients.
• You listen compassionately and with an open mind — seeking to fully understand clients’ needs before recommending any direction forward.
• Cultivating relationships has been a focus for you at every stage of your leadership journey. You recognize the power and exponential nature of connections.

Inclusive Leader

• You model cultural fluency and sensitivity to establish a culture and mindset of growth to help meet the needs of diverse staff and clients.
• Either through personal experience or empathy, you solicit, elevate, understand, and value the perspectives of a wide variety of stakeholders.
• You pursue and build authentic relationships across lines of difference (race, age, political viewpoint, socioeconomic background, gender identity, etc.) through self-reflection and empathy.
• You are confident addressing matters of equity, race, and bias in decision-making with clarity, confidence, openness, empathy, and situational awareness and an understanding of historical context.

Culture Keeper

• As a leader, your words and actions are consistent. You demonstrate trust in and respect for others no matter what. You understand deeply that trust must be earned.
• You keep confidences, accept responsibility, maintain transparency, and lead by example.
• You astutely assess team strengths and challenges and foster a working environment where all voices are valued, team members’ strengths are elevated, and team members can enjoy work while making a positive impact.
• You are known for your impeccable work ethic, accountability, and follow-through.

Excited? We are too. You should apply if you have:

• Experience with the challenges and disparities in PreK-postsecondary education and workforce readiness in the United States, especially regarding students historically denied opportunities based on race, ethnicity, or income. Candidates with specific expertise in Pathways policies and programs, including career and technical education (CTE), work-based learning, and early postsecondary opportunities, are particularly encouraged to apply.
• At least 15 years of professional experience, including senior leadership experience in an innovative entrepreneurial environment. 
• A commitment to Bellwether’s core values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity.
• A commitment to our work of addressing policies and practices that lead to inequitable outcomes for marginalized young people.
• A track record of problem-solving, policymaking, and/or advising, and experience in an executive leadership role (in business, education, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector). Bonus points for advisory or client services experience.
• Experience translating recommendations into action, well-developed persuasion skills, and a sense of comfort working with others across lines of difference.
• A strong network of relationships with senior executives of education organizations, funders, and/or policymakers in education at the local, state, and federal level. Bonus points for experience in business or client development.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor communication to various stakeholders’ needs.
• The ability to model a high degree of reflection and self-awareness, build trusted relationships across lines of difference and positional power, and seek and respond to perspectives different from your own.
• A highly self-motivated work style and a willingness to proactively take on a leadership role on project teams and within the organization.
• A learning mindset and the ability to seek and synthesize new information.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $225,000 to $270,000 annually, with performance bonus potential of $35,000+ and the opportunity for compensation to increase over time commensurate with performance. While the final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors — including previous experience and content knowledge — and may vary from the stated range, Bellwether is committed to transparency, and all offers align with our compensation philosophy.

Bellwether provides competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package that includes a performance bonus based on individual and firm success, health care coverage, and a 401(k) plan with matching employer contributions.

To Apply

Use your online application — a custom letter of interest and a current résumé — to show us you have the skills listed here or why the skills you have are the ones we actually need. Your letter of interest should be addressed to Julia deBettencourt, Chief of Staff for the Policy & Evaluation Practice. This role has a priority application deadline of June 7, 2024. While we prioritize applications received on or before that date, we will review applications as we receive them until the position is filled. Note: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Bellwether is committed to building a team that reflects the varied backgrounds and experiences of the students we seek to serve. It is important to us that you use your application materials to clearly highlight ways in which your background and experience align with Bellwether’s core values, including our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as viewpoint diversity.

Bellwether is committed to providing equal opportunities. It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact are not discriminated against based on age, race, ethnicity, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, political viewpoint, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Further, as described above, Bellwether is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply.