Education Program Associate

Education Program Associate at the Right Question Institute

The Right Question Institute (RQI) is looking for an eager full-time Program Associate based in New England to support the work of our Teaching & Learning Program team. This position offers a unique opportunity to be part of a passionate, intellectually curious team, effect change in the field of education, and support educators in their work to transform thinking and learning in the classroom. This is essentially a remote role with some team meetups in and around the Cambridge, MA area.

About RQI

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, RQI is a nonprofit organization that aims to make education and democracy work better. RQI offers a simple, powerful strategy that builds people's skills to ask better questions, learn, participate more effectively in decisions that affect them, and advocate for themselves.

RQI works across a variety of fields. In the field of education, our vision is that every student will learn to ask and pursue their own questions. By building that skill, students become engaged critical thinkers, curious lifelong learners, and active advocates for themselves and their communities.

The cornerstone of RQI's Teaching & Learning Program is the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), a powerful step-by-step protocol designed to teach students how to formulate, improve upon, and use their own questions. We support educators in using the strategy by developing free resources and transformative professional learning experiences. The Education Program Associate will work closely with RQI's Director of Professional Learning and Education Program Coordinator to advance this vision by supporting key aspects of the education team's work.

RQI values its intentional and thoughtful organizational culture, which is characterized by collaboration, openness, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to innovative, iterative thinking centered on learning and continuous improvement. RQI strives to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Your Role

The Education Program Associate is a crucial member of the Teaching & Learning team. The Associate will work as a meaningful thought partner to colleagues, collaborate closely with senior staff, and help develop, manage, and drive projects, strategies, and opportunities.

As Education Program Associate, your responsibilities include the following:

Engage RQI's Educator Community

Respond to incoming requests and questions from educators, start conversations with educators, and build relationships with and between educators using RQI's educational strategy. Conduct outreach to and build relationships with teachers and organizations whose students, content areas, or geographic areas are currently underrepresented or underserved in our community.

Support Trainings, Presentations, and Events

Assist with the preparation, delivery, and logistics of virtual and in-person presentations, conferences, and online courses. This may include designing new training materials, developing PowerPoints, coordinating with organizational partners, setting up a conference booth, providing technical support, keeping the team accountable to deadlines, and more. This role also includes opportunities to assist with facilitating and delivering presentations in partnership with senior staff.

Document Impact

Collect and organize quantitative and qualitative data about the reach and impact of our program on the teachers and students we serve (for example, by sending out surveys, collecting documentation from individual teachers, and reviewing Google Analytics). Create effective visuals for both internal reports and public-facing materials, and manage the processes that keep our team on track for internal and external reporting.

Support Communications and Marketing

With support and training from senior staff, develop marketing materials and implement outreach campaigns, manage RQI's online presence on our website and social media channels, assist with drafting communications for an organization-wide newsletter, and coordinate with consultants who support RQI's communications work.

This is an exciting time to join a fast-growing organization that is an emerging leader in the field of education. RQI is committed to supporting the professional growth of each employee, and we expect the responsibilities in this role to expand and deepen over time. In the past, people in this role have carved out areas of interest and led independent projects such as:

• Moderating a community group or forum for educators in our network
• Applying to write an article for an education journal or magazine
• Graphic design and user experience: designing sleek visuals for the website or newsletter in Canva, reworking web pages or resources that are difficult to navigate, etc.
• Developing and implementing a strategic plan to reach a new audience segment, student population, or geographic area we may not have imagined yet

Requirements and Qualifications

• B.A. required; graduate degree welcome
• A commitment to advancing RQI's mission
• Background in the field of education, ideally 2-4 years of teaching experience; experience or interest in working with traditionally underserved student populations is a plus
• You are a self-motivated worker who can independently make connections and push the work 2-3 steps beyond what is required. You work well when given a loose task and the space to run with it.
• Excellent written and verbal communication. You are equally comfortable writing professional emails and articulating and advocating for your point of view with internal and external audiences.
• You are deliberate, organized, and diligent. You can keep track of multiple projects at once and work to a deadline.
• Reflective, receptive to feedback, and motivated by learning. You view writing as an evolving process and enjoy giving and receiving feedback. You thrive in an iterative environment where a presentation or piece of writing may go through multiple editors and drafts.
• Familiarity and comfort with social media platforms, including X (Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn, or a willingness to learn more and become an in-house expert
• Fluency in Google and Microsoft suite platforms and a readiness to learn additional apps. Experience with or interest in learning educational technology that teachers use for virtual and hybrid learning is helpful.

Location and Travel

We will give preference to candidates who can work a few days a month in person in the Cambridge/Boston area, although we will also consider fully remote applicants. This position requires occasional travel for conferences, presentations, or other events.

Anticipated start date: December 2026 or January 2027

Salary and Benefits

$50,600-$65,000; salary commensurate with experience

RQI offers competitive benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) contribution, and a generous PTO policy with an end-of-year break.

Why Work for RQI?

You will work in a mission-driven, collaborative, and intellectually stimulating environment with colleagues who are passionate about the work we do. A strong candidate will have many opportunities for professional growth, including:

• Taking part in regional and national education events and conferences
• Working daily with teachers, school principals, standards and curriculum writers, organizational directors, and other leaders in the field of education
• The freedom to propose and pursue independent projects that align with the mission and vision of our work

Application Requirements: To be considered, you must upload both a resume and a one-page cover letter. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We read every cover letter closely, tell us why you're interested in this work and why you're the right person for the role.

The Right Question Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We are strongly committed to hiring a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

RQI offers competitive benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) contribution, and a generous PTO policy with an end-of-year breaak!