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ECMC · 8 hours ago

Policy and Research Fellow

Washington D.C. Metro Area – Hybrid

Full-time

Hybrid

Entry Level

$35/hr - $35/hr

2+ years exp

ECMC Foundation is a nationally focused foundation dedicated to enhancing higher education for underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. The Policy and Research Fellow will be instrumental in tracking policy developments, analyzing education trends, and conducting research to support the Foundation's mission of improving postsecondary completion and social mobility for underserved learners.

Non Profit

Comp. & Benefits

Responsibilities

Support the Foundation’s implementation of a digital platform to track and integrate state and federal policy opportunities into the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy

Analyze and synthesize proposed and enacted policy changes to assess implications for students, institutions, systems, and ECMC Foundation’s grantmaking strategy

Design, conduct, and interpret qualitative and quantitative research aligned with the Foundation’s strategic framework

Work with large federal, state, and institutional datasets (e.g., IPEDS, NSC, Census, State Longitudinal Datasets) to support analysis of postsecondary access, persistence, and completion trends

Prepare data visualizations and write summaries that communicate findings clearly and persuasively to non-technical audiences

Support the design and facilitation of team meetings, learning sessions, and convenings, including producing invitations, pre-reads, briefings, and other materials that inform strategic discussions with internal and external stakeholders

Participate in Foundation-wide meetings by presenting, translating, and synthesizing learnings from Policy and Research team activities

Contribute to the effectuation of meeting follow-up items including pursuing additional insights regarding emergent questions and exploratory lines of research that might also inform strategic priorities

Translate complex research and policy findings into concise memos, reports, and presentations for diverse audiences

Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualification

Policy researchData analysisResearch designData visualizationProject managementInterpersonal skillsCommunication skillsWriting skills

Required

Bachelor's Degree and actively pursuing a master's degree or a doctorate in higher education, public policy, economics, sociology, or a related field

2+ years of professional experience in policy research, education administration, or government/policy roles

Strong research and analytical skills, with demonstrated ability to collect, interpret, and visualize data. Experience working with data tools or analytic software (e.g., Excel, R, Stata, Tableau, ArcGIS, Dedoose, NVivo, Atlas.TI)

Familiarity with federal and state policy processes (gained through higher education or another sector or focal issue, e.g., early childcare development, K12, healthcare, community development), postsecondary systems, and student success frameworks

Familiarity with scholarly research repositories

Demonstrated project management skills and ability to meet deadlines in a collaborative environment under competing priorities

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate across teams and stakeholder groups

Exceptional writing and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information for diverse audiences

Benefits

Participate in structured mentorship with ECMC Foundation’s senior leadership and Policy and Research team members.

Attend internal learning sessions, strategy meetings, and external convenings to gain insight into philanthropic grantmaking, policy engagement, and systems change work.

Receive ongoing feedback and coaching focused on leadership, communication, and analytical skills.

Have opportunities to represent the Foundation in professional settings, including policy briefings, research forums, or cross-sector collaborations.

Gain exposure to a national network of policy and research experts, foundation professionals, and education stakeholders.

Company

ECMC

ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation with a mission to help students succeed. It is a sub-organization of Educational Credit Management Corporation Group.

Founded in 1994

Oakdale, Pennsylvania, USA

501-1000 employees