Description

Director, Policy & Advocacy

About this role...

Reporting to the VP of Policy and Advocacy, you will provide direct leadership to the policy and advocacy team and will be influential with cross-functional teams at NWEA. As Director of Policy and Advocacy, you will, in collaboration with the VP on Policy and Advocacy, work with the state division to deliver an annual plan that executes on NWEA's policy and advocacy agenda in support of NWEA's Strategic Plan . This is a full-time opportunity in the PreK-12 education industry with competitive compensation and an outstanding benefits package.
Your next challenge...

• Supervise members of the policy and advocacy team and act as advisor to the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy.
• Develop a partnership plan associated with the policy agenda, which includes a focus on leading a national dialogue on equity in assessment and learning, and proactively initiate and manage senior level relationships in support of agenda, and in coordination with other partnership efforts of the organization.
• Establish and maintain relationships with federal, national, state-level influencers, and organizations to build strong partnerships that benefit NWEA.
• Collaborate with the state division to advocate for policies and practices in-line with NWEA's policy and advocacy agenda, products and research at the state level.
• Support the policy and advocacy team's engagement with states well-positioned to adopt the through-year assessment and collaborates with the state division other NWEA teams accordingly.
• Oversee state policy analysis and provides NWEA leaders with information about best practices, trends in policymaking and current research.
• Collaborate with the Director of Government Affairs and Partnerships to maximize NWEA's investment in national-level sponsorships.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and independently, including the policy and advocacy team's budget, consultants and sub- contracts with external partners.
• Review reports, articles and issue briefs and memos about policy issues and best practices , such as equitable assessment practices/solutions , for b oth internal and external use.
• Review and report out monthly on any pending or upcoming legislative and/or gubernatorial actions in a defined set of monitor states.
• Manage a c onsortium of assessment partners to advance discussions on the role of assessment in inequitable learning environments .
• Lead and participate in relevant workshops, conferences and seminars for state and national audiences.
• Represent NWEA at various organizational, partner, and policy community functions, activities, and events.
• Coordinate with the Strategy and Partnerships team to complete grant deliverables and reporting requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned to ensure the success of the team and the entire organization

Traits for success...

• Substantive knowledge and understanding of federal and state policy, and its implementation, as it relates K-12 education.
• Experience working with high-level policymakers at the local, state, national and federal level in a variety of settings.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively in written and verbal forms, with special emphasis on the ability to communicate with policymaking audiences.
• Strong analytical skills and experience interpreting and applying research and best practices for policymakers in a timely and effective manner.
• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously within deadlines including staff, budgets and partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal skills necessary to effectively work with colleagues, partner organizations and a variety of state policymakers; Ability and willingness to assume additional responsibilities and work independently and collaboratively internally and externally.
• Ability to work independently; organized, curious and self-driven.
• Able to produce documents and presentations at a proficient/advanced level with MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, support and understand different project teams from a position of influence as well as authority.
• Strong attention to detail and focus on task completion.

Competencies ...

• Action oriented : take on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm
• Manage ambiguity : operate effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear
• Communicate effectively : develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Manage complexity : make sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems
• Manage conflict : handle conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise
• Customer focus : build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions
• Plan and align plan and prioritize work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals
• Drive results : consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances
• Drive engagement : create a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives
• Build effective teams : build strong-identity teams that apply diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals
• Instill trust : gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity

Education and e xperience ...

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
• Minimum 5 to 8 years of experience in the area of education policy
• Demonstrated work experience in the area of education policy required
• Demonstrated experience managing relationship development of external partnerships, agencies, high-risk contracts, and high-level decision makers required .

About us...

NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.

What we can offer you....

At NWEA w e not only offer a competitive base salary , we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees' base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; c areer development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees' holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here

NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization's mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.

NWEA™ endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at onlineaccommodations@nwea.org and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

NWEA™ is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website