1. education

ASSOCIATE PARTNER, POLICY AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Overview
Bellwether Education Partners is a nonprofit dedicated to helping education organizations—in
the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—become more effective in their work and achieve
dramatic results, especially for high-need students. To do so, we provide a unique combination
of exceptional thinking, talent, and hands-on strategic support.
More specifically:
 Our Strategic Advising practice works with leading education organizations on their
most pressing strategic and operational issues. We partner to create bold but
achievable plans, while ensuring that leaders and stakeholders are aligned around the
path forward.
 Our Policy and Thought Leadership practice works to shape the broader education
landscape by conducting policy analysis, research and writing, and idea generation and
by advising education entities on policy and public affairs.
 Our Talent Services practice identifies, places, and supports education leaders through
comprehensive executive searches, customized search advisory services, and
individual coaching. We also partner with clients to build talent-ready organizations that
are effectively managed places for a diverse team to work, develop, and thrive.
Why bring all this together? Bellwether was founded on the belief that the only way to ensure
that all children have access to high-quality schools is to take a holistic approach to
education’s most pressing challenges. We believe the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts, and many of the challenges organizations face are so complex that they require all three
areas of expertise. Having all three makes our work stronger, tying in innovative thinking with
perspective into on-the-ground realities.
In this way, Bellwether has carved a special and desperately needed niche in the education
reform landscape. Bellwether isn’t just a think tank, a consulting firm, or a human capital
organization. It is all of the above and more. Through the combination of these lines of work,
we can provide comprehensive, coherent, and lasting solutions to education’s most
longstanding and complicated problems.
Position
Bellwether Associate Partners (APs) work as members of small internal teams and take strong
leadership roles in both external and internal capacities. Internally, APs work closely with
Bellwether Partners and Principals, overseeing the work of junior staff members to produce
high-quality deliverables, including both field-facing Bellwether publications and client
deliverables. Externally, APs represent Bellwether in interactions with clients and through
public speaking, writing, and other engagement with the education reform field.
Bellwether Education Partners
Partner Position Description
Page 2
Associate Partners are accountable to all Partners within Bellwether who, in turn, guide their
work and invest in their professional development. This particular opportunity is in the Policy
and Thought Leadership practice within Bellwether, led by Partner and Co-Founder Andrew
Rotherham.
In this context, the Associate Partner’s primary responsibilities and duties will be to:
 Draw on deep expertise in multiple areas of education policy to effectively guide the
development of innovative solutions to policy challenges facing clients and the broader
education field;
 Develop work plans and manage projects to ensure timely delivery of high-quality
deliverables;
 Supervise teams of analysts and other junior team members on policy and thought
leadership projects;
 Manage client and funder relationships and interactions to ensure effective completion
of work that meets the client’s goals and funder expectations;
 Author high-impact reports, white papers, and articles;
 Analyze and effectively present data to generate insights or inform solutions on policy
questions or issues;
 Support business development through relationship building and input to high-impact
proposals, and actively foster business development opportunities and connections on
behalf of Bellwether;
 Take on internal roles to build out Bellwether’s key capabilities.
Qualifications
Bellwether is a strong fit for professionals who possess strong personal drive and motivation,
demonstrate exemplary professional behavior and values, and who are resourceful,
responsible, tenacious, independent, and self-confident.
In addition, the successful candidate will have:
 At least five years of experience in government, public policy, education reform, or a
related field, including at least one year of experience in a role that requires managing
staff teams or junior staff members;
 A demonstrated track record of producing high-quality policy analysis and writing for
public and policy audiences;
 Exemplary writing skills;
 Deep familiarity with federal and state education policy and research and the challenges
facing public education in the United States;
 Strong policy and general analytic skills;
 A well-rounded interpersonal skill set with the capacity to build relationships with clients,
funders, and education leaders, and to work effectively in a team environment;
 A highly self-motivated work style and willingness to proactively take on leadership roles
within projects and the organization;
 Maturity, flexibility, and the ability to deal well with ambiguity and the fast-paced nature
of a growing organization;
 Strong ethics and personal responsibility;
2
Bellwether Education Partners
Partner Position Description
Page 3

A desire and ability to engage and own the key intellectual challenges and tensions
encompassed by Bellwether’s work in the area of education policy, politics, and reform.
The following traits/skills are ideal but not required:
 a graduate degree in public policy, law, business, or a related field
 experience organizing high-impact convenings and facilitating productive conversations
among individuals with diverse perspectives
 comfort with some travel
Compensation
Bellwether Education Partners provides competitive compensation and an attractive benefits
package including a performance-based bonus based on individual and firm success, full
health care coverage, and access to 401(k) accounts with a matching contribution policy.
Location
Washington, D.C.
To Apply
Bellwether Education Partners is committed to providing equal opportunities. We serve diverse
organizations, and are committed to non-discrimination. It is our policy to ensure that all
individuals with whom we are in contact are treated equally without regard to age, race,
ethnicity, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation,
expression, gender identity, or veteran’s status.
The review of applications will begin immediately, and applicants will be considered on a rolling
basis.
Applications should consist of a letter of interest, current resume, and writing sample. Please
include the position title in the subject line of your email. Applications or inquiries about the
position should be directed to:
Moire Carmody
via: moire.carmody@bellwethereducation.org
For more information on our organization, please visit: www.bellwethereducation.org
3