Associate Director, State Policy (Limited Term Position)

May 13, 2026

Associate Director, State Policy (Limited Term Position) Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) What is ALI? The <a href="https://www.alicoalition.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI)</a> is a bipartisan coalition of school system leaders, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working to build a robust education research and development (ed R&D) ecosystem so schools can implement evidence-based solutions that prepare students for future success. Ed R&D is the work of rigorously designing, testing, and refining instructional approaches, tools, and interventions — then scaling what works and learning from what doesn't, the same way other sectors improve over time. States spend billions on education with no systematic way to know what's working. Without the infrastructure to rigorously test and evaluate, decisions about what to fund, scale, or cut are too often driven by ideology, anecdote, or inertia rather than evidence. Ed R&D changes that: it identifies and scales what works, empowers local leaders with tools and evidence for their communities, and ensures accountability by examining which investments have real impact. Yet the federal government invests far less in ed R&D than in sectors like defense, health, and agriculture, and most states lack the capacity to do it on their own. ALI works on both fronts — helping states build the capacity to know what works in education and act on it, while championing a stronger, better-funded federal ed R&D system that gives states the tools, evidence, and resources to succeed. Why join our team? ALI is a new organization with an ambitious mission and a small team. Our values are People First, Outcomes-Focused, Bias for Action, and Operational Excellence. We hire people who are mission and values aligned, and support them with competitive pay, strong benefits, and genuine investment in their growth. To demonstrate our commitment to our team, ALI’s benefits include: <ul> <li>Generous employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurance package</li> <li>Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO) offering and a 403(b) retirement offering</li> <li>The ability to work remotely within the continental United States</li> <li>An annual professional development stipend</li> <li>Individualized plans for career development</li> <li>Clear criteria around salary growth</li> </ul> As an Associate Director, State Policy, what will I be responsible for? This is a new limited term, grant-funded role at ALI. The Associate Director, State Policy, will lead ALI's day-to-day engagement with state education agencies. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Director of Strategic Policy Initiatives, ALI's partners, and ALI's Chiefs-in-Residence, this role owns the state engagement portfolio from strategy through execution: moving states through our pipeline, coordinating the experts and peer advisors who support them, running convenings, producing written products that keep funders and policymakers informed, and growing a small team to scale the work. What You’ll Do <ul> <li>Build and strengthen relationships with deputy and assistant state superintendents, senior agency staff, and policy and research leads across a portfolio of 5–10 priority states, serving as ALI's day-to-day point of contact and preparing ALI leaders for chief-level engagements</li> <li>Lead states through the state engagement pipeline from early scoping calls through formal engagements, state readiness assessments, and strategic R&D action plans based on <a href="https://www.alicoalition.org/playbook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ALI's State Education R&D Playbook, </a>our step-by-step guide for building state R&D capacity from the ground up, developed with Transcend and Education Reimagined</li> <li>Strategically match ALI's Chiefs-in-Residence (former state superintendents who advise current chiefs as trusted peers) and outside experts to ensure the right advisors to each state's specific priorities and sequencing, and handling the logistics that make those engagements productive</li> <li>Design and facilitate convenings, workshops, and fireside chats at national venues like ASU+GSV, in regional gatherings, and through ALI's State and Local Education R&D Leader Learning Community, a peer network of state and district leaders advancing R&D in their systems</li> <li>Advise state teams as they institutionalize education R&D through new offices, budget lines, and data systems, including drafting concept notes, reviewing budget language, and helping teams develop competitive applications for federal and philanthropic funding</li> <li>Create memos, briefs, concept notes, funder updates, and grant report sections that document state cohort progress and surface lessons for the broader field</li> <li>Synthesize patterns, barriers, and bright spots from state engagements and feed them to ALI staff shaping federal advocacy, including the Blueprint for the Future of Federal Education R&D, so state practice directly informs ALI's federal policy work</li> </ul> What skills and aptitudes do I need for this role? Experience & Expertise <ul> <li>6-8 years of experience with increasing responsibility in education policy, state or federal government, philanthropy, or an education intermediary with substantive exposure to state education agencies</li> <li>Working knowledge of state and federal education and/or ed R&D infrastructure (Institute of Education Sciences, Education Innovation and Research, Comprehensive Centers, and Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems). While you don't need direct R&D experience, you do need to be able to speak credibly about this landscape with agency staff.</li> <li>Experience supporting competitive grant development (federal, philanthropic, or both)</li> </ul> Skills <ul> <li>Astute judgment and the ability to build trust quickly across ideological lines at senior levels of government, including with chiefs, governor's offices, and legislative staff from across the political spectrum</li> <li>Polished written and verbal communication calibrated to state superintendents, funders, policymakers, and public audiences</li> <li>Facilitation skills for small-group strategy sessions and public-facing convenings</li> <li>Project management discipline across 5-10 concurrent state engagements at different stages of maturity</li> <li>Proficiency with Google Workspace, Asana, and HubSpot (or comparable CRM)</li> </ul> Mindset & Approach <ul> <li>Bipartisan instincts that put student outcomes ahead of political affiliation</li> <li>Entrepreneurial orientation suited to a lean team that works through our partners and coalition</li> <li>Comfort with candid feedback and continuous improvement</li> </ul> Work Environment This position is remote from anywhere inside of the United States. During certain times of the year, the role will require work on East Coast hours. Travel is expected at roughly 10–15%, including state visits, cohort convenings, and education policy conferences. The role will be full-time. Salary Range The salary range for this position is $140,000-$165,000. ALI is committed to pay equity. To make sure that salaries are competitive and internally equitable, salaries are determined based on the level of responsibility (i.e., the job level and job duties) and years of experience. ALI also conducts annual salary reviews to maintain internal equity and external competitiveness. The posted range for the role is the salary range minimum to the midpoint, as any new hire to ALI will typically not be placed above the midpoint so that there is room for salary growth. This is a limited term, grant-funded position. The initial grant term is for 3 years. Continuation in the role is contingent upon additional grant funding, performance in the role, and organizational need. Hiring Process and Timeline ALI will be accepting applications for this role through BambooHR through May 22, 2026. <ul> <li>The interview process includes: <ul> <li>A phone screen</li> <li>An interview with the ALI team</li> <li>Reference checks</li> </ul> </li> </ul> Hiring Statement ALI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ALI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. All hiring decisions are based on an individual’s qualifications and skills. ALI is committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to succeed. ALI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities during the hiring process. If a reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact Nina Bhatia, Associate Director of Talent and Operations, at <a href="mailto:administration@alicoalition.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">administration@alicoalition.org</a> Employment is contingent on successful verification of eligibility to work in the United States.

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Associate Director, State Policy (Limited Term Position)

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