Job Title: Director, Education Agency Practice (EAP)
Reports to: Managing Director, EAP
Salary: $120,000 - $140,000
Location: Remote (U.S.), with a preference for candidates based in the Midwest or Northeast, particularly Chicago, Boston, New York City, or Philadelphia.
FLSA Status: Exempt 


POSITION SUMMARY

The Director, Education Agency Practice, is responsible for project and client relationship management, practice management, and business development. The Director leads engagements that help state education agencies, local education agencies, nonprofits, and funders build and use evidence, including performance measurement, program evaluation, and continuous improvement systems, to strengthen decision-making and outcomes. The Director pairs strong client and project management with deep expertise in data analysis and measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL) to design and deliver high-quality, actionable engagements, and is a strong people and project manager who is accountable for the success of client engagements and the impact they drive.

Internally, the Director will also contribute to Project Evident’s growth and the culture of belonging and accountability by engaging and contributing across the organization to advance performance, learning, growth and impact. This role will also serve on the organization wide management team to ensure effective operations, feedback and improvement.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Project & Client Relationship Management (80%)

• Serve as primary relationship manager for engagements, ensuring on-time, on-budget, high-quality (NPS > 0.70) delivery, including training sessions, workshops, coaching, and support for program, policy, and strategic budget implementation.
• Build, sustain, and manage strong relationships with clients (state and local education agencies, intermediaries), technical assistance partners, funders, and staff, serving as a trusted advisor to superintendents, cabinet-level executives, and governing boards on their most pressing evidence and improvement challenges.
• Lead and manage all aspects of engagements for which s/he is the lead: creating and managing project plans and workplans calibrated to client needs and capacity; developing timelines, content, and deliverables; leveraging team expertise, tools, and frameworks; and providing actionable feedback to project team members.
• Design and lead measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL) work for clients, including performance measurement frameworks, KPI systems, theories of change/logic models, and mixed-methods research and evaluation studies that turn high-level client challenges into concrete findings and improvement strategies.
• Direct data collection, analysis, and modeling, including financial/budget modeling and forecasting, dashboards (e.g., Power BI, Tableau), and quantitative and qualitative analysis, and ensure findings are synthesized into clear, client-ready deliverables (presentations, memos, reports) in the appropriate format.
• Drive quality control across engagements, including reviewing, editing, and providing meaningful and actionable feedback on draft deliverables and analysis.
• Develop content for in-person and virtual meetings, training sessions, and workshops, including data analysis and visualization, continuous improvement, policy and process change, financial modeling and forecasting, and review/synthesis of research studies and systematic evidence reviews.
• Serve as liaison with clients, and effectively contribute to engagements led by other team members by delivering high-quality content in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with colleagues to develop tools, frameworks, and evidence products that facilitate efficient, effective delivery of services.

Practice Management (10%)

• Identify and complete tasks that strengthen the practice and support internal learning, including codifying MEL and evaluation methods, tools, and frameworks for reuse across engagements; share learnings with the team to inform future plans.
• Work with the team to develop content, tools, and resources, including data/analytic templates and evidence products that can be used across multiple engagements and shared more broadly; provide training sessions to advance team skills and build consistency.
• Attract, develop, coach, supervise, and retain high-performing team members (Associates and Senior Associates); give and receive actionable, productive feedback; empower others to elevate their responsibility, span of control, and performance. Follow all organizational people processes effectively and on time.
• Identify learning and growth opportunities for junior staff on project teams and coordinate these opportunities, as appropriate, with others.
• Contribute to strategy development and play an active role on the management team.

Business Development (10%)

• Leverage and deepen relationships within state and district education leaders, nonprofit, and philanthropic networks to build new pipelines, drawing on thought leadership (publications, conference presentations, field-facing knowledge products) to raise the practice's profile.
• Independently generate new leads and secure resources aligned to individual revenue goals tied to practice OKRs; own the sales cycle from thought leadership through closing, and manage engagement budgets and margins.
• Identify and lead (or support, as appropriate) grant and proposal development, including funding for MEL-focused and evidence-building initiatives.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in relevant fields /areas including education, nonprofit, operations, policy, evaluation, data or consulting contexts, including 7+ years management experience including project management, supervision, financial and/or planning (relevant coursework may count towards this experience). 
• Demonstrated experience with business development and client management. 

We are also looking for candidates that have demonstrated experience: 

• Managing clients and client projects, including working effectively with multiple stakeholders who may have evolving priorities.
• Managing projects, processes, and teams and proven ability to work under tight timelines, accurately assess problems, and develop solutions.
• Creating and effectively executing work plans, processes, and documentation that helps to streamline and codify existing practices.
• Developing / designing curriculum / workshop content and providing successful training sessions, coaching, and implementation support.
• Working both independently and collaboratively in a fast paced environment on multiple projects; ability to effectively prioritize time and tasks 
• Translating data and evidence into action and sharing the information in an understandable and actionable manner to external stakeholders, which requires an understanding of evidence-based practices.
• Creating budget models and financial forecast, a plus.
• Attracting, developing, supervising, coaching, and retaining high-performance team members, gives and receives actionable and productive feedback, empowers others to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance.

Candidates should also have:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a proven ability to write and copy edit clear and concise narratives and presentations.
• Extremely high standards for accuracy and impeccable attention to detail.
• The ability to interface with diverse staff and partners in various domains.
• The ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities and be comfortable in an entrepreneurial environment with fast deadlines.
• Experience with and high degree of proficiency using common cloud-based productivity tools, e.g.GoogleDocs, Office 365, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack.
• Knowledge of current key trends and relevant field developments to inform decisions, methods, and other needs to ensure excellent content and reporting.

Candidates should be:

• A problem solver and active listener who seeks clarification, asks questions, and surfaces solutions. 
• A self-starter able to independently research and consolidate information including technical documentation and policy.
• Committed to high performance culture, participate in giving and receiving feedback and belief in continuous and self-improvement.

• Hybrid position and location is flexible, but New York City,  Boston, or Chicago preferred.
• Ability to work with a virtual team.  The team works across multiple time zones and expects regular availability between 10:00am - 4:00pm (ET).
• Expected to work 40-50 hours per week, but could fluctuate based on client demands.
• Travel required to meet the needs of the organization. 

• Ability to sit, talk, and listen continuously for up to 8 hours per day. 
• Requires fine motor skills, such as typing for up to 4 hours continuously. 
• Ability to lift at least 30 pounds.
• Driver license required.

We hope you're excited about the possibilities of working at Project Evident! To support you in bringing your best self to work, we offer:

• Comprehensive Benefits – Generous medical, dental, and vision plans, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, and life and disability insurance.
• Flexible Time Off – Unlimited vacation days, Summer Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and organizational-wide closure from December 25 to January 1.
• Support for Your Growth & Well-Being – Remote work stipends, reimbursement and time off for professional development, and coverage for relevant membership fees.

Project Evident harnesses the power of data, evidence, and technology to achieve greater impact. We believe that by empowering practitioners to drive their own data and evidence building while also strengthening the surrounding ecosystem, we can increase the number of effective solutions in the social and education sectors and scale them faster, ultimately producing stronger, more meaningful, and more equitable outcomes for students and communities.

Project Evident is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce committed to a culture of belonging and accountability.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are often reluctant to submit a job application unless they meet all qualifications—we encourage applicants who may not meet 100 percent of the position qualifications to apply anyway.