Job Type
Full-time
Description
Position Education Policy Advisor
Position Overview The Education Policy Advisor serves as a key connector between ACE and state and federal stakeholders, ensuring the organization is well-positioned to operate within evolving education choice policy landscapes. This role blends policy tracking and interpretation with external relationship management, supporting ACE's ability to participate in and expand scholarship programs nationwide. The Advisor will build and maintain relationships with state-level officials, including Governor's offices, Departments of Revenue, and Departments of Education, and will represent ACE in ongoing program eligibility and compliance processes.
A central responsibility of this role is ensuring ACE is recognized as a qualified Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) where applicable, including managing initial qualification and ongoing renewal processes in accordance with state and federal requirements. The Advisor will also monitor and interpret legislation related to tax credit scholarship programs, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), and other school choice initiatives, translating policy into clear guidance for internal teams.
This is an individual contributor role reporting to the Vice President of Services and requires a candidate who is both analytically strong and highly effective at building trusted relationships with external stakeholders. The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, detail-oriented, and comfortable working independently in a fast-moving policy landscape. Candidates should demonstrate professionalism and strong communication skills when interacting with external partners, including scholarship granting organizations (SGOs), policy experts, and legal stakeholders.
Primary Responsibilities External Relations & State Engagement
- Track state and federal legislation impacting K-12 education choice programs
- Manage state-specific SGO eligibility requirements, including initial qualification, annual renewals, and ongoing compliance with applicable state and federal regulations
- Interpret statutory and regulatory changes and summarize implications for ACE
- Maintain internal resources on program eligibility and compliance requirements
- Identify policy trends and communicate updates to leadership
- Support organizational readiness for new or updated programs
- Translate legislative requirements into operational considerations
- Assist internal teams in understanding program rules and compliance expectations
- Maintain awareness of broader education policy developments
- Prepare policy summaries, memos, and briefing materials
- Organize research in accessible formats for internal teams
Policy Tracking & Interpretation
- Track state and federal legislation impacting K-12 education choice programs
- Interpret statutory and regulatory changes and summarize implications for ACE
- Identify policy trends and communicate insights to leadership
- Prepare policy summaries, memos, and briefings for internal stakeholders
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - Strong analytical and research skills with the ability to interpret complex legislative and regulatory language
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical policy concepts into clear summaries
- Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple policy developments simultaneously
- Strong professional judgment and ability to work independently
- Intellectual curiosity and interest in education policy and school choice programs
- Comfort engaging professionally with policy experts, legal professionals, and partner organizations
- Ability to synthesize large amounts of information into actionable insights
- Tech-comfortable, with the ability to learn new research tools or tracking systems quickly
- Adept at organizing research and tracking policy developments across multiple states
- Thrives in a fast-moving environment and demonstrates adaptability as policy landscapes evolve
- Strong alignment with ACE's mission, values, and founding principles
Minimum Requirements - 3-5 years of professional experience in policy analysis, research, government, legal, or regulatory environments
- Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, or related field; equivalent experience considered
- Experience working with or engaging state-level government officials or agencies (e.g., Governor's offices, Departments of Revenue, or Departments of Education)
- Experience reviewing or interpreting legislation, regulations, or policy guidance
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
- Strong written communication skills and attention to detail
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams while managing independent research projects
Location, Travel, and Reporting - Remote eligible within the United States, in-office in Denver office preferred
- Reports to the Vice President of Services
- 5-10% travel throughout the year
FLSA Status Full-time, Exempt
Compensation Annual salary of $75,000-$90,000, plus eligibility for performance bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package including:
- Health coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance (with generous employer contribution)
- Financial benefits: 401(k) with 6% employer match (immediate vesting), HSA, FSA, Limited FSA, and Dependent Care FSA options
- Insurance coverage: Employer-paid short-term, long-term, and AD&D insurance, plus voluntary life insurance
- Wellbeing support: Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Additional benefits: Monthly cellphone stipend
- Education support: Up to $10,500 annually in K-12 private school scholarships for eligible employees' children ($3,500 per child)
- Office amenities (Denver Office): Employer-paid parking, gym, café, building security, coffee, snack bar, and walking treadmill
Salary Description
$75,000 - $90,000
