The American Council on Education (ACE) invites applications for the Associate Program, housed in its Education Futures Lab (EF Lab). The program is designed to provide individuals with an opportunity to gain real-world experience harnessing the power of research and data – and co-designing solutions for and with the postsecondary sector. By being a part of a leading national higher education association, you will have opportunities to inform campus executives and leaders of higher education associations and organizations about emerging higher education issues and influence public policy and institutional practice. By the end of the two-year term, you will have opportunities to explore potential career paths as well as to broaden your knowledge in key areas such as higher education leadership, translating research to practice, data-informed decision making, and others. 

Essential Job Duties or Tasks:
As an Associate, you will work under the direction of various project leaders in EF Lab in support of our core activities, which consist of: 

• Explore & Discover: We scan for and anticipate challenges, opportunities, ideas, and solutions. 
• Design & Incubate: We create spaces for emerging ideas and solutions to become real and tested. 
• Scale & Accelerate: We catalyze and accelerate transformational changes by informing and shaping public discourse. 

Through these activities, we produce various experiences and deliverables for internal & external audiences, including but not limited to: internal briefings on emerging issues, thought leadership convenings, workshops and other learning experiences for institutional leaders, written reports, toolkits, data resources, and webinars.  

Typically, you will be assigned to execute tasks associated with larger projects, including but not limited to: background research, data analysis/visualization, qualitative/quantitative data collections, preparation of pre-/post-convening materials, and drafting of written materials (e.g., internal memos, talking points, briefs, and reports).

In addition, as directed, you will have opportunities to engage and partner with colleagues across the Council (e.g., Carnegie Classifications System team, Government Relations, ACE Connect, and Learning Evaluations, etc.). As a full-time contributor, you will also be expected to fully participate in various departmental, division, and council-wide meetings and activities.  

In the first year, you will also be paired with a mentor who serves on ACE’s Cabinet, which consists of assistant vice presidents and other senior-level leaders at the Council.  

Education/Experience/Specialized Knowledge and Competency Requirements:

• Self-motivated with the ability to multi-task competing projects and priorities.  
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and propensity to thrive in a team environment.  
• Skillsets relevant to one or more areas of EF Lab’s core activities.   
• Eagerness to build your expertise around current and emerging issues in higher education. 

Working Conditions/Physical Effort:
Office Environment - 35 hours per week. This position is open to a fully remote, hybrid, or in-person schedule.

To apply, please submit the following materials:  

• Cover letter (no more than 2 pages) 
• Current resume or abbreviated CV (no more than 2 pages) 

While this position is open to a fully remote, hybrid, or in-person schedule, we require the selected candidate to live within a 100-mile radius of our building, located at One Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036.

All ACE employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their start date. The American Council on Education will provide reasonable accommodations as required by law for individuals unable to be vaccinated due to a medical condition or religious belief.

The American Council on Education is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, disability, matriculation, familial status, genetic information, source of income, place of residence or business, status as a victim of an intra-family offense, credit information, protected veteran status, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking.