Data Insights & Policy Research Associate

American Council On Education; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 58,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

403B with matching incentive

Paid Parental Leave

13 paid holidays

Professional Development Opportunities

Job summary

The American Council on Education (ACE) hosts the Data Insights and Policy Analysis group, seeking a project associate for a two-year term. This role trains recent graduates in public policy, data science, and higher education research through project rotations and hands-on data work.

The position emphasizes analysis, communication, and collaboration across ACE's diverse teams, with a hybrid Washington, DC footprint.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as public policy, social sciences, data science, education, statistics, or related discipline.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex information from multiple sources and identify key insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to write clearly and concisely for diverse audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); ability to work with data in spreadsheet formats. Experience with statistical software (e.g., Stata, R, etc.) preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality, accurate work.
• Collaborative mindset with ability to work effectively both independently and as part of cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Draft policy briefs, data visualizations, implementation guides, internal memos, and stakeholder-facing talking points that translate complex higher education data into accessible insights.
• Translate scholarly and evidence-based research into actionable recommendations for practitioner audiences, including institutional leaders, policymakers, and higher education professionals.
• Conduct literature reviews, landscape scans, environmental scans, background research, and secondary data analysis.
• Assist with data collection, cleaning, analysis activities, and survey design.
• Contribute to the development of data products, dashboards, and interactive tools that make higher education information accessible to diverse stakeholder groups.
• Contribute to analytical support of other business units within ACE, including through data gathering, surveys, and analysis as well as products and data insights that can benefit ACE's membership.
• Support quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy, rigor, and relevance of DIPA's research outputs and data products.

Skills

Analytical skills

Written and verbal communication

Multi-tasking

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Stata

R

Job description

The American Council on Education (ACE) hosts the Data Insights and Policy Analysis group, seeking a project associate for a two-year term. This role trains recent graduates in public policy, data science, and higher education research through project rotations and hands-on data work.

The position emphasizes analysis, communication, and collaboration across ACE's diverse teams, with a hybrid Washington, DC footprint.