Associate Director

Job Description

HCM is a public policy and advocacy consulting firm known nationally for its leadership in education policy development, analysis, and advocacy. HCM puts the student at the center of our work – particularly those who have been left behind by the traditional systems of education – and focuses on eliminating inequities that continue to place far too many students at a disadvantage in pursuing and completing their education. Our team of professionals has an unparalleled set of relationships with state policymakers and deep reach in all 50 states as well as relationships with national employers, polling organizations and civil rights and student organizations that help build an understanding of how change is possible in different environments. We have a long record of success across states based upon our ability to leverage our comprehensive network, forge creative alliances with non-traditional partners, and provide leadership and vision to our efforts on behalf of our clients.

The Associate Director serves as a key member of the firm supporting a variety of work streams.

Responsibilities:

Use surveys and datasets to inform measures of postsecondary costs, success, and post-exit outcomes at the state, institution, and program levels.

Conduct robust statistical analyses to identify factors or levers that affect outcomes, such as cost, completion, local labor market.

Develop models to estimate the impact of improvement on levers in order to develop field-facing data tools and visualizations for key stakeholders.

Conduct relevant analyses, create visualizations, and write interpretations to explain data to stakeholders and non-technical audiences.

Support technical assistance to train institutional and state leaders on data tools.

Provide general support on client projects including, but not limited to:

Meeting support (e.g., agenda development, document support and note taking).

Drafting, copyediting and proofreading documents, presentations and other work products.

Identify, stay abreast and contribute to the firm’s knowledge base of current policies, legislation, practices, and trends.

Serve as a trusted client representative with the ability to lead calls and meetings, independently, as needed.

Cultivate expertise in identification, measurement, and use of value-aligned data to advance state and institutional policy and practice to address gaps in economic mobility and opportunity.

Focus on networking and relationship building to cultivate credibility in the field.

Support projects administratively (e.g., scheduling, copyediting, note-taking, and other general and administrative project support), as needed.

Represent the firm at briefings, hearings and meetings as needed.

Other duties as assigned.

Experience:

Minimum 3 years working in/with public policy and research, advocacy, communications, philanthropy, and/or educational entities.

HCM prefers candidates with proficiency in statistical analysis software and data visualization tools.

Attributes and Core Skills:

Significant experience using large-scale administrative, survey, and public-use datasets to analyze postsecondary education and workforce outcomes.

Strong quantitative research skills, including experience with regression-based methods and applied statistical modeling.

Demonstrated ability to build, clean, merge, document, and maintain complex multi-year datasets from multiple sources.

Strong data visualization skills and experience creating charts, dashboards, or other field-facing tools that help users interpret complex data.

Proficiency with statistical software or programming languages such as R or Stata.

Experience translating statistical findings into clear, actionable insights for nontechnical audiences.

Ability to collaborate effectively with external stakeholders.

Strong project-management skills, including the ability to manage complex analytic tasks, maintain documentation, meet deadlines, and support iterative product development.

Strong interest in HCM’s mission and values, as well as delivering work that advances change that makes educational systems more accessible, affordable, accountable, and equitable.

Demonstrates commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills, an enthusiastic attitude and enjoys a team-based culture.

Collaborative and collegial.

Implements solutions with a “roll-up your sleeves” approach.

Ability to prioritize and adjust to change across multiple clients.

Willingness to support the team on administrative tasks, as needed.

Consistently displays the firm's cultural norms and expectations.

Curious and creative disposition.

Type: Full-Time, salaried, exempt

Location: Remote

Travel: 15>#/p###

Reports to: Director of State Policy & Strategy

Direct Reports: N/A

Salary Range: $63,700 - $102,000

Applications will be received through August 10, 2026 and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Full-time

Hybrid remote