At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy to help us fulfill that mission. As education systems face growing demands for data-informed decision-making, from assessment design to college readiness benchmarks, ACT is building its internal capacity to generate, synthesize, and communicate rigorous analyses that advance equitable student outcomes.

The Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy will play a central role in building and sustaining this capacity. This is an opportunity for a mission-driven data professional who thrives at the intersection of analytics, policy research, and strategic communication – someone who can translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for policymakers, partners, and the public.

The Program Director, Data Strategy, Policy & Advocacy will lead high-impact work across three areas:

• Data storytelling and thought leadership to support ACT’s influence in the field
• Policy research and analysis to inform ACT’s external positions and priorities

• Partner Engagement and evidence building to grow ACT’s evidence base and assess the impact of ACT programs and partnerships

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $115,000 to $130,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible.

Location: This is a remote position, based in the United States.

Visa: Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

What you will be working on:

• Data Storytelling and Thought Leadership: Embed data-driven decision-making across ACT’s Government and Public Relations team and serve as a strategic thought partner to ACT leadership and customers.
• Key responsibilities include:
  • Support leadership in using data to inform strategic planning and resource allocation. Design and maintain data tools, dashboards, presentations, and visualizations that make key metrics accessible and actionable for internal and external stakeholders
  • Proactively identify research questions and analytic opportunities aligned with ACT’s policy priorities
  • Create feedback loops between research findings, program design, and partnership strategy
  • Provide capacity-building support to colleagues: training staff on data tools, analytic frameworks, and evidence-based practices
  • Maintain a pulse on external data trends, policy developments, and methodological advances relevant to ACT’s work
• Policy Research & Analysis: Generate rigorous, policy-relevant analyses that inform ACT’s positions and contribute to national conversations about education equity, assessment, and college and career readiness.
• Key responsibilities include:
  • Provide strategic input to inform quantitative and mixed-methods research studies to answer high-priority policy questions
  • Conduct literature reviews and synthesize research on education policy topics, presenting findings in actionable formats for policy and program staff
  • Analyze large-scale education datasets (assessment results, demographic trends, program outcomes) to identify patterns and inform strategic recommendations
  • Develop and operationalize metrics and frameworks for evaluating policy-relevant outcomes
  • Incorporate equity analysis to understand disparities in outcomes across student populations
  • Identify relevant external data sources (federal, state, institutional) and build efficient workflows for data acquisition and management
  • Translate complex analyses into clear written products (briefs, memos, reports) for non-technical audiences including policymakers and funders
• Partner Engagement & Evidence Building: Design and implement data-sharing partnerships that build an evidence base for ACT programs, partnerships, and policy initiatives.
• Key responsibilities include:
  • Systematize data-sharing agreements and data collection workflows with external partners (districts, states, institutions)
  • Support the development of reporting templates that can scale across partner engagements
  • Analyze variation in stakeholder contexts and identify conditions associated with strong outcomes
  • Support the development of clear metrics that define and operationalize success for ACT programs and partnerships
  • Generate impact reports that translate research findings into actionable insights for internal teams and external stakeholders

This could be the job for you if you have (minimum requirements):

• At least 7 years of experience using data and analysis at the district or state level to inform decision-making in education, government, nonprofit, or social impact contexts, including demonstrated experience working with education data, advising senior leaders and shaping organizational strategy
• Strong quantitative analysis skills
• Familiarity with educational research designs and methods
• Experience producing external-facing policy reports, case studies, or thought leadership
• Experience building dashboards and other data visualizations, e.g. Tableau, MS Power BI or similar software
• Experience designing surveys, analyzing assessment data, or evaluating programs or policies
• Ability to translate complex data and analyses into clear written reports and presentations for non-technical audiences
• Proven project management skills and ability to independently lead and manage multiple complex workstreams simultaneously, with minimal oversight
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated commitment to improving educational outcomes and advancing equity
• Ability to Travel approximately 10-15%
• Bachelor's degree in education policy, public policy, economics, statistics, data science, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

It’s a plus if you have:

• Experience at an SEA, large LEA, or federal agency working with K–12 or postsecondary education data, including state assessment or accountability data
• Experience partnering with school districts, state education agencies, or higher education institutions
• Strong stakeholder management skills and experience working cross-functionally
• Curiosity, learning orientation, and comfort working in a mission-driven, fast-paced environment
• Master’s degree in education policy, public policy, economics, statistics, data science, or a related field

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions.

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Completion of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is recommended. Find a testing site near you to register for the WorkKeys assessments. Finalists for this position will be subject to a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

**If you have received an ACT employment-related communication from an email address that is not affiliated with @act.org and/or that requests personal or financial information, please do not reply. Instead, reach out to us at careers@act.org with the details. ACT's recruitment team appreciates your interest in working with us to transform college and career readiness pathways for all learners and wishes you the best of luck in your career journey.**