Principal Associate Consultant

Greater Boston Area, MA

Full Time

Mid Level

ERS is a national non-profit consulting firm that empowers school system leaders to make transformative shifts in resources, structures, and practices so that all students – especially those with the greatest learning needs and those furthest from opportunity – attend a school where they can learn and thrive.

At ERS, we embrace teamwork and innovation to influence sustainable, equitable change in some of the country’s largest school districts.

If you want to join a team of talented and committed professionals within a mission-driven, fast-paced organization, this is the place for you! We will invest in your professional learning, including rapidly developing the K-12 education knowledge needed to succeed.

The salary range for this role is $105,000 to $145,000 annually. In modeling our commitment to openness and transparency, it’s important to note that starting salaries aren’t typically at/near the top of this range. This is to create opportunities for team members to earn raises throughout their tenure in the role.

Consulting projects at ERS
Our focus is on high-impact work within public K-12 school districts that support a significant population of students from low-income families. Our projects:

Strengthen financial sustainability by analyzing resources, forecasting budgets, and aligning spending with strategic priorities
Distribute resources to the highest-need areas by implementing equitable, strategic funding and budgeting models that build capacity for effective financial decision‑making
Improve student and teacher experiences by analyzing staffing structures and school design models to optimize learning and enhance teacher retention
Facilitate learning opportunities for cohorts of state and district leaders to explore solutions to shared challenges

Role overview
We seek to hire Principal Associates (PAs) with experience in strategy/management consulting who are excited about the opportunity to positively impact K-12 education. PAs lead from the middle in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment, taking full ownership of defining and managing the work across multiple, intersecting workstreams.

PAs are expected to demonstrate strong quantitative analysis skills and strategic insight to drive meaning-making. They pair sophisticated data analysis with critical thinking to synthesize disparate data, tell a clear and compelling story, and translate insights into high-impact, strategic recommendations for state and district partners. Excel and R are the primary tools used for our quantitative analysis work.

Strategic and quantitative analysis: Independently design and execute methodologically sound analytic plans and translate complex analyses into clear insights and actionable recommendations that enable informed decision-making for external partners
Project management: Drive progress toward milestones by proactively organizing and delegating team responsibilities, monitoring progress, and adapting plans as needed, maintaining focus on what matters most
People management: Facilitate structured, priority-based meetings with team members at all levels to ensure alignment, support development, and maintain accountability for high-quality deliverables
High-quality deliverables: Design structured, concise, audience-ready materials tailored to meet the needs of different external partners (e.g., central office leaders, state agency executive boards, principals, etc.)
External partner engagement: Manage mid-level partner relationships end-to-end, fostering collaboration and trust through strategic thought partnership and service
Knowledge management: Contribute to our organizational knowledge base via research, development of externally-facing tools, and documentation of best practices in public K-12 education resource allocation
Organizational stewardship: Actively engage and contribute to culture-building initiatives, rooted in learning and relationship-building, including coaching, position groups, and quarterly ERS weeks

Qualifications
Meeting every preferred qualification is not required to advance in our search. These criteria are not mandatory. Alignment with our mission, values, and impact is critical.
Required

Bachelor’s degree
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in strategy/management consulting, school leadership, or district strategy with a strong emphasis on quantitative analysis and meaning-making to identify actionable recommendations
Track record of maintaining high standards of accuracy in quantitative analysis, including efficient quality control checks for own work and colleagues
Demonstrated ability to quickly assess complex, ambiguous situations, identify key questions, and define actionable next steps by logically breaking down challenges into smaller components
Proven ability to deliver results through effective project and people management, including prioritizing competing demands to ensure timely execution
Excellent (clear, logic-based, and structured) communication skills
Passion for and commitment to our mission and values exemplified through professional and/or personal experience
Travel averages 1 to 2 trips per month, typically 2–4 days per trip, with occasional periods of increased travel during certain project phases
Adhere to a hybrid work schedule, working from our office in Watertown, MA office at least three consistent days per week
Must be authorized to work for an employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for new team members at this time.

Preferred

MBA, MPP, or MPA (considered a substitute for one year of professional experience)
Proficiency in R, including using it to clean, analyze, and interpret quantitative data
Proficiency in leveraging AI tools to support research, data analysis, and problem-solving
At least two years of supervisory experience
Extensive knowledge of the U.S. public K-12 education system, including its structure, policies, and operational practices

We value diverse teams and the unique talents each member brings. We encourage candidates whose lived experience reflect those of the students, educators, and leaders in the districts we serve to apply.

We strive to build inclusive, empowered teams by honoring individual strengths, fostering multidirectional feedback, equipping team members with the information and support needed to contribute meaningfully, and investing in one another’s success. We see these commitments as foundational to how we work together and with our district partners as we pursue equity and excellence for all students through school system transformation.

ERS is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, ancestry, pregnancy, or military service.

Visit our website to learn more about us, including our transformative work and vibrant organizational culture.

Apply for this position

Required*

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Phone*

Address

Resume*

We've received your resume. Click here to update it.

Attach resume or Paste resume

Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

Cover Letter*

We predominately work with large, public K-12 school districts that serve a large percentage of students from low-income families. In that light, we encourage candidates that have life experiences similar to those of the children, teachers, and leaders in the districts we serve to apply. Did you attend a school similar to those in the school districts we serve?
Note: This is not required to be considered for a role at ERS.*

Have you worked in a school similar to those in the school districts we serve?
Note: This is not required to be considered for a role at ERS.*

Have you received a Pell Grant?*

Are you a first-generation college student?*

This additional question is optional should you want to share more about yourself beyond the was the U.S. EEOC defines sex. I identify with the following pronouns....
Note: Visit https://bit.ly/3Mb2kki for more information about pronouns
Note: Check all that apply* He/him/hisShe/her/hersThey/them/theirsI do not identify with any of these pronounsI choose not to disclose

If you indicated that you do not identify with any of the pronoun options above, below is an optional space for you to self-identify...

Our hybrid work policy is grounded in extending flexibility to team members, facilitating collaboration/learning, and reinforcing an organizational culture of togetherness.

We operationalize this by expecting team members to be in the (Watertown, MA) office at least 3 consistent days each week. Are you willing and able to commit to this?*

Do you currently have valid work authorization in the United States?*

Do you now, or will you in the future, require immigration sponsorship to have valid work authorization in the United States?*

Required if you answered “yes” to the question above: Please provide any additional information about your work authorization or sponsorship needs...

Where did you hear about this position?
Note: If you saw this job on multiple platforms, please select where you first heard about it.*

If applicable: I did not hear about this role from any of the sources above. My source was...

If applicable: What is the full name of the current team member or ERS Alumnus who shared this role with you?
Note: You may list more than one name

Please upload your unofficial transcript(s) for any degree-seeking coursework you have completed after high school. If you have multiple transcripts, please combine them into one PDF file.*

The following questions are entirely optional.

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.

Gender

Race/Ethnicity

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
Diabetes
Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury

Please check one of the boxes below:

YES, I HAVE A DISABILITY, OR HAVE HAD ONE IN THE PAST NO, I DO NOT HAVE A DISABILITY AND HAVE NOT HAD ONE IN THE PAST I DO NOT WANT TO ANSWER

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Name	Date

Human Check*

Submit Application

Thanks for visiting our Job Board. Please review our open positions and apply to the positions that match your qualifications.

Principal Associate Consultant

Apply for this position