Associate and Senior Director roles, Early Childhood

SENIOR DIRECTOR (1 opening)Afton Partners seeks a Senior Director to lead large strategic planning and systems design engagements with Early Childhood clients across the country. Afton's Early Childhood practice advises state and local governments, philanthropic funders, and other impact-focused organizations working to improve conditions for families with young children, with an emphasis on early childhood education and care. Senior Directors are engagement leaders. They own the delivery of our largest and most complex early childhood engagements, from shaping the initial problem to producing a final plan that clients adopt and put into action. Typical engagements include:Statewide or local early childhood commissions and task forces charged with setting long-term strategyStrategic plans for funder collaboratives and philanthropic initiativesOrganizational strategic plans and business plans for system intermediaries, advocacy organizations, and early childhood providersSystems design work on governance, funding, quality, access and affordability, and workforce compensation and pathways In this role, you are a trusted advisor to senior public officials, foundation leaders, and community leaders. You structure ambiguous problems, ensure comprehensive and meaningful stakeholder engagement, design and facilitate decision-making processes, build a compelling case for a path forward, and move diverse stakeholders to action. You lead project teams of Directors, Managers, and Associates and develop them through the work. You also partner with Managing Directors and Partners on business development and practice growth. To succeed, the Senior Director has strong management consulting skills; knowledge of the federal, state, and local ECEC landscape; and the leadership skills to build and develop strong teams. While strong subject-matter or technical expertise is important, it is not enough for this role. You have demonstrated success in leading complex, multi-stakeholder strategic initiatives from start to finish. This is a full-time, remote position within the United States, with up to 10% travel. Afton offers competitive pay and benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, and a 401(k) with company match. The salary range is $160,000-$180,000 per year. ASSOCIATE (1 opening)Afton Partners seeks an Associate to support strategic planning, policy, and systems design engagements with Early Childhood clients across the country. Afton's Early Childhood practice advises state and local governments, philanthropic funders, and community-based and advocacy organizations working to improve conditions for families with young children, with an emphasis on early childhood education and care. The Associate is a core member of Afton project teams. You carry out research, analysis, and engagement tasks that shape the recommendations our clients act on. Typical initiatives include facilitating public commissions and advisory bodies, engaging communities, assessing needs and gaps, modeling costs and informing funding policy options, studying workforce compensation and benefits strategies, planning state and local governance strategies, and supporting program design and implementation. Working under the direction of Managers, Directors, and Senior Directors, you produce accurate, well-organized work and steadily build your expertise. You'll grow in early childhood policy and systems, in analytical methods, and in the craft of management consulting. This role suits someone who is analytically strong, curious, and eager to learn fast in a collaborative, mission-driven setting. This is a full-time, remote position within the United States, requiring up to 10% travel. Afton offers competitive pay and benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, and 401(k) with company match. The salary range for the position is $80,000-$90,000 per year.