Principal, Postsecondary Value and Public Trust

Responsibilities

• Portfolio leadership and business development
• Develop, pursue, and lead a portfolio of research, advisory, and implementation projects focused on postsecondary value, public trust, and related finance and policy issues, with accountability for revenue, impact, and performance.
• Secure new business by preparing proposals and budgets, pitching philanthropic funders, and actively pursuing contracts with state agencies and institutions.
• Design and steward a revenue cycle in which philanthropic start-up funds support the development of new tools, frameworks, or approaches that can later be transitioned into semi-custom or replicable products and services for broader adoption.
• Leverage existing relationships and serve as a primary relationship holder with funders, state agencies, system leaders, and institutional partners, cultivating long-term collaborations that support sustained impact.
• Research, policy, and consulting leadership
• Translate and amplify Ithaka S+R's research findings into actionable insights for policymakers, institutional leaders, and other decision-makers.
• Stay abreast of emerging policy debates, research findings, and innovations related to postsecondary value and integrate those insights into project design and execution.
• Serve as a visible thought leader in research, policy, and practice communities through publications, presentations, and external engagement.
• People and organizational leadership
• Manage and grow a team of researchers, project managers, and consultants, including supervising managers and supporting staff development.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive team culture that emphasizes quality, learning, and accountability.
• Collaborate with Ithaka S+R leadership, finance, and operations to track portfolio performance and ensure financial targets are met.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) in a relevant field, or equivalent experience, with strong communication and writing skills.
• Experience in consulting, higher education finance, and/or state or system-level policy related to postsecondary education, including relationships with relevant experts, leaders, and policymakers.
• Experience working in a state agency or in an advisory organization that works directly with state or system-level policymakers preferred.
• Research fluency, including the ability to oversee and interpret qualitative and quantitative analyses and to translate findings for non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated success in business development, including securing philanthropic funding and contract-based revenue.
• Experience managing complex portfolios and revenue cycles, ideally including work that transitions from grant-funded pilots to scalable or replicable offerings.
• Ability to lead in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and to navigate ambiguity with sound judgment.
• Strong communication skills and an established or emerging track record of thought leadership in relevant policy or research communities.

Experience and Skills

• Any combination of professional experience, volunteer work, coursework, and other transferable skills may be applied toward these qualifications.
• Candidates need not demonstrate all criteria to be considered for the role.