Education Policy Advisor

Education Policy Advisor

ACE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 2000 in Denver, Colorado, to provide low-income children with equal access to quality K–12 private schools through partial scholarship support. Over the past 25+ years, ACE has delivered more than 140,000 scholarships worth over $390 million. This school year, ACE is serving approximately 16,000+ children in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, and is actively pursuing other expansion opportunities with the support of national funding partners.

ACE is actively preparing for the Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program which comes into effect January 2027.

Our mission is to advance K-12 educational freedom, with a focus on securing financial support for families so they may access the quality education of their choice.

Our values:

• Accountability:
  We embrace personal responsibility by taking ownership of our work and focusing on results. We expect both to give and to receive honest feedback.
• Innovation:
  We know ideas matter. We prefer the risks and rewards that come with creativity, to the certainty that attends stagnation.
• Adaptability:
  We position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities, embracing strategic and operational change when it makes our work more impactful.
• Optimism:
  We believe our best days are ahead, and we embrace a forward-thinking mindset. We will make mistakes, but we will remain cheerful in the face of adversity and give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Kindness:
  We value everyone on our team, respect differences and trust one another. This requires courage and strength, as it involves celebrating and giving our undivided attention to others.

Our founding principles are the foundation of ACE and our North Star. We honor ACE's founders by remaining committed to these principles, and we passionately advocate for the Mission and Vision these principles support.

Our founding principles:

• Free enterprise and democracy work
• Parents know the best education environment for their kids
• Private schools offer great value and have open seats
• All people are created equal and deserve an equal chance to pursue the American Dream

Position overview:

The Education Policy Advisor serves as a key connector between ACE and state and federal stakeholders, ensuring the organization is well-positioned to operate within evolving education choice policy landscapes. This role blends policy tracking and interpretation with external relationship management, supporting ACE's ability to participate in and expand scholarship programs nationwide. The Advisor will build and maintain relationships with state-level officials, including Governor's offices, Departments of Revenue, and Departments of Education, and will represent ACE in ongoing program eligibility and compliance processes.

A central responsibility of this role is ensuring ACE is recognized as a qualified Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) where applicable, including managing initial qualification and ongoing renewal processes in accordance with state and federal requirements. The Advisor will also monitor and interpret legislation related to tax credit scholarship programs, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), and other school choice initiatives, translating policy into clear guidance for internal teams.

This is an individual contributor role reporting to the Vice President of Services and requires a candidate who is both analytically strong and highly effective at building trusted relationships with external stakeholders. The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, detail-oriented, and comfortable working independently in a fast-moving policy landscape. Candidates should demonstrate professionalism and strong communication skills when interacting with external partners, including scholarship granting organizations (SGOs), policy experts, and legal stakeholders.

Primary responsibilities:

• Track state and federal legislation impacting K–12 education choice programs
• Manage state-specific SGO eligibility requirements, including initial qualification, annual renewals, and ongoing compliance with…