Education Philanthropy Positions Will Enhance Evidence Based Grantmaking, Translate Evidence to Insights and Enrich Strategic Connections

Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is growing and hiring for three mission-critical positions, two of them newly created. These are: an associate learning and impact officer, a senior learning and impact officer and a strategic partner engagement manager.

Acting on evidence of progress and success has always been a core element of Ascendium’s philanthropy. Our dedication to learning and impact, as shown by our hiring in this area, helps ensure policymakers, practitioners and ourselves know and act on the best evidence when making critical decisions. The associate learning and impact officer will help us act on input from current and potential grantees, as well as research advisors and other partners.  The senior learning and impact officer, a newly created position, will lead our grantmaking that builds rigorous, relevant and useful evidence about policies, practices and programs that warrant scaling.  

We also strive to share the lessons our grantees learn. We live in a world where evidence-based stories and storytelling play a key role in the impact an organization has. By identifying strategic opportunities to amplify work that exemplifies our mission, the strategic partner engagement manager will help guide the stories we tell and advance understanding of key issues in our strategic focus areas. Some ways we seek to connect with our partners are through our publications, strategic outreach, convenings and strategic media partnerships.

According to Ascendium Vice President - Education Philanthropy Amy Kerwin, “These strategic hires will help Ascendium in two related areas. Our learning and impact positions will increase our contributions to the evidence base supporting postsecondary education and workforce training reforms. Our new strategic partnerships position will translate evidence into insights policymakers, institutional and community leaders and peer funders can use.”

Ascendium welcomes individuals who are committed to making a difference in people’s lives. If you are interested in helping create high-quality evidence that supports Ascendium, policymakers and practitioners make better decisions or stewarding efforts to deepen our partnerships, amplify successes and provide thought leadership in the field, visit the Ascendium Education Philanthropy careers page to find out more and to apply.