Associate Director Validation Jobs in Washington

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.  

The Role in Brief:

Associate Director, Launch Consulting

As a critical member of the Research Growth Strategy team, the Associate Director, Launch Consulting leads the implementation of Decision Engine dashboards, guiding partners from kickoff through launch while ensuring a high-quality, consultative experience. The role combines project leadership and analytical problem-solving to assess data quality, validate Decision Engine outputs, and help partners understand and effectively interpret their results. Working cross-functionally with Research, Product, Edify Data Engineering, Delivery, and other teams, the Associate Director coordinates complex implementations, drives issues through resolution, and supports the continued evolution and adoption of Decision Engine solutions. Success in this role requires strong judgment, curiosity, organization, and the ability to translate complex data and analytical methodologies into clear, practical guidance for institutional leaders.

This hire may be based in Washington, D.C. or Richmond, VA; this position is also open to remote employment within the continental United States.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of Decision Engine dashboard implementations from kickoff through launch, serving as the primary point of contact for partner implementation activities.
• Develop and manage implementation plans, timelines, communications, project risks, and stakeholder expectations across multiple concurrent implementations.
• Coordinate implementation activities and key handoffs across partners, Research, Edify Data Engineering, Product, Delivery, and other stakeholders, from data pipeline development through validation, testing, and launch.
• Lead key partner and internal implementation meetings, including kickoff, data and findings reviews, testing, launch readiness, and handoff, ensuring clear decisions, ownership, and next steps.
• Assess partner data for completeness, consistency, and overall reasonableness, applying analytical judgment rather than simply verifying required fields are present.
• Use SQL and dashboard outputs to investigate unexpected data patterns, distributions, and outliers, identify likely root causes, and determine the appropriate path for resolution.
• Execute automated and manual data validation processes and appropriately triage issues to partners, Research, Edify Data Engineering, or Product teams.
• Develop deep expertise in the Decision Engine methodology and serve as a trusted advisor on model assumptions, institutional data, and analytical methodology.
• Guide partner conversations regarding the rationale behind the dashboard, including data definitions, methodological assumptions, tradeoffs, and why specific data elements are or are not incorporated into the model.
• Build an understanding of higher education finance, enrollment, and academic operations to effectively consult with institutional leaders on the appropriate interpretation of Decision Engine outputs.
• Configure and deploy Decision Engine dashboards within Qlik environments, connect dashboards to Edify tenants, manage user access, and support recurring dashboard refresh processes.
• Perform light technical troubleshooting during implementation and coordinate issue resolution with Engineering when appropriate.
• Identify opportunities to improve implementation processes, documentation, and data quality workflows across the implementation lifecycle.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships that enable effective collaboration across Product, Research, Sales, Delivery, and Engineering.
• Support broader Data & Analytics initiatives as implementation priorities and product capabilities evolve.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with an excellent academic record and 5+ years of post-graduate, professional experience; minimum of 3+ years of post-graduate professional experience in technical project management, implementation consulting, analytics, business intelligence, customer success, or a related client-facing role.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects involving cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience using SQL to investigate, validate, and troubleshoot complex data quality issues.
• Strong analytical reasoning with the ability to evaluate whether data appears reasonable in the context of business operations, identify anomalies, and determine appropriate next steps.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts and analytical methodologies to non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder conversations with professionalism, diplomacy, and sound judgment.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment to delivering an exceptional partner experience.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically.

Ideal Qualifications

• Experience implementing analytics, business intelligence, or SaaS products in a client-facing environment.
• Experience configuring or supporting Qlik, Tableau, Power BI, or similar business intelligence platforms.
• Familiarity with higher education institutional data, finance, enrollment, or academic operations.
• Experience evaluating data quality, investigating root causes, and making recommendations based on analytical findings.
• Experience presenting analytical findings, implementation recommendations, or technical concepts to executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn complex analytical methodologies and translate them into practical guidance for clients.
• Ability to independently prioritize work, exercise sound judgment, and drive issues to resolution while balancing technical, analytical, and partner considerations.
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB's mission, values, and aspiration.

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $70,500 - $100,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits.

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.