Policy Research Jobs in Georgia (NOW HIRING)

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About GOEWS

The Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) supports accountability and transparency through strategic data use and collaboration with education stakeholders to advance student success. Find out more about our work, vision and the mission that drives us here.

About Division of Policy, Research, and Accountability

The Division of Policy, Research, and Accountability produces annual deliverables as well as data-driven research used by state policymakers, the Governor's office, the General Assembly, and school districts across Georgia. We operate at the intersection of data, law, and policy. Our work informs consequential decisions about schools, educators, and students and we take that responsibility seriously.

What We're Really Looking For

Location: Atlanta, GA | Minimum two in-person days per week

The division already has strong quantitative capacity. The person we are looking for has a specific kind of mind. What we need is someone who can take research questions, set of tables and charts, and statutory framework and turn them into a document that tells the data story, what it means in the context of Georgia education law and policy, and what the state of Georgia should consider. That requires someone who can read data confidently, who understands policy and legal frameworks deeply enough to connect findings to the right context, and who writes with precision and clarity under scrutiny. Data without narrative is just numbers. Policy without evidence is just opinion. The analyst we are hiring is the person who brings those two things together and makes them mean something.

Key Responsibilities

Analytical Writing and Policy Research (60%)

- Take research questions, data outputs, and tables produced by the team's quantitative analysts and write the memos, reports, and briefings that translate findings into clear, policy-grounded arguments.

- Read and interpret Georgia education statutes, State Board of Education rules, legislative bills, and inter-agency agreements to build the policy context that grounds the written work and ensures findings are accurately connected to what the law actually requires.

- Read and interrogate quantitative findings produced by the team to understand what the data is and is not saying, identify methodological questions worth raising, and ensure the narrative accurately represents what the analysis shows.

- Connect data-driven insights to the relevant statutory, regulatory, and policy frameworks to explain not just what the numbers show, but what they mean given Georgia's education laws and accountability requirements.

- Develop charts, tables, and data visualizations that support the written narrative and make complex findings clear for the range of audiences.

- Prepare technical summaries and methodology narratives for GOEWS deliverables, making complex analytical approaches legible to non-technical audiences.

- Review and edit team-produced deliverables for narrative coherence, policy accuracy, and clarity before they are sent to the Division Director for a final review.

Audit Support (40%)

- Conduct structured review of Charter System, Strategic Waivers School System (SWSS) and school charter (commission or locally authorized) contracts, performance frameworks, and consequence structures to identify where current practice aligns with or departs from statutory requirements.

- Maintain documentation of audit processes, evidentiary standards, and analytical frameworks as the function is built out, ensuring institutional knowledge is preserved as the program matures.

- Prepare draft audit findings, contract performance assessments, and oversight reports for Division Director review.

Qualifications

Required

- Bachelor's degree in public policy, education, political science, law, or a related field. - 3-5 years of experience in policy analysis, legislative research, education research, program evaluation, or a closely related role; preferably in a government or nonprofit setting.

- Exceptional writing skills. This is the most important qualification on this list. You must be able to write clearly, and precisely; translating complex data and legal frameworks into documents that technical as well as non-technical audiences will read and understand.

- Demonstrated ability to read and interpret complex statutory or regulatory text and draw out its operational implications.

- Ability to read and interpret statistical output (including regression tables, frequency distributions, summary statistics) produced in Stata or similar software. Coding proficiency is not required, however, comfort navigating quantitative output and asking the right questions about what it shows is.

- Comfortable working in an environment where processes are still being defined, with direction and support from the Division Director.

- Professional maturity.

Preferred

- Master's degree in public policy, education policy, law, or a closely related field. - Background in program audit and/or contract compliance.

- Experience working in or with state government, where understanding how agencies relate to each other and to the legislature is part of doing the job well.

Minimum Qualifications:

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

The State of Georgia does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or other protected categories in employment or the provision of services.
Qualified applicants may request reasonable accommodation when needed during the application and/or screening process by contacting the appropriate agency Human Resources department.