The Data Acquisition Specialist is a core member of Ellevation’s Data Integration team, responsible for configuring and maintaining reliable data connections from district Student Information Systems (SIS), assessment vendors, and other sources. You work directly with district partners via calls and screen shares to build data extracts that power Ellevation’s products — and you take ownership of that work from setup through ongoing monitoring.

You bring a general working knowledge of SIS platforms and are growing your expertise across the K–12 data ecosystem. You’re someone who takes responsibility for your tasks with little day-to-day oversight, escalates thoughtfully when surprises arise, and consistently delivers high-quality outputs. You build collaborative relationships with teammates and show up with a service-oriented mindset for the districts you support.

What you'll do:

Partner collaboration & data onboarding

Partner with district teams via calls and screen shares to configure data extracts from SIS platforms (e.g., student demographics, staff, schedules, assessment results).
Configure data connections with vendor partners, including SSO setup for new partners.
Communicate data issues clearly to district contacts, asking the right questions to gather the information needed to resolve them.
Guide partners through the data sourcing process, helping them understand what’s needed and why.

Data quality & validation

Confirm that data extracts meet quality standards before handoff to the Partner Success Team, validating file headers, record counts, and that important values are not missing.
Conduct basic data analysis on incoming data to identify issues early.
Use team-defined processes for raising questions and issues (e.g., Slack channels, team meetings, Jira).

Monitoring & support

Monitor incoming data jobs to proactively diagnose and respond to failures.
Respond to Jira tickets, taking a first attempt at diagnosing issues before escalating.
Escalate appropriately when issues involve unexpected complexity, delays, or require management or leadership input.

Documentation & process

Document new discoveries and processes related to extracting data from SIS platforms, contributing to team playbooks.
Ask thoughtful questions of teammates and leadership to deepen your knowledge of the SIS and vendor ecosystem.
Respond to change with optimism and flexibility, quickly recalibrating when priorities shift.

What we’re looking for:

1–3 years of experience in a customer-facing technical role: data onboarding, technical support, solutions engineering, or similar.
Strongly preferred: SIS knowledge - Working knowledge of Student Information Systems — you understand how to navigate these systems and extract data from them.
Strongly preferred: K–12 education experience is a strong plus — you understand how districts operate and how student data connects to learning outcomes.
Comfort with basic data analysis — validating file structure, checking record completeness, and spotting issues in incoming data.
SQL familiarity preferred; willingness to develop SQL skills on the job is equally valued.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical district contacts.
Detail-oriented and dependable — you follow through on commitments, manage your time well, and escalate proactively when something unexpected comes up.
Collaborative and service-oriented — you share information openly, ask clarifying questions, and approach teamwork inclusively.

Why this role matters:

Ellevation serves multilingual learners across thousands of districts. The data you configure and validate is the foundation for everything educators see in the product, from student rosters to assessment results to progress monitoring. Reliable data means educators can focus on students, not troubleshooting. Your work directly enables that.

Success in this role

Within 1 month

Onboarded and learned how Ellevation’s products use external data.
Understood the basics of how we receive data from SIS platforms and vendor partners.
Joined partner calls alongside your manager or a teammate.

Within 3 months

Working with district partners independently to configure data extracts and resolve data issues.
Contributing to internal playbooks on SIS data extraction.
Applying team data quality standards when reviewing and handing off incoming data.

Within 6 months

Managing a portfolio of partner onboardings and ongoing data jobs with confidence.
Proactively monitoring data pipelines and responding to failures before they escalate.
Identifying and documenting new SIS patterns or edge cases to help the broader team.

Within 12 months

Developed solid proficiency across the most common SIS platforms and data extraction workflows.
Established as a trusted, credible contributor within the Data Acquisition team.
Actively contributing to improving team processes and documentation.

About Us:

At Ellevation, we develop world-class software to help educators serve the fastest growing population of K-12 students: English Learners (ELs). Ellevation helps school districts transform their Multilingual Learner programs and ensure all students can achieve their highest aspirations. Our product suite includes a best-in-class data and instructional planning platform, resources to build teacher capacity, and student-facing programs to teach academic language.

We are a fast-growing, mission-driven technology company partnering with over 1,500 school districts and more than 2 million current and former English Learners. Over the next five years, we plan to double the number of ELs we serve and drive measurable outcomes for students. Ellevation merged with Curriculum Associates in 2021 to accelerate impact for Multilingual Learners. Our company continues to operate independently and is well-capitalized to support our ambitious social and financial objectives.

Why Ellevation?

In addition to our great benefits and competitive salaries, here are some things that make us unique:

Mission-driven organization where team members are empowered to make a significant impact
Opportunities to join Employee Resource Groups and support building a culture of belonging
Professional development and growth opportunities
Company and team offsites in various cities across the United States
Collaborative workspace in the heart of Boston - a stone's throw from many central T stops (Downtown Crossing, Government Center, and Aquarium). Free snacks, beverages, and local organic fruit provided
Remote and in-person engagement opportunities, including happy hours, themed events, and competitions
Remote and in-person wellness programming to support team’s mental and physical wellbeing

Benefits

Benefits eligible employees (and qualifying dependents) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees can enroll in our company's 401(k) retirement plan and receive an employer match up to 50% on the first 7% of your contribution, with pre-tax and Roth options. Employees have access to flexible paid time off for vacations, sick and disability policy, additional 10 paid company holidays, 2 floating holidays and a winter office closure between Christmas and New Year's. In addition, we provide a generous parental leave benefit, back-up childcare or eldercare, and a variety of other perks to support the health and well-being of our employees.