State Research Specialist

Our Mission and Opportunity

Early education is one of the greatest determinants of childhood outcomes, is a must for working families, and has lasting social and economic impact. Brightwheel’s vision is high quality early education for every child. We pursue this by directly supporting teachers in the classroom, engaging parents in the development of their kids, and enabling the small businesses that make up the backbone of the $175 billion early education industry. Brightwheel is the most loved technology brand in early education, trusted by tens of thousands of providers and millions of educators and families.

Our Team

Our team is passionate, talented, and customer-focused. We embody our Leadership Principles in our work and culture. We are a distributed team with remote employees across every US time zone, as well as select offices in the US and internationally. Our exceptional investor group includes Addition, Bessemer, Emerson Collective, Lowercase Capital, Mark Cuban, Notable Capital, and others.

Who You Are

Brightwheel is seeking a State Research Specialist to join the Education team. You are organized, curious, and passionate about early childhood education. You bring strong attention to detail and a desire to grow your expertise in state education policy. You’re a self-starter who thrives in collaborative environments, takes ownership of your work, and is eager to contribute to a mission-driven team. You’re energized by learning how systems work and are motivated to improve them.

What You’ll Do

• Research and document state curriculum and assessment approval requirements

• Maintain the state approvals database and prepare and submit state approval applications

• Map curriculum and assessment content to state early learning standards

• Share policy insights across teams and support cross-functional work on RFPs

• Identify and track key state contacts to support outreach and networking efforts

• Monitor early childhood policy trends and report updates that impact product alignment

What You’ve Done

• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Public Policy, or a related field — or have equivalent experience

• Brought 1–3 years of experience in education research, policy, or coordination

• Demonstrated strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills

• Worked collaboratively across teams and shown coachability and growth mindset

• Used tools like Google Workspace effectively

• Shown passion for early childhood education and a commitment to equity and access

Brightwheel is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Protecting Our Applicants: Please be aware of recruiting scams impersonating Brightwheel. All legitimate communications come from @mybrightwheel.com addresses, and we never ask for payment or sensitive personal data as part of our hiring process. If you suspect fraudulent contact, reach out to security@mybrightwheel.com. Thank you for helping us keep our applicant community safe.