Become an SDP Fellow

Applications for new and returning SDP partner organizations seeking to nominate an existing staff member to become a Nominated Fellow for Cohort 18 (Fall 2026 - Summer 2028) open on August 25, 2025. We recommend applying sooner rather than later to secure a spot.

Please review the deadlines below carefully:

Placed Fellows: Hiring a fellow externally from the SDP candidate pool

• Application Opens: August 25, 2025
• Deadline: March 16, 2026 (reviewed on a rolling basis)

Nominated Fellows: Nominating a fellow internally from within your organization

• Application Opens: August 25, 2025
• Deadline: May 4, 2026 (reviewed on a rolling basis)

All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis leading up to these deadlines and we encourage applying in advance of the final regular deadlines. Prospective partners with uniquely assigned deadlines should adhere to those deadlines instead of those listed above.

It’s both—but it’s not a traditional post-doctoral fellowship and it’s not a traditional full-time job. The SDP Fellowship is a unique opportunity combining full-time employment at an SDP-approved partner organization (a school district, state education agency, postsecondary system, non-profit, etc.) and two years of intensive in-person and virtual professional development, training, and mentorship to build your toolkit as a future education data leader.

SDP Fellows are full-time employees of partner agencies (school districts, state agencies, non-profits, etc.) and receive salary and benefits paid directly by the partner organization. SDP Fellows receive training, professional development, and mentorship from the Strategic Data Project team at Harvard University.

When partner agencies hire a fellow through SDP, they commit to offering a salary between $75,000-$95,000. For the past three cohorts, the average salary was $90,000. Please keep in mind that salary levels vary based on placement type, agency policies, geographic location, and many other factors.

There are two primary components of the SDP fellowship – 1. full-time salaried employment at an education organization and 2. two years of training and support provided by professionals and faculty at SDP. Although the training and support component is only two years, your job may or may not be – the fellowship is associated with your role, so unless your role is a limited grant-funded role or a temporary two-year term position (which we share with you up front), you should be able to continue employment beyond the fellowship, assuming it’s a mutually agreeable decision and fit between you and your employer. About 70% of fellows remain employed at their partner organization for at least one year following the fellowship and about 40% remain for 3+ years. 55% of fellows received promotions or advanced into senior roles in their placement organizations during or after the fellowship. For any roles that are temporary or limited, candidates will learn this up front. 

After completing the fellowship, you join our alumni network. Our alumni are leaders in many facets of the education sector, from district and state leadership, consulting, academia, tech/IT, and much more. Our global alumni network of 500+ data strategists is robust and growing, and alumni stay engaged with our community through newsletters and slack channels, by mentoring and advising current fellows, and providing technical support to one another. We repeatedly hear from alumni that the strength and engagement of the alumni network is one of the top benefits of the fellowship. 

Candidates seeking to be hired by an education organization need four years of full-time work experience by the time they begin the fellowship to be eligible (by August 2026). These do not need to be consecutive years and part-time employment can be counted toward the total (e.g., a part-time job for 17-20 hours per week for two years counts as the equivalent of one year of full-time work). Relevant part-time roles held during graduate school (research assistant, analyst) are eligible, but internships and part-time roles held as an undergraduate student are not. “Full-time work” is defined as 34+ hours per week. Full-time service work, such as volunteering in the Peace Corps or serving with AmeriCorps is eligible.

The only exception to the four-year requirement is for those who have completed – or will have completed by August 2026 – a PhD (EdD degrees do not count) and may have less full-time work experience. 

Candidates are required to have completed (graduated from) an advanced degree (master’s degree or higher) by the time they begin the fellowship (by August 2026). The roles that our partner organizations hire fellows into require advanced degrees for salary band or leadership reasons. Certifications, bootcamps, and other credentials – while valuable and contribute to building your skillset – do not meet the advanced degree requirement at this time. 

* Candidates seeking nomination through their employer do not need four-years of full-time work experience or an advanced degree 

Employment at a partner organization typically begins in the summer months but must begin by October 1 at the latest. Start dates vary and are dependent on placement needs and candidate availability. Fellowship programming officially kicks off each fall, typically in October with a multi-day in-person orientation for fellows and their supervisors. 

Given that the fellowship is full-time employment with additional training and travel obligations, we do not recommend folks do the fellowship concurrently with a dissertation and/or graduate coursework, unless the dissertation is in its final stages. We recommend applying so that by the time you begin the fellowship, you are completed or nearing the finish of your dissertation. 

If you plan to be finishing an online and/or part-time master’s degree – with no dissertation – during your time as a fellow and have significant flexibility in your course schedule, you may be eligible. Please inquire before applying to discuss your situation, as we typically do not recommend folks take on a full-time fellowship role while also participating in advanced degree coursework. 

Due to the volume of candidates we review and interview, we are not able to provide customized feedback for candidates who do not progress. Candidates are eligible to re-apply for the fellowship after a 10-month waiting period. For candidates re-applying, you will be asked to respond to the following short essay question: Since you last applied to the SDP Fellowship, please describe specifically what has changed. What quantitative, leadership, and/or communication skills have you developed? What has changed for your educational or professional experience?   

References listed in a candidate's application will be contacted after the Final Interview and prior to sending matching materials to a placement.

Candidates who successfully complete the Final Interviews and are admitted as a finalist into the candidate matching pool will have the chance to interview with placement organizations we mutually agree are a good possible match. The placement agency will extend an offer directly to their top candidate after concluding their interviews. After accepting the offer, the fellow becomes a full-time employee of the SDP placement organization, receiving salary and benefits directly from that organization.

Occasionally when a fellowship role is grant-funded, the actual hiring entity may be a third party (the funder themselves or an intermediary/nonprofit that works closely with the agency). We see this happen at least once per cohort. In these situations, we communicate directly with these hiring entities and ensure the fellow will still have full access to technology and people at the actual partner organization, and the SDP supervisor is someone from the partner organization. We also collect hiring and benefits information directly from the hiring entity. In some of these situations, there is potential to be hired directly by the partner organization at the conclusion of the fellowship.