Pros
The Hunt Institute works at the system level to influence positive change for students. The organization has an explicit focus on equitable outcomes for students. You can meet high-profile stakeholders and see how policy decision-making works at the highest levels. Given turnover, there are frequent opportunities to grow your skillset.
Cons
In today's job market, you may be tempted to latch onto any job that expresses interest in you. This is not that job. You should not move across the country for this job. I watched this job impact the mental, physical, and emotional health of nearly every staff member I worked with. This job led me to experience frequent anxiety attacks. Turnover throughout my tenure was atrocious. The organization ballooned in size at a rate that it did not know how to support/sustain, leading to an overall collapse in staffing numbers as staff sought a more supportive working environment. The staff that remains is deeply overworked. Turnover was consistent across the board - with both directors and junior staff turning over so frequently, it was often difficult to keep track of who was leading which team. It is my understanding that there is no end in sight for turnover related concerns. The organization also has a (in my opinion) dated view re: remote work. A significant sticking point among the staff consistently revolved around the need to be physically in office (and live within 40 minutes or so?). Throughout my time at the organization, I watched us lose a number of high-quality staff members and leaders due to leaderships inability to be flexible to the demands of the modern labor force. While in office, employees often work siloed and there is little opportunity for collaboration, making the work in office feel like an exercise in futility. The CEO also does not consistently report to the office - creating a further rift amongst staff. Overall, the organization has a noble mission, but it is soiled by horrific leadership that cannot effectively steer the ship. Junior staff could frequently hear senior leadership screaming throughout the halls of the buildings, and stories of staff members getting screamed at were frequent. A significant number of the staff are young - on paper, this is a great experience for a young policy professional straight out of school looking to gain experience. But it is also reflective of something more sinister - older, more senior professionals know better and are less willing to put up with the stress that comes with working at The Hunt Institute. This job almost destroyed my love for education. While everyone's experiences/needs/background are different - I would encourage anyone going through the interview process for The Hunt Institute to seriously take a breath and consider all there options. I would also encourage you to reach out to any current and/or past staff via LinkedIn or other sources in your network to get an accurate representation of what it is like to work for this organization.