Job Description:

Description

WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit agency that conducts and applies research, develops evidence-based solutions, and provides services and resources in the realms of education, human development, and related fields, with the end goal of improving outcomes and ensuring equity for individuals from infancy through adulthood.WestEd has more than a dozen offices nationwide, from Massachusetts, Georgia, and Washington, DC, to Arizona and California, with headquarters in San Francisco.

Throughout WestEd's over 50-year history we have maintained a strong commitment to staff diversity. Individuals of different ethnicities, races, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, as well as from different cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds work at all levels of the organization. We value the range of perspectives provided by this diverse workforce and the ways in which those perspectives enrich and inform our agency and the work we do. Read more aboutWestEd's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Position Description

The Senior Research Associate for Educational Data Tools and Systems will work as a part of the Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development Group at WestEd. The Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development Group focuses on strengthening higher education, workforce, and economic development systems to improve student access and outcomes in higher education and increase economic mobility for low-income families and communities. A central pillar of the group is changing the conversation about the relationship between education and access to living wage employment through exceptionally innovative use of data, student and practitioner experience, and a strong understanding of secondary, postsecondary, and workforce education systems and structures.

The Senior Research Associate works with data scientists, project managers, and researchers to oversee the development of data tools, data visualizations, and dashboards to inform educational reform efforts in adult, K12, and postsecondary education. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of state and local administrative datasets, development of data and accountability metrics and structures, and technical processes for development of data tools. They will have direct experience in the use of data to inform policy, systems change, and local implementation of programs that improve learner outcomes and economic mobility. A strong understanding of database structures, technical project management, and metric development are critical skills for this position.

The candidate's content knowledge and experience should be matched by strong communication skills on the use of data to inform change in policy and practice related to student success and equity. The Postsecondary and Workforce Development Group is a high performance and fast-moving team working continuously across public systems and in the field. Applicants should enjoy working in a rapid paced, challenging environment that pushes the boundaries of policy and practice. Curiosity, an open mind, strong problem-solving skills, and a passion for student equity are strong requirements for this position.

Responsibilities:

Provide Project Management

• Supervise and lead projects that include internal WestEd project management staff and key external development and policy partners focused on data tools and system development.


• Manage complex projects with multiple partners, in a context of rapidly evolving priorities, and ensuring deliverables are on time and on budget.


• Lead and participate in planning for development or revision of projects and support the expanding portfolio of work with the Postsecondary and Workforce Development Group


• Demonstrated ability to identify and think through all necessary steps of a project and set appropriate deadlines.


• Capacity to move seamlessly between prioritized tasks.


• Ability to meet tight timelines.

Data Tools and Dashboard Development

• Lead project teams in the creation of data tools and metrics that advance the strategic goals of educational and workforce systems.


• Lead the process of creating user interface design specifications, ensuring the interface conforms with specifications, and leading user acceptance testing.


• Lead testing processes that include data scientists that support data integrity in underlying datasets and aggregated data sets for display in secured and publicly accessible data tools.


• Develop and monitor processes for development and management of data products that ensure on time development and achievement of deliverables working directly with state agencies.


• Support research that uses data tools and independent analysis of underlying datasets to inform new areas of exploration and practice in educational data and analysis.

Practitioner Engagement, Professional Development, and Technical Assistance

• Support implementation of professional development strategies that further the use of data for continuous improvement and increasing student success and economic mobility.


• Ensure that field engagement, training, and TA models are appropriate and accessible by a diverse range of practitioner types from different educational and public systems.

Support Program Expansion

• Support proposal and project development strategies that expand the work of the Postsecondary and Workforce Development Group.


• Define data and technical assistance product lines that can be replicated and deployed in other states or regions.

SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION - Currently, all staff at WestEd are working from home until further notice. Once we return to offices, this position will be based in one of WestEd's offices. Candidates can submit a request to work from home.

Qualifications

Experience:

• At least three years leading projects focused on developing educational data systems.


• At least two years of professional experience providing technical assistance and supporting postsecondary education, adult education, and/or workforce development agencies, systems and practitioners.

• Content expertise related to higher education, adult education, workforce development, guided pathways, educational reform, and/or educational data systems.

Communication Skills & Accuracy:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate in a collaborative manner with colleagues and partners at all levels, from frontline employees to executives and external representatives.


• Ability to communicate complex information to diverse audiences, including both data scientists and those with little experience working with education and workforce data.


• Strong writing skills including experience developing resources for a diverse audience with clarity, brevity, and understanding.

• Demonstrated ability to ensure that one's own and others' work and information are complete and accurate, especially under tight timelines.

Alignment: An abiding commitment to excellence and equity, and helping people attain living wages

Travel: Ability to travel - requires 25% travel time. For staff working remotely or from a home office travel time may be as much as 50% depending on the demands of the project

Education: Masters Degree in education or equivalent discipline relevant to the content area

SALARY AND BENEFITS:Salary for this role is competitive, set at a WestEd level H salary grade, and commensurate with experience. WestEd offers a very generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as Life, AD&D and Disability insurance.We also offer various retirement plan options and Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare, and commuter expenses. WestEd offers generous paid holidays and paid time off (PTO), among other benefits.