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.

WestEd seeks a senior level Applied Researcher who specializes in the study of education leadership to join its team of research, practice, and policy staff focused on the K-12 sector. This senior position will provide strategic leadership to guide the growth and development of a portfolio within the group that reflects practitioner and policymaker needs, a systems orientation, WestEd's commitment to equity, and the ability to influence policy and practice on a wide scale.

Position Overview

WestEd seeks a senior level Applied Researcher who specializes in the study of education leadership to join its team of research, practice, and policy staff focused on the K-12 sector. This senior position will provide strategic leadership to guide the growth and development of a portfolio within the group that reflects practitioner and policymaker needs, a systems orientation, WestEd's commitment to equity, and the ability to influence policy and practice on a wide scale.

This position will report directly to the Senior Managing Director overseeing Talent Development and Diversity, Literacy, and School Choice.

Responsibilities

• Work across a division offering a range of K-12 solutions to facilitate evidence-based interventions for systemically cultivating and supporting school and district leadership; regularly collaborate with other divisions on complementary work taking place in federally funded technical assistance centers


• Expand WestEd's footprint in the education leadership space by developing a formal market-entry plan and leading large-scale resource development efforts each year


• Devise eminence and visibility building strategies around funded projects and business development. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, publishing in prominent journals, speaking engagements at key conferences and symposiums, guest blogging series with strategic partners, etc.


• Provide methodological oversight for research projects within the Education Leadership domain. This responsibility includes: supervising and providing developmental feedback to project directors leading research; building the analytic and evaluative capacity of early career professionals staffed on projects; providing quality assurance oversight for project deliverables, and providing conceptual direction to peers engaged in educator development and school improvement work


• Build a catalogue of field-facing research and methodological tools; help internal teams select ways to measure the impact of their respective interventions


• Selectively fashion tools, materials, resources that are inspired by client engagements into field advancing resources following an internal R&D cycle


• Foster skill development and broaden expertise among existing staff; opportunity to build out a small team will likely exist in the late 2022-early 2023 timeframe


• Serve as a Principal Investigator for research projects that focus on analyzing impact of intervention efforts to improve school and district leadership; supporting the field to successfully scale interventions with proven impact; and generate new concepts for consideration by researcher and policy maker partnerships.

This opportunity offers the chance to:

• Work for an industry leader in education research;


• 
  Expand WestEd's influence on the field of education leadership;


• 
  Enjoy considerable autonomy in shaping an applied research agenda;


• Strategically build on and learn from the work taking place in WestEd's federal technical assistance centers;


• Drive a high level of collaboration across content areas at WestEd to foster and sustain intersectional client solutions


• 
  Have fun - work with a smart and passionate team that values innovation, quality, and making an impact by closing the skills gap for students with disabilities.

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:

• Be a strategic thinker with deep knowledge of research methodology for education and social science research with at least 10 years of post-doctoral research experience;


• Demonstrated success in conceptualizing, scoping, and leading complex research initiatives with systems level impact


• National credibility and recognition in the areas of school and district leadership, derived, in significant part, from recently published works in peer-reviewed journals;


• Have an established track record in successfully helping others translate research into practice and policy;


• History of successfully managing projects, including fiscal stewardship and human resources/talent development, to ensure work is of the highest quality and impact;


• Be committed to and passionate about WestEd's mission to address deep-seated inequities;


• Possess strong written and oral communication skills;


• Work productively with diverse staff, colleagues, and clients from across the organization and across the nation in a collaborative, team-orientated workplace;


• Demonstrated success in developing business in response to competitive and sole-source opportunities in the public and private sectors; and


• Possess a PhD in educational research or a related discipline.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:Salary for this role is competitive, set at a WestEd level J, 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.

Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resources groups, the Data Intelligence, Insights, and Innovation PLC, and the WestEd Parent Community, just to name a few. We hope you'll consider joining us to build better schools, communities, learning pathways, and more!