Senior Specialist, Communications

About WestEd

As a community of over 1,400 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals from all backgrounds and life experiences, we are committed to making a qualitative difference in the lives of youth, children, and adults. We conduct and apply research, develop evidence-based solutions, and provide consulting services across the country in both rural and urban communities to improve equitable outcomes for individuals from infancy through adulthood. Serving as trusted partners in the areas of education, health, and justice, our teams enhance capacity within communities and school districts to prioritize impact - asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs.

WestEd supports individual initiative, excellence, and hard work of all individuals in our hiring and work practices. WestEd complies with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as OFCCP requirements. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, or status as a protected veteran.

SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION-Although WestEd provides the option of working at one of its facilities for employees, many roles allow employees to choose to work remotely for their own convenience. The decision to allow remote work at the employee's convenience is based on the requirements of the position or project in question.

Position Description

The WestEd Communications Department is seeking a skilled and seasoned content creator and communications professionalto support WestEd's School Improvement team bydeveloping and reviewing content and managing the workflow and relationships of complex, highly visible, and meaningful projects with state and local agencies and organizations. The position is essential to supporting the work of the field staff with the delivery of consistent high-quality services that achieve the desired outcomes for our clients and expand our reach and impact.

The team is seeking a proactive, technology-focused candidate to: (1) provide the highest level of quality, integrity, and responsiveness to our clients, (2) expand our internal efficiency and effectiveness, and (3) expand our reach and impact. Qualified candidates will demonstrate an ability to add significant value in each of these areas and bring expertise in designing engaging professional learning activities. The position will be embedded in the School Turnaround team and report to the Director of Strategic Communications in the Communications Department.

Responsibilities

Providing the highest level of quality, integrity, and responsiveness to clients

• Build strong client relationships across K-12 education organizations, including school districts, charter networks, and state education agencies, while navigating the unique political dynamics of each context.
• Serve as a go-to support person for clients using the Four Domains CALL survey and My School Improvement Partner-helping them access training videos, reference guides, implementation protocols, and troubleshooting assistance.
• Keep projects on track by helping develop project plans, monitoring key milestones, and keeping both WestEd team members and clients informed about timelines and next steps.
• Coordinate project communications, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and materials, writing meeting summaries, following up on action items, and responding to questions from clients and participants.
• Manage the tech side of virtual work, including scheduling online meetings, setting up participant registration, configuring breakout rooms, and providing technical support during virtual sessions.

Increasing CSTI's internal efficiency and effectiveness

• Manage project workflows by helping create and monitor work plans that keep deliverables on schedule, ensure educators get timely support, and maintain data collection standards.
• Streamline team operations by creating materials and systems that help School Improvement field staff work more efficiently within and across their projects.
• Act as the daily point person for project operations, drawing on your knowledge of the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement framework and how to design effective professional learning experiences.
• Build working relationships across WestEd by communicating regularly with colleagues at all organizational levels.
• Prepare polished materials by proofreading and formatting reports, briefs, presentations, and other documents for both internal use and external audiences.
• Maintain program quality and consistency by following established standards for messaging and processes, while identifying opportunities to improve workflows.
• Handle financial paperwork by working with operations staff to process and track contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, consultant agreements, and invoices.
• Coordinate design and accessibility needs with other members of the Communications Department to ensure materials are completed on time and meet accessibility standards.
• Provide tech expertise to program staff on communications and project management tools, including Box, Smartsheet, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365.

Expanding our reach and impact

• Manage the CSTI website and communications by keeping content current, writing stories that highlight the team's work and impact, posting to social media, and distributing updates to CSTI subscribers.
• Support the proposal process from start to finish by writing proposal content, tracking production timelines, coordinating with team members on deadlines, securing required internal approvals through WestEd's established processes, and ensuring all proposal requirements are met before submission.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree, master's degree preferred.
• Experience working with a state education agency or local education agency preferred.
• Experience as a classroom teacher highly valued, especially in English Language Arts.
• Knowledge of school improvementissues and challenges.
• 4-6 years of project coordination and communications experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to represent complex ideas clearly and engagingly.
• Experience incorporating the perspectives of people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the consideration of impacts and outcomes of a communication and/or decision-making process.
• Affinity for applying structure to team activity; highly organized, appreciates the need for rigorous documentation, flexible enough to adapt plans to rapidly changing circumstances.
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment dealing successfully with multiple short- and long-term priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to travel at approximately 15 percent time each year.
• Mastery of Microsoft, Google, Box, Smartsheet, WordPress, and/or an ability to quickly adapt to new tools or software, especially project management software.
• Demonstrates highest-quality collaboration skills for both internal and external stakeholders, including excellent interpersonal communications, dependability, reliability, and professionalism.

*Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
WestEd conducts a criminal background check and education verification for all new hires. Any offers of employment will be contingent on receiving a clear background check in accordance with applicable law.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:
The full salary range for this position, WestEd level (10), is $90,900 to $142,000, but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $90,900 to $113,600. The actual offer considers multiple factors, including but not limited to education, experience, internal equity, and other organizational needs.

In addition to the base salary, benefits include:

* 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment
* Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts
* All health/welfare benefits are effective the first of the month following the hire date
* PTO: 3 weeks' vacation (increases to 4 weeks beginning the 4th year of employment), paid holidays, and 12 days paid sick leave per year
* Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary
* Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives
* Professional development opportunities & mentorship program

For more details about our benefits, go to: https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/#benefits
WestEd is a Drug Free Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace. #LI-Remote #Circa-Remote

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)