Senior Program Manager (Associate Director, Educational Leadership)

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 Summary

The Senior Program Manager provides strategic and technical leadership for a portfolio of educational leadership and system improvement initiatives. This position leads complex client engagements, designs and facilitates professional learning and technical assistance, develops and strengthens service offerings, cultivates client partnerships, and contributes to the growth and sustainability of the team’s work.  Working collaboratively with colleagues across WestEd, the Senior Program Manager serves as a senior thought partner to educational leaders, helping them make sense of complex challenges, use evidence to inform decisions, strengthen leadership practice, and build organizational capacity. The position brings research and practice together to design solutions responsive to the needs of schools, districts, county offices, state agencies, and other educational organizations.   The Senior Program Manager also plays an important role in growing WestEd’s body of work through business development, proposal leadership, client development, dissemination, and the development of staff and project teams.

 Primary Responsibilities

Leadership Development, Technical Assistance and Facilitation

• Lead the design and facilitation of high-quality professional learning and technical assistance for school, district, county, state, and other education leaders.
• Lead and contribute to leadership development services including Leadership Playbook, Leading Systems, Leading from the Middle, School Leadership Team Networks, leadership retreats, coaching, and other professional learning initiatives.
• Design learning experiences that integrate research, evidence, adult learning, and the practical realities of educational leadership.
• Serve as a senior facilitator and thought partner to executive, district, and school leaders as they address complex leadership and system challenges.
• Support leaders in using data and evidence to identify needs, make decisions, monitor implementation, and strengthen continuous improvement.
• Develop and refine frameworks, tools, resources, and approaches that strengthen WestEd’s leadership development and system improvement services.

Project and Portfolio Leadership 

• Direct multiple complex projects and client engagements from design through implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Provide leadership and oversight for project teams, budgets, work plans, timelines, deliverables, and quality assurance.
• Manage a portfolio of related work and identify opportunities to increase coherence, quality, reach, and impact across projects.
• Identify and address complex or cross-functional challenges, working collaboratively with colleagues and agency leaders to develop solutions.
• Use implementation evidence, participant feedback, data, and research to assess effectiveness and strengthen services over time.
• Ensure projects reflect WestEd’s standards for quality, responsiveness, fiscal stewardship, and client service.

 Client Partnership and Field Leadership

• Build and sustain trusted relationships with school district, county, state, and national education leaders.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to clients, helping translate research, evidence, and emerging practices into actionable approaches.
• Identify emerging needs and opportunities within the field and translate those needs into responsive technical assistance and professional learning.
• Represent WestEd through presentations, convenings, professional networks, conferences, and other dissemination opportunities.
• Develop partnerships with organizations and individuals whose expertise can extend the reach and impact of WestEd’s work.
• Contribute to the visibility and national reputation of WestEd’s educational leadership work.

 Business Development and Service Growth

• Identify and cultivate opportunities to expand educational leadership and system improvement services with existing and prospective partners.
• Lead proposal development for mid-sized projects and contribute substantive leadership to larger proposals and funding opportunities.
• Develop scopes of work, project approaches, budgets, staffing models, and partnerships that respond to client needs and advance WestEd’s strategic priorities.
• Help build and sustain a coherent body of work that supports the continued growth of the Educational Leadership and System Design portfolio.
• Contribute to the strategy, positioning, and continuous improvement of established and emerging service offerings.
• Collaborate across WestEd to identify opportunities for interdisciplinary partnerships and new areas of work.

 Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead and support project and service teams, establishing clear direction, roles, expectations, and standards for high-quality work.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop staff, strengthening their capacity in facilitation, technical assistance, project leadership, and client partnership.
• Lead across roles and teams through influence, collaboration, and shared purpose.
• Collaborate with colleagues across WestEd to connect expertise in research, evaluation, policy, professional learning, and technical assistance.
• Contribute to a team culture grounded in learning, collaboration, reflection, and continuous improvement.

 Qualifications- Required 

• Advanced degree in education, educational leadership, public policy, evaluation, or a related field.
• Significant experience in school district, county, state, or other educational system leadership, including senior-level responsibility for programs, initiatives, or organizational improvement.
• Deep knowledge of educational leadership, organizational and system improvement, and the implementation of complex educational initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating professional learning and technical assistance for educational leaders.
• Experience leading complex projects and multiple workstreams, including responsibility for project strategy, teams, budgets, deliverables, and client relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to use research, data, and evidence to inform decision making, program design, and continuous improvement.
• Experience building trusted relationships with senior educational leaders and diverse partners.
• Experience developing staff and leading teams, including through influence across organizational roles.
• Experience contributing to business development, proposal development, or the growth of programs and services.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to travel throughout California and across the country as needed.

 Preferred

• Doctoral degree in education, educational leadership, evaluation, or a related field.
• Senior district or system-level leadership experience.
• Experience in applied research, program evaluation, assessment, accountability, or continuous improvement.
• Experience leading professional learning or technical assistance across multiple districts, regions, or states.
• Experience presenting at state or national conferences and contributing to professional networks, publications, or other field-facing dissemination.
• Experience developing and sustaining partnerships across educational organizations.
• Knowledge of emerging issues affecting educational leaders, including the effective use of technology, data, and artificial intelligence to support organizational learning and decision making.

 What Success Looks Like 

• Build trusted partnerships with educational leaders and serve as valued thought partners on complex leadership and system challenges.
• Lead engaging, research-informed professional learning and technical assistance that moves from learning to implementation and sustained practice.
• Successfully lead multiple projects and teams while maintaining high standards for quality, client service, and fiscal stewardship.
• Use research, evidence, and data to strengthen services and help leaders make informed decisions.
• Develop colleagues and strengthen the collective capacity of project and service teams.
• Identify opportunities to deepen client partnerships and grow a sustainable body of work.
• Expand the reach, visibility, and impact of WestEd’s educational leadership and system improvement services.

*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 (13), is $140,800 to $220,000, but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $140,800 to $176,000. 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 and immediately 100% vested

· Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account option

· All health/welfare benefits are effective the first of the month following the hire date

· PTO: 19 days (increases to 21 days beginning the third year of employment), 12 paid holidays

· Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary, max of 500k

· 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-SealBeach,CA   #Circa-CA

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)