About WestEd

As a community of over 1,300 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.

Furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to who we are and how we work. We are committed to working with our clients to illuminate and address disparities, value and elevate diverse voices, and ensure equitable access to our resources and services. Read more about. Come and join us!

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.

Content Area or Department Brief Description

The Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities (RHSC) content area at WestEd exists to support leaders at all levels of K-12 and other child- and youth-serving systems with the knowledge, capacity, and tools they need to create the safe, supportive, responsive, and equitable conditions in which every child, youth, and adult can learn, grow, and thrive. Our team works nationally at every level of the education system and alongside adjacent social sectors, serving schools, communities, child- and youth-serving agencies, local education agencies, regional educational agencies, and state education agencies. We are a multidisciplinary team, bringing experience and expertise in all aspects of serving the whole person to our work. Our body of work includes (a) responsive, safe, supportive, and equitable relationships and environments (including trauma-informed practices and resilience, restorative practices, and school climate and culture); (b) social and emotional learning and mental and behavioral health; (c) self and community care for educators and other adults; (d) community resilience and well-being; and (e) multi-tiered systems of support. Our work includes technical assistance and professional learning, surveys and measures, product and resource creation, and research and evaluation. We bring deep knowledge of relevant federal/state legislation to provide coherent supports for the multifaceted needs of our child- and youth-serving systems.

Our content area is growing! If you have a deep passion for and expertise in the research, policy, and practice of creating equitable conditions in which young people and the adults who care for them can thrive, we would love to talk to you!

The Opportunity

In this role, you will have the opportunity to support Project Directors and lead activities on multiple projects focused on school mental health systems. This specific position is focused on research and evaluation activities as well as content development and technical assistance related to implementation of school mental health systems. This position requires expertise in applied research methodologies and school mental health. You will work as part of a team to assist with evaluation design, focus groups, data collection, data analysis, and report writing. You will also support content development related to data-based decision making using social, emotional and behavioral data (e.g., universal screening) to inform Tier 1 and 2 social and emotional interventions. You will collaborate with colleagues on evaluation and related technical assistance activities to support state, county, and school leaders. In this role, you will coordinate and guide assistant-level staff to perform tasks to be completed on time and with high quality. You will have the opportunity to support and eventually lead the development of proposals to grow our work related to school mental health research, evaluation and technical assistance. Overall, you will contribute to WestEd’s growing work in school mental health.

NOTE: Some travel to project sites may be involved.

Our Team Values

Our team has co-created five core values that we strive to live by: accountability, integrity, authenticity, service, and well-being. Though we work hard and have high expectations for ourselves and for each other, our relationships and well-being matter most. We are collaborative, reliable, and supportive of each other. At the same time, we take initiative and can work independently. We pay attention to the details, manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines, and follow-through to the completion of a task. We ask questions, are open to feedback, and when mistakes happen, we jump in to find solutions. We know what we don’t know and are comfortable bringing in colleagues with the expertise we may not have. 

What We’re Looking For

Our ideal candidate understands the role of research, evaluation, and technical assistance as it relates to school-based mental health systems, specifically social and emotional learning, mental/behavioral health intervention and assessment, culturally responsive and sustainable practices, data-based decision-making, and multi-tiered systems of support. The right candidate:

1. Has a master’s or doctoral degree in school psychology, social work, child and adolescent behavioral health, psychology, education, special education, educational leadership, or another related field.
2. Has a minimum of 3 years post-master’s level (doctoral training or applied) experience in mixed methods research related to school mental health.
3. Is fluent with software for qualitative and quantitative data analysis and management.
4. Has experience in human and equity centered design and implementation of school mental health research, evaluation, and/or technical assistance.
5. Is team-oriented and an excellent collaborator, while also able to take initiative and work independently when needed.
6. Is an excellent and efficient writer and an engaging communicator that can convey complex, technical ideas clearly and effectively to education and related-sector leaders, policymakers, and other key partners.
7. Has conducted literature reviews and/or landscape analyses to inform decision-making, evaluation planning, and capacity building.
8. Has provided technical assistance, including coaching, strategic planning, and facilitation, to districts, state agencies, and community-based organizations.
9. Is a strategic thinker, with an ability to solve problems, identify opportunities, and generate next steps.
10. Actively contributes to the dissemination of work through presentations, webinars, podcasts/audiocasts, conferences, and written publications.

*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 $78,800 to $135,000 but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $78,800 to $112,500. The actual offer takes into account 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 first of the month following 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 detail about our benefits, go to:

https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/benefits/

Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resource 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! #LI-Remote #LI-Hybrid