Program Assistant

About WestEd

As a community of over 1,000 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 WestEd’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 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. This position is hybrid.

The Opportunity:

The position will provide administrative support primarily to the Educational Leadership and Systems Design team.

The ideal candidate will lead all technological aspects of ELSD’s virtual service delivery and provide support for project leadership (scheduling meetings, travel and expense reconciliation, meeting materials and notes) as well as project support for the development of materials (PowerPoint, Word, Excel). This includes production coordination (creating and ensuring timelines) as well as direct support on proofing, formatting (utilizing formatting tools in MS Word), and accessibility checks (i.e., Section 508 compliance). This position will also provide logistical and technical support for virtual service delivery and team meetings (when needed).

The ideal candidate will be a well-organized and detail-oriented individual who has a strong command of digital learning platforms and enjoys communicating frequently with teams. Candidates must demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to stay organized while managing multiple priorities. We are seeking a career administrative support professional with at least 5 years of similar experience.

Candidate location in the Pacific time zone is required. Experience in the field of education is highly valued, but not required.

Core Focus Areas:

• Provide logistical and technical support for virtual service delivery and virtual team meetings (scheduling, registration support when needed, breakout room configuration, and tech support).
• Support for project leadership (scheduling, travel, and expense report submittal; planning, logistics, and follow-up for project wide virtual and in-person meetings).
• Support activities of the larger project team (planning, logistics, and follow-up for key project-specific meetings; aid in the documentation, dissemination, and sharing of knowledge (i.e., meeting materials and notes).
• Provide proofing, formatting, and accessibility support for project documents.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of processes that increase efficiencies within the project.
• Contribute to and maintain the currency of information on the internal team-facing website.
• Process confidential information as needed, maintaining confidentiality.
• Other duties as assigned.

What We’re Looking For:

• 5 years administrative support experience.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), including the ability to create charts, graphs, tables, and presentations.
• Demonstrated expertise with proofreading and document formatting; careful attention to detail.
• Preferred experience with modifying documents to ensure accessibility (i.e., Section 508 compliance).
• Ability to emphasize a collaborative approach using high-quality customer service skills.
• Experience communicating with multiple teams simultaneously verbally and in writing to coordinate work around multiple tasks and multiple deadlines with a variety of project teams.
• Proven ability to effectively work and collaborate across differences, including ethnicity, gender, and culture.
• Ability to quickly adapt to new computer programs/software; experience with Zoom or other video conference software preferred.
• An abiding commitment to excellence and equity, and having an impact on the lives of youth and families.
• Some education sector experience preferred (examples include experience working with state education agency, and federal or state-funded programs).
• Travel to support meetings and events, 5-10%.

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

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The full salary range for this position, WestEd level D, is $63,200 to $94,800 but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $63,200 to $79,000. 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

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)