Improvement Analyst Specialist
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.
Brief Position Overview:
WestEd is seeking to fill the position of Improvement Analytics Specialist to support educational organizations in identifying, developing, and using data to inform their on-going systemic improvement efforts. The Improvement Analytics Specialist will join the Innovation Studies improvement science team, working closely with WestEd improvement specialists, partner organizations, and network affiliates to investigate problems of practice, to leverage extant data or develop measures useful for on-the-ground improvement efforts, and to support the building of a data infrastructure to provide the right data to the right users at the right time.
The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of experience providing data and analytics support to educators working to improve educational systems. This support may include guiding teams to develop inquiry questions; connecting data and analyses to inquiry; identifying and developing measures to inform improvement efforts; analyses of quantitative data to address inquiry questions; collecting, analyzing, and representing data in ways that are useful for practitioners; and working closely with educators to make sense of and use data to inform next steps. This support may also include using and supporting others to use qualitative research methods. Depending on background experiences, projects may span topics including K-12 student achievement, chronic absenteeism, special education, career technical education, college access and completion, teacher preparation, and school and district strategic planning.
Familiarity with quality improvement methodologies (e.g., the Model for Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management) and associated theory (e.g., Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge, Carnegie’s Six Principles, systems theory, organizational psychology, institutional theory) is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities may include:
- Providing analytics support for quality improvement projects, including:
- Coaching improvement teams to identify measures that will support their work;
- Co-developing a family of measures with improvement teams;
- Supporting the development of an analytics infrastructure that enables continuous improvement;
- Developing data visualizations that inform quality improvement efforts; and
- Designing and conducting qualitative data collection and analysis.
- Developing, evaluating, and refining training materials for measurement for improvement;
- Facilitating internal and external improvement trainings;
- Developing and delivering presentations to diverse audiences;
- Production of written materials including training materials, blog posts, documentation of improvement efforts, and research-based articles;
- Managing lines of work, including developing timelines and meeting deadlines;
- Directing the work of research associates, assistants, and outside contractors assigned to particular parts of projects for which the position is responsible;
- Participating in the development of proposals for new work, taking responsibility for writing the research design and analysis plans for both the quantitative and qualitative sections of the overall narrative;
- Assist in the writing of project reports through researching, writing and editing, taking responsibility for particular sections;
- Developing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with clients;
- Working and learning collaboratively with a growing team on a range of projects.
Qualifications:
- Doctoral degree or Master’s degree in education, psychology, statistics, or related field, plus 3-5 years of experience supporting improvement efforts in an educational context.
- Programming expertise in at least one major statistical package (e.g. Stata, SAS, SPSS, R).
- Experience developing, maintaining, and utilizing K-12 district data systems.
- Experience contributing to complex projects.
- Experience coaching individuals or teams.
- Excellent ability to write and communicate clearly.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team and treat diverse groups of staff and clients respectfully.
- Ability to pursue work and goals with tenacity, flexibility, and persistence in the face of complex, uncertain, or shifting circumstances.
- Demonstrated ability to learn on-the-job, give and receive constructive feedback, and grow into new roles and responsibilities as the work demands.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment to advancing equity in education.
- Experience developing and managing timelines, deadlines, and deliverables for projects.
- Ability to work on a flexible schedule and travel, as needed.
Compensation:
This is a WestEd Level H position. Compensation is competitive, depending on experience.
*Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities